From Nation's Capital to Nation's Capital: The Azza Street Spy

Political Ponderings
So, with Hamas' recent victory and Israel's upcoming parliamentary elections approaching, there are a lot of political discussions going on. Last Saturday night I attended a forum at the Great Synagogue in J-m where representatives of the major political parties spoke (about 8). The event was *extremely* well-attended. With over 1,000 in the audience, there was a severe oxygen shortage in the room. On Tuesday night I went to a more intimate political lecture given by a political correspondent for the J-m Post that gave an overview of the parties but was more about political process.

Wow, so much to think about. The biggest question: will my voting habits and opinions be affected by the fact that my government is a parliamentary coalition and is based on proportional representation? In the US many complain about the two-party system and how it can stifle political progress and creativity. But, what what advantages does the coalition present and does that mean that I am not taking full advantage unless I vote for a small party? What is the significance of voting for a major party in this structure? The big ones, Labor, Likud and now Kadima have well-developed platforms that extend to many issues (although Kadima really doesn't; they're working on it now, as they realize that a party built around a man is inherently flawed, especially when he is deathly ill). The small parties are more single-issue parties. I don't agree with any major party completely, but the small parties have the advantage that they are not expected to develop a full, well-rounded platform. You can really go back and forth on this.

In addition, having my vote count within the context of proportional representation and not district-based is new to me. My vote does not get me a district representative, but increases the popularity of the party I choose in a linear fashion. The obvious advantage of proportional representation is that small parties can actually get seats this way. If it went by districts, they would always be in the minority and lose. Of course a lot of Anglo olim whine about not having a district representative who has to answer to a constituency that can vote him/her out if they don't like their performance in government. Having lived in DC for seven years before aliyah, I am jaded to this argument. The DC residents don't have a voting representative, either.

One interesting way this system can influence your vote: if you are choosing between two parties, you can make your decision based on the next candidate in line. For example, you might be debating between Likud and National REligious (NRP), a common choice for many religious, Anglo olim. Likud is supposed to get 16 seats and NRP 3. To make your decision, you can look at their lists of candidates and compare Likud's #17 to NRP's #4. Since you would effectively be voting that person in, you can choose which you prefer as a candidate. This leaves you effectively voting for a person and not a party. Interesting.

At the Sat night event, one candidate from a really right wing party (HaIchud Leumi, or something) bragged about being the only serious Anglo candidate on any slate. However, I could never take him seriously; his party made me uncomfortable with their really right, narrow perspective on the Israeli-Arab conflict. The fact that he is Anglo is supposed to mean something? I don't vote on ethnicity; I vote on ideas. In his five minutes, he kept saying that he wanted to introduce Western-style accountability to the Knesset. I kept thinking aloud, "Jack Abramoff." What exactly is Western-style accountability, and might it be overrated?

On Tuesday night I had the opportunity to ask this question. The speaker who attended the same forum said that there is no Hebrew word for "accountability" and that he was not referring to corruption. Rather, he was talking about establishing a district office where other Anglos who did/did not vote for him can call and ask him to help them out. I don't know how this works if you're not serving a district and have no way of knowing if the person really voted for you.

But at least this cleared up that he was not talking about corruption at all. Granted there is a ton of corruption in Israeli government. Omri Sharon's campaign finance practices were in the news the two days before his father's stroke. I can't imagine a scandal that size not giving someone a massive stroke. On the other hand, I read the Washington Post online with glee, reading about all of the ethical scandals in the Republican Party. Abramoff, DeLay, Ralph Reed, etc. Each government runs according to different rules, so the corruption practices take different forms. But, ultimately, it exists everywhere.

Even though people bash politics here, especially Anglo olim, I think they are glorifying the American system. Try living in DC for awhile. Try reading Franken's books (they are so funny!). It can help you feel better about Israeli politics by realizing that the American ones are a mess, too.

Moral of the story: I think I need to volunteer for a political party. It's something I've wanted to do for a long time, and now I have the time. Of course even though I have a half-time job, I don't feel like I'm oozing with free time. Nonetheless, how can I pass up this opportunity, especially given my stage of immigration? The dilemma, is who to volunteer for? I am deliberating between essentially two parties, and I don't want to feel pressured to make a voting decision before the election. Besides, I don't have to vote and volunteer for the same party.

This way I can meet hotshots, and maybe start my own small, political party someday :) Another advantage of a parliamentary coalition government system.

How cool that I get to vote in my first Israeli election in less than two months! Even cooler that I can participate in the elections beyond voting, but can be active with the voting population as well. This experience is much more exciting than living in the US and blabbing about Israeli politics. Now, I can truly be involved!

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