After Both Elections

I’ve been sick all week, with headaches and fever. I’d like to say that it’s all because of the US and Israeli elections wearing me down. Probably not, but the two elections have hit me hard.

The Israeli election was last week (27 October) and, to no one’s surprise, it ended with neither “side” having the seats to make a government. The “Change” parties, headed by Eisenkot, Bennett, and Liberman, said they wouldn’t make a government with Netanyahu, the Arab parties (19 seats), or the Haredim (13). That gives them only 48 seats, while the Likud bloc has 53 (counting the Haredim).

The result I most didn’t want was stalemate. And here it is.

A lot of Israelis (myself included) think the only sensible solution is centrist government with Eisenkot, Bennett, and Netanyahu (60 total for starters), and others will then join to give them a realistic government that doesn’t rest on small parties. I name the names and not the parties on purpose. If these men can’t get their act together, we will all suffer.

Waiting for this to play out, with the threat of yet another election like happened a few years ago hanging over our heads, is pure agony. We may not know for 3 months whether there is a government or new elections. We’ve been there before: the April 2019 election did not create a government, neither did the one in September 2019, and it took till the March 2020 elections to establish a (short-lived) government.

No relief in the US elections either. I see a lot of people still voting the straight Democrat ticket, regardless of what the candidates themselves are saying. Someone said Trump and the Republicans are the worst: never ever tempt worse!

You think you have voted for the candidates who are on the right side of all the issues. The incoming senators and congress people include a non-insignificant number of DSA members and other left of center people. In addition to their internal goals—mostly a variety of changes that will end capitalism (so they think)—they have made Israel a negative focus of their platforms. If they do what they said they wanted to do, you may find it’s not what you wanted.

There are plenty of lies out there, especially of course about Israel and genocide. People say that the war with Iran was a mistake: for God’s sake then, let Israel deal with the threat directed at us on our own and stop telling us what we can and can’t do.

I wish I had some shred of optimism left.

One of the most distressing things in the Israeli election was people claiming the pain of Oct 7 and its aftermath for their own political party. That pain never distinguished between Israelis, and truly the most liberal people like those living in Beeri were the hardest hit.

But the Israelis who disagree with Netanyahu are leaving the country (some came back just to vote). They are disowning their own country and settling in foreign lands. It’s not so great there either. We were just in Prague, leaving before the widespread protests broke out. And this photo is what we saw on a wall there. That’s not unique in Europe, the US, Canada, Australia, Thailand, Greece…

Better Israelis should stay here and try to understand each other. Maybe I’ll start to feel better when we have a government again?