Three Days After the Israeli Elections: A Reflection and a Look at the Future of the Israeli Left

Three days after the Israeli elections, it is a time of licking wounds for the Israeli left.

Notwithstanding Kadima's one-seat advantage over the Likud, 28-27, there is certainly no reason for Kadima or the center-left to celebrate, as the final results put Israel's right-wing in firm control of the Knesset, with 65 out of 120 seats. These results do not bode well for either peace or civil rights in Israel.

The odds-on favorite to become Israel's next Prime Minister, therefore, is Bibi Netanyahu of Likud, whether this is at the helm of a purely right-wing government, or in partnership with Kadima. A government based on Likud and Kadima, though in some respects more palatable as it would diminish the influence of Avigdor Lieberman, could still not reasonably be expected to vigorously advance peace with the Palestinians.

Just as sad is the vote tally of the two parties who brought the Oslo agreement to Israel 16 years ago. From their 1992 election totals of 44 and 12 seats, respectively, Labor and Meretz are looking at 13 and 3 this time around. Earlier this week in Haaretz, Akiva Eldar offered a closer look at why the Meretz party lost its initial, promising campaign momentum and ended up suffering a stinging electoral setback.

Talk has already begun regarding a possible realignment on the Israeli left. Initial ideas include a Labor-Meretz alliance to resurrect the old "Labor Alignment" of the 1970s and 1980s; and a more daring idea of creating an integrated Jewish-Arab peace movement that would reach out to parties such as Hadash as well as to Arab civil society. Greater Jewish-Arab collaboration would certainly be an appropriate rejoinder to the growing influence of racist tendencies in Israeli politics.

Whatever Israeli government emerges in the weeks ahead, it will be much less predisposed towards negotiations with the Palestinians than the outgoing Olmert government. With this new obstacle standing in the way of bilateral diplomacy, the Israeli left will need to regroup and will soon begin to map out new and more innovative strategies for ending the occupation.

We have been hearing lately a greater willingness on the Israeli left to entertain more pronounced US diplomatic assertiveness. Words like "international intervention" have become more prominent in the Israeli political lexicon.

There also seems a strong inclination to shift the focus of peace activity to the world of civil society and human rights organizations, and away from the parliamentary sphere. Rather than focusing on grand diplomatic strategies, the Israeli left seems poised to return to what it does best: Serving as "Israel's conscience", and reminding Israelis, and the American Jewish community as well, about the unacceptably high moral price paid by Israel because of the occupation, and because of initiatives to deny Israel's Arab citizens access to the political life of the country.

The coming months will also present greater challenges for the pro-Israel peace movement in the US, and will, I believe, require much closer coordination among the various organizations working here for a more progressive Israel. In this light, I look forward to the October 2009 conference being organized by J Street as the exciting culmination, rather than the beginning, of efforts towards this end.

Earlier this week, I took part in a conference call with ex-Meretz MK, Prof. Naomi Chazan, sponsored by Brit Tzedek V'Shalom. Prof. Chazan enjoined all progressive American Jews not to give up in helping to protect Israel's future as a sane, democratic home for the Jewish people and for all its citizens. The indefatigable spirit she demonstrated seemed to comingle with the inspiring words of President Obama in his Inaugural speech: "Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work" - in this case, helping to create a progressive Israel.

To be sure, our strategy and tactics will have to be reexamined - both here and in Israel - but with Israel's voters having chosen despair and fear over hope, it seems that progressive American Jews will need to play an even more active role in the years ahead, not only within the American political establishment, but in building and expanding partnerships with the many Israelis who continue to "fight the good fight" - in Meretz and Machsom Watch, in Gisha and B'Tselem, in Peace Now and Breaking the Silence, and in many other organizations and initiatives around the country.

In the bleak political landscape that is unfolding before us, the need for a sharp, strong American Jewish voice that defines itself as Zionist but that will not take its marching orders from the Israeli government will be greater than ever.

If this voice is not heard clearly, I fear the loss of more and more progressive Jews, especially young Jews, to the ranks of the anti-Israel and anti-Zionist left in the years ahead.