Neither of which, interestingly enough, I have ever really found in my journeys through Israel. For some reason, it is always imported from some where else.
ANYWAY……….
Today is Election Day in Israel. Since the results of the election will have a direct impact on the complexity of my job in the next few months, I thought this column by one of my favorite Haaretz authors-was quite appropriate for today.
If you're in Israel today, vote as if your life depended on it. It does.
Over two terms, we've learned that Netanyahu will do anything and everything to stay in power. Including nothing. Especially nothing.
I intend to vote the hell out of this election. I intend to vote us the hell out of the occupation. I intend to kick Netanyahu in his kitsch and his slime and his cowardice and the way he'll hold on to the leather chair until we the people pry it from his cold, dead hands.
We. The people of this country who want to see peace – the two thirds of the population who want to see two states bring an end to one endless crippling Israel-killing occupation.
I intend to vote the hell out of this election, and the one after that, which could come sooner than anyone – especially Bibi – thinks. I intend to vote because I've been disenfranchised by the one in 25 Israelis who lives in settlements. I intend to vote this time and the next, and the time after that, because the government of this country has been hijacked by the spirit and the waste trail and the living, ruling heirs of Meir Kahane, and because Netanyahu just sits by and watches and fools himself into thinking that he's co-opting them, because, above all, he's scared shitless of them.
One of the best parts about my job today is that I have gained an real appreciation for how complex politics are in Israel. And only Israelis could make it as complex as they do. In America its pretty simple-you are either on the side of the selfish or not. In Israel, all the players are selfish-its just what they are selfish about.
Netanyahu, 63, is now the second-longest serving Israeli prime minister after David Ben-Gurion. After tomorrow’s expected debacle for Likud-Beiteinu, he will no longer be considered an electoral asset by his subordinates. What’s more, he will be lagging behind them politically; with the arguable exception of Knesset speaker Reuven Rivlin, every single Knesset member in Likud, Yisrael Beiteinu and Naftali Bennett’s Habayit Hayehudi – the presumed bulk of the next coalition – will outflank Bibi on the right. He will be the new government’s “liberal.” That still probably won't stop him from attacking Iran-which will fuck up my work life royally, but one can always hope. Plus as long as Netanyahu remains Prime Minister, one will have to deal with wacko American evangelicals thinking he is paving the way for them to the rapture and Armageddon. Uh, no, thank you. We can skip that-and more settlements in Judea and Samaria are not the way forward for American Christianity or Israeli Judaism.
In America its pretty simple-you are either on the side of the selfish or not. In Israel, all the players are selfish-its just what they are selfish about.
This struck me as out of place, but maybe I misunderstand who you are thinking of when you write 'the players.' I think of the legislators, and at least in my home state of New York, avarice isn't at all restricted to one party. Check out how the Democrats won the NY Senate, but 5 of them decided to form a coalition with the Republicans in exchange for committee chair seats: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/04/new-york-state-senate-coalition_n_2238324.html Crazy stuff.
America does not have its politicians kow towing to the Haredim. Well on second thought-maybe they do. Our elections are about more economics, Israels are about a complex series of factors-but Judea and Samaria are always at the top of the heap.
And that's where the ultra-orthodox come in.
Religion is a bad basis for a state.
Ahhh, now I understand where you're coming from. Thanks!
Part of the problem is that it is hard to get truthiness out of anybody on the state in question. I read a piece at a reputable journal yesterday that was thoroughly delighted that the hateful scum bibi and his greedy selfish grasping uctards by uniting with the other hard right fascist party only managed to get a thoroughly dismal and predictable slap in the face from the Israelis who voted to keep those thugs in the wilderness by only giving them 61 seats. How utterly ucked they were by uniting since before they joined each other they got 42 seats but clearly nothing those fascist nazi btards did could make up for their utter fascism and so they only got 61 seats running jointly. Impossible to get shit through the Knesset with a simple majority of hardline fascist assholes so now everybody is ucked over.
I expect Bibi to NOT ATTACK Iran, though. As you said, he is entirely capable odf doing NOTHING, and wars do come with such unpleasantness as casualties, costs and worst of all low polls results and angry public opinion. And he had plenty of occasions to do so, especially in the days before the US elections when even Obama would have to support him (with gnashing teeth, probably) as to not look as "soft on Iran".