Electoral misconceptions

As the dust settles on Israel elections, it is increasing apparent that many of our friends abroad are fundamentally misunderstanding the results.  Now is the time to set the facts straight.  First and foremost, these elections showed that a significant portion of Israeli society has chosen to put their trust in The Likud and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  This is both a validation of the policies we advocated, as well as an electoral call for political stability.  At the same time, this election was not the revolutionary upheaval some are trying to portray.

Those who follow the international media closely are familiar with the headlines being reported abroad.  Most outlets are claiming that the Israeli electorate has taken a hard turn to the right.  The problem with this theory is that it is numerically simply not true.  In the 2013 elections, the right wing – The Likud, Yisrael Beteinu (Avigdor Lieberman) and Jewish Home (Naftali Bennett) – garnered forty three seats.  The left wing bloc of Labor, Meretz and Hatnua (Tzipi Livni) won twenty seven parliamentary seats.  The center bloc, compromised of Yesh Atid (Yair Lapid) and Kadima won twenty one mandates. 

{mosads}In this election the numbers are almost identical.  The Right now won forty four.  The Left edged up to twenty nine, and the center, now made up of Yesh Atid and Moshe Kahlon’s new Kulanu party, received the same twenty one seats.  The only real change is that the ultraorthodox representation was significantly reduced from eighteen to thirteen while the now united Arab party gained two more seats than last time with thirteen.  Hardly the landslide for the religious-right being reported around the world.

A second myth reported out of Israel these days is that The Likud displayed blatant racism in the last stages of the campaign.  This too is completely false.  Let’s look at the facts.  During the course of the campaign millions of foreign shekels were poured into Israel with the stated goal of removing the Likud from power.  A large portion of these funds were aimed at increasing voter turnout and improving the standing of The United Arab List.  This is the same party of former MK Azmi Bishara who fled Israel in 2007 ahead of charges that he aided Hezbollah terrorists.  It is also the political home of current MK Haneen Zoabi who is on record calling the abduction and brutal murder of three Israeli teenagers this past summer a legitimate action of Palestinian resistance.

While most media coverage is now focused on the Prime Minister’s admittedly poorly worded call for right wing voters to come out to counter the “Arabs” who were being bussed to the polling stations, the chattering classes conveniently ignore the fact that within a very short amount of time the Prime Minister publicly clarified that he was referring only to those voting for anti-Zionist parties, and not towards our Arab citizens in general.  He also later apologized if any Israeli citizens were offended by his words.

A third widespread misconception after the election is that there has been some sort of seismic shift in Israeli policy vis-à-vis the Palestinians.   Let me be clear, a large numbers of Israelis – including this writer – do not support the establishment of a twenty second Arab state, this one in the historic homeland of the Jewish people between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River.  In addition to our legal, religious, and historic claim to this land, we are convinced that a Palestinian state will prove a daily security risk to the State of Israel.

That being said, Prime Minister Netanyahu is on record as supporting a demilitarized Palestinian state.  During the campaign the Prime Minister repeated what he had said on numerous occasions since Abu Mazen announced that he was partnering with the terrorists of Hamas to form a unity government.  The Prime Minister warned that with the current environment in our region, and based on the facts that exist today, any land we vacate will almost certainly turn into launching ground for additional missile and terror attacks on Israel.  He then clarified that in the long-term, when the situation changes, he still thinks that a two state solution is the best possible resolution for this conflict.

The real story of this election is the victory of the Likud and the validation of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s leadership by the Israeli public.  While all Israelis yearn for peace, most realize that it will probably take at least another generation to achieve the type of utopia promised to us by the Left.  In the meantime, they understand that the prudent and cautious leadership of the Likud offers the best hope for safety, security and economic prosperity.

This election was also a call by Israelis for more political stability and governing continuity.  Our electorate made clear that while respect exists for smaller ideological sectorial parties, when asked to choose between the two larger political parties they chose Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Likud over Isaac Herzog’s Zionist Union. 

Our hand remains extended in peace to all those who wish to negotiate in good faith, and we hope to continue to work closely with our many allies around the world.  We do insist, however, that the international community respect the will of the people in the Middle East’s only true liberal democracy.  This is the right policy for a moral perspective, and it is the best hope for stability and security in our tumultuous region and throughout the world.

Danon is a member of the Knesset, a former deputy Defense minister and the current chair of the Likud Party Central Committee.