Hamas War

Friday, April 1, 2011

Will Israel's Nationalist, Patriotic Right Capitalize on Its Great Electoral Potential?

Hat tip:IMRA

Not for the first time, Israeli political polls are showing that the people, ordinary citizens who are willing to participate in political polls, show a strong nationalist, patriotic Right ideology and voting potential. 

Also, many of the election results in recent decades have shown the same.  But has Israel gotten governments that rule according to citizens' wishes?  NO!

Time after time, from 1977 when the legendary Menachem Begin's Likud was victorious, to (the now comatose) Ariel Sharon and more recently Binyamin Netanyahu became Prime Minister the voters have been sorely disappointed.  I can no longer say "shocked," because I'm not surprised.  It's as if after being elected our top politicians undergo some sort of "brain transplant" or hypnotic process reversing their ideologies, making their policies unrecognizable to their voters.  It was horrifying to many Likud voters who had voted Likud in 2001 and 2003 to discover that Arik Sharon was going against his promises in the announcement of his Disengagement Plan, which unilaterally handed Jewish Land-destroyed Jewish communities, businesses etc.- to the Arab terrorists of Gaza.  Remember that "unilaterally" means that we got absolutely nothing in return.

A careful reading/listening to Binyamin Netanyahu shows that he never promised Israel a Right government.  Even though his vast knowledge of history so easily supports the Right, he has made a conscious (illogical) decision that to be Prime Minister, he must be in the "Center."  So when many of my friends were overjoyed at the most recent election results, I knew that we wouldn't get the government we had voted for.  Bibi would fashion some sort of Center-Left government and continue courting the Kadima MK's promising them almost anything to join him.  That's a reason why Leftist Labor Ehud Barak rules as Minister of Defense.

So, that's why I'm not all that excited about the results of that poll.  I just don't trust the politicians to give us the government we've voted for.  And even worse, I don't know if the one truly reliable pro-Jews in Land of Israel pary, the Ichud Leumi (National Union) knows how to campaign competently, but that's for another post.

Shabbat Shalom uMevorach
Have a Peaceful and Blessed Sabbath

13 comments:

Yonatan said...

It is completely maddening. I didn't understand it when I was in the US and I don't understand it now.

Perhaps we need to organize a nationalistic "voters" union. One where we state what our "platform" is and attract a large following and invite politicians to contract - that is sign an ironclad agreement that they will not support or vote against the platform, regardless of the horsetrading that goes on in the budget, etc.

They govern by our consent and this hasn't been happening for a while.

Or perhaps a media campaign to shame all the national / religious parties into unifying for the needs of the Jewish nation and not their narrow interests.

Anonymous said...

Our politicians know that the moment they try to differ with the left-wing positions of the courts/press/tycoons club, that club will ruin their efforts, not to mention their lives. A good way to see where power really resides is to watch the behavior of the police. Ten years ago, when the Arabs in the north began violent riots, police did their best to stop the violence, thinking that the Jewish majority was who they were supposed to serve. Then the Orr commission treated the Arabs as victims, and the police as aggressors. So now the police let Arabs steal massive tracts of land unhindered, while they shoot at Jews who build on Havat Gilad. They realize that the power lies with the leftists, not with the popularly elected government. Sharon is of course an obvious example of this.

in the vanguard said...

Your analysis is right on the money. The country is to the right, the government feigns right and goes left.

The one party that will benefit from this political swindle is, hopefully, the Ichud Leumi (National Union), who represents Israel's true destiny and tradition.

Batya said...

I'm glad we're in agreement. Thanks for your comments.

There are things that can be done. Feiglin and other Right supporters must stop supporting Likud. The NU must take itself more seriously as power party and not let the failed NRP control it. And we shouldn't be shy about letting people know the truth about Avigdor Lieberman's party, that it hasn't done anything for the Land and People of Israel.

Anonymous said...

You're all in a pipe dream.

But keep on ignoring all your fellow Israelis who aren't as religious as we all are and keep on enjoying decades to come either in the opposition or in very compromising coalitions.

Nothing new under the sun. The Dati Leumi community will continue to keep one another feeling warm and fuzzy.

Batya said...

Shy,so you see NU as NRP. I hope you're wrong, but I do know that the Likud is worse.

Yonatan said...

Shy, so your answer is Moshe Feiglin? This is the answer? Didn't the Likud pull some nasty shenanigans last time and not even let him take his position as MK?

I didn't advocate disenfranchising large swaths of the population in my suggestion (except the terminal lefties;-)

Anonymous said...

Yonatan, the answer is to join with all loyal Israeli Jews and not to isolate ourselves in dead-end sectoral political parties.

The best tool for this still is and has been the Likud for a long time. The goons at the top need to be shoved out by the large loyal voter base and Central Committee at the bottom.

Nothing works while the majority of goody-good thinkers sit on the sidelines and say "let's see you do it."

Even should a decision be made by Manhigut Yehudit to leave the Likud, the solution isn't the same ol' same ol', which has kept the religious community safely penned up for 63 years.

Yonatan said...

Sorry if I'm asking a dumb question as I don't have a complete handle on the mechanics of the political system here yet.

How do we effect a "shoving out" of the goons at the top?

Batya said...

Shy, the Likud has backtracked for almost 35 years, since 1977 when Menachem Begin surprised the world by offering the Sinai to Sadat and destroyed all the Jewish communities as part of the deal. Every single Likud PM has continued. Bibi just gave Putin land in downtown Jerusalem. The Likud stinks.

Build up NU instead of letting the NRP tunnel-visioned failures take over.

Yonatan, there aren't real rules except that the crooks running the Likud can't be budged.

Anonymous said...

Ugh! I see my lengthy comment from earlier today never made it through blogger.com. In short:

Yonatan, the word is "osmosis". The more loyal Israelis are Likud members, the more loyal Central Committee members get voted in, the more clout the Committee has to select the right people to represent the party in national elections.

Batya, for 63 years there has been zero faithful Jewish leadership in the Likud and zero success by neutered religious parties to have any lasting national influence on the country. And here we are!

Yonatan said...

Shy, I'm not trying to be argumentative here, I truly would like to find a way to make a difference.

Your osmosis method sounds like something that can never be relied upon to fully penetrate the upper echelons that are preventing the will of the majority to have their way.

Just as we seemingly will never be able to rid ourselves of the self elected bagatz, we will not be able to influence this from within. I wish this weren't true, but the results speak for themselves.

Batya said...

Shy, I just checked and there aren't any comments of yours waiting in the blogger wings.

I know the Likud/Gahal/Herut parties too well to think that your theory has a chance. We've been members since it was just Herut.