I have not updated the blog in a while, I say, just blame it on Netanyahu-re-election depression. No election manifesto, no problem, on the eve of the election just say that you will not settle for a Palestinian state if elected. Et voila! Win election.
In all fairness, Netanyahu’s right-wing approach was not the only factor that contributed to his win, Bibi also had the blessing of Chuck Norris.
Once he won the election, Netanyahu backtracked on his opposition of the two-state solution. He said: I want a sustainable two-state solution, peace can’t be imposed, Palestinian leadership should disavow itself from the partnership with Hamas and that the pressure is on Palestinians to show that they are committed to peace. Ah, the grace with which Bibi plays the game.
Here, I should point out that the Israelis I seem to be meeting are not pro right-wing, so not only will my posts be biased, even the opinions I am seeking will be biased.
The run up to the elections was interesting for me in many ways. There is one anecdote that sums it all up.
A friend was sitting in a park when a few middle-school children approached her saying they were conducting a pre-election opinion poll. She informed them that she would vote for the Joint List. The children who were either ill-informed or in denial asked, “What is that?”
The Joint List emerged as the third largest party in the current Knesset with 13 seats. Kudos to the four Arab parties for forming an alliance and playing the game. As individual players, the parties would not have mustered enough support to make it past the electoral-threshold.
What is this electoral threshold I speak of, you ask. In the words of an Israeli, “It is just a way to keep the Arabs out of the parliament.” Simple. A party needs to obtain at least 3.25 per cent of the votes to be represented in the parliament. This threshold was once 1 per cent; it was subsequently raised multiple times and recently in 2014 from 2 per cent to 3.25 per cent in the midst of criticism about the resulting disenfranchisement of Israeli Arabs and its general anti-democratic nature. Criticism aside, the left and center votes were consolidated in the recently concluded elections with parties forming alliances to increase their chances of winning representation in the Knesset.
Now that Netanyahu has been re-elected what will happen? A naive question from a non-Israeli. For, the Israeli who has seen it all shrugs and says, “It’s over, let’s get on with life. Netanyahu’s only goal is to keep things as they are. Nothing will change.”