 |
Moshe Feiglin is head of the Jewish Leadership faction in the Likud and can be reached via the web site.
|
|
|
|
By Moshe Feiglin
November 29, 2005
Sharon's departure from the Likud maintains and even intensifies the political earthquake shaking Israel in the past weeks. But what began with the victory of Amir Peretz in the Labor party and continued with Sharon does not seem to be the last word. All the political evaluations, all the calculations and strategies, all the time worn truths have collapsed. An important reality is becoming clear -- a truth that the belief based public must take note of. The new line dividing Israel has been revealed.
It was always just under the surface, but now it is unmistakable. Israeli society divides into two: Israelis and Jews. There are those who see themselves first as Jews and only then as Israelis. And there are others who see themselves first as Israelis and only after that as Jews. When Sharon left the Likud, this divide became obvious and can no longer be ignored. From the Likud and to the right are the Jews. From Sharon's party and to the Left are the Israelis. Public opinion on all pertinent issues in Israeli life -- peace, security, economy, education, society and foreign relations -- are essentially formed by the question: Who are we first? Israelis or Jews?
Indisputably, the Jews are the majority. That is why the right always had a significant advantage among the Jewish voters. Usually, this advantage sufficed to compensate for the Arab vote that traditionally goes to the Israelis.
Until now, the Likud was the natural home for the Jewish majority. It was so natural that there was no reason to state this explicitly or even consciously. Nevertheless, in the elections of '96 this truth was expressed clearly in words. Netanyahu and the Likud won the elections against Peres with the campaign slogan "Bibi is good for the Jews." It is no coincidence that this slogan made the Israelis angry. Immediately after the elections, a defeated Shimon Peres said, "The Jews triumphed over the Israelis." For the last decades, the Likud has naturally won the votes of the Jewish majority. Not any more.
Sharon created a catch 22 for the Jewish vote. He formed a party whose image is not as radically left as the Labor party -- a new party headed by the man who in the eyes of many still represents an assertive defense approach -- the man who created the Likud and built the settlements. Sharon's new direction has left the Jewish vote blurred and confused, searching for its natural home.
Now is the time for the Likud to revolutionize its thinking and to present a Jewish agenda as the focal point of its election campaign. If the Likud wants the Jewish majority to return to the party, it must consciously raise the flag of Jewish identity. It must present a Jewish -- albeit not religious -- agenda and bring all the Sharon supporters back to their natural Jewish-nationalist home.
b>Jewish Israel
On the political front, Sharon's departure has at least initially caused an outflow of many mandates from the Likud. To get them back, the Likud must perform a political maneuver that will restore the momentum and dynamism that it needs to place it at least on equal footing with the Labor party and Sharon. The key to this initiative is to complete the political earthquake and to make a coalition or bloc of all the national, right wing and religious parties. The agenda of such a bloc is also clear -- Jewish identity, education, tradition, family values and the like. This bloc, headed by the Likud with the addition of Yisrael Beiteinu, the NRP and Ichud Leumi can be called the Jewish Israel party. It's a natural.
Although it may be unrealistic to assume that the ultra Orthodox parties would join this proposed coalition in such a short time frame, they could naturally support it. This is a winning team! The fact that all the above parties have good reason to feel pressured -- be it for political or ideological reasons- just increases the chance that this coalition could work. A united front of the right wing parties and the NRP with the support of the ultra Orthodox could win a large majority of the votes and easily form a stable government with a new, Jewish/nationalist agenda.
A Belief Based Revolution
The only problem is that all the candidates for leadership of the Likud -- except for the belief based one -- don't understand this. In fact, they are of the opposite opinion. They think that the Likud must project a more "central" image -- in other words, as left wing as possible -- in order to get voters from the center of the political map. However, the "central" approach has a much more natural home than the Likud -- Sharon's party. There is only one candidate in the Likud that understands this point in depth and is capable of marching forward with it. Moshe Feiglin, the belief based candidate.
Will Moshe Feiglin be the Amir Peretz of the Likud? If the belief-based public will invest just one eighth of the energy that it invested this summer and take this project seriously -- it is within our reach! Amir Peretz and his worker's committees have proven that.
This political plan is admittedly revolutionary, but it is not impossible. One thing is clear. This strategy is the key to the restoration of the Jewish majority to power and the way to stop the disengagement bulldozer.
Even if Feiglin is not the winning candidate, our joint and concentrated effort can make this idea the winning agenda. The Likud can then implement it no matter who it elects as its leader -- and the belief based revolution will be well on its way!
Views expressed by the author do not
necessarily reflect those of israelinsider.
 
|
|
|
|
Click on the blue headline to read a Talkback comment and respond to it. Click on the  icon to send a private email to the talkback writer. The icon appears only if the writer has decided to be contacted. If no popup window appears, please make sure your popup blocker allows israelinsider.com.
|
|
| |
|
|
