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The Consummate Centrist - January 12, 1999 | ||||||||||
The morning papers in Israel today carried a brief summary of the emerging platform of the new "Center Party". There is still no name to this entity, but by labelling it thus, party leaders have given the Israeli electorate the false impression that they are located somewhere in the political spectrum between Labor and Likud. Now we see that this is not true, for in the platform, the following policies are included: - The party is in favour of continuing the Oslo Accord, and "reaching a final settlement". This is the new national euphemism for a Palestinian State, which the "centrists" apparently support. - Territorial compromise on the Golan, primarily as a way of extricating Israeli forces from Lebanon. While there is something to be said against fighting an endless battle of attrition that is only costing lives, it is not at all certain that a withdrawal from Lebanon is in Israel's best security interests. This point also includes a provision for protecting "key strategic areas". Excuse me, but what exactly is the Golan Heights if not a "key strategic area"? This is a national consensus issue. It appears that what is trying to pass itself off as a centrist party, mostly interested in unity and consensus, is actually trying to create division. The rest of the summary contains policies largely taken from the other two "major" parties. But these two policies above belie the party's label as a centrist party. Yitzchak Mordechai, newly annointed king of the center, has shown himself for what he truly is -- a leftist par excellence. It is now clear that he is the major reason why Prime Minister Netanyahu caved in at Wye, and it is equally clear that as soon as Wye was put on hold, he was on the way out. None of this excuses Netanyahu, of course, since he is likely to be pressured again in the future by dishonest ministers in his cabinet. But let us call a spade a spade. If this new party is centrist, that would make Ehud Barak a right-wing extremist. Barak does not, at least publicly, support compromise on the Golan, or unilateral withdrawal from Lebanon. Further, despite Barak's and Labor's inherent racism, which can plainly be seen in their election posters, Barak is not publicly attacking all religious people or their legitimate rights. Mordechai has Roni Milo behind him. Milo is the former Tel Aviv mayor, who, when he announced his return to national politics last year, made it plain that his entire reason for the move was to "put the religious in their place" and to remove any and all Jewish influence from the Jewish State. None of Milo's rantings were included in the platform summary, because it would be impolitic to do so. But you can be sure that the religious segments of the population will be the big losers if the "centrists" get their hands on power. Coercion and repression will be used against the religious in all spheres of society, and there will be a return to the religious-bashing days from the immediate aftermath of Rabin's assassination. So I have a question for anyone thinking of supporting Mordechai and his band of clowns. What is the difference between them and Meretz? They support the same social policies, the same territorial policies, the same abandonment of Israeli security, the same religious-secular policies, and the same economic policies. One is led by a weak, yet experienced leadership, and one by a strong and populist, yet largely neophyte amalgamation of strange bedfellows. Mordechai and his party are centrists, the same way Shinui are centrists. Yet Shinui saw fit to join with Meretz for the past seven years, and show that they really belong in the left-wing extremist camp. In the end, Mordechai will show the same thing. All the policy planks are there and the only thing missing is an electoral nudge into the extremist camp in which they belong. Any voter in the center would do well to keep this in mind. Copyright 1999. Reproduction in print or electronic format by permission only. |
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