Gilad Atzmon: Israeli Election: Time to bin Left and Right Terminologies!

Most commentators on Israeli politics fail to see that notions of Left and Right are pretty much irrelevant to the understanding of Israeli politics. Israel defines itself as the Jewish State and, as the years pass, Israel does indeed become more Jewish. Naftali Bennett, who, for a while , appeared to be the rising star of the current election, realized this all too well. He re-invented Jewish Home, a political party that celebrates the Israeli aspiration to fulfill his or her true Jewish destiny. He promises his followers that they can live as chosen in their Jew only state, regardless of ethical or moral concerns. But then most, if not all, Jewish participants in the Israeli political game are committed to the 'Jewish State' dream. Of course, they differ on some minor practical and pragmatic issues, but o the basics, they clearly agree. Here is an old Israeli joke: 'an Israeli settler suggests to his lefty friend "Next summer we should put all Arabs on buses and get them out of our land", Lefty: "Okay, but make sure the buses are air conditioned." In Israel there are no hawks or doves. Instead, all we have is a mild debate between a few interpretations of Jewish tribalism, nationalism and supremacy. Some Jews want to be surrounded by towering ghetto walls, they like it, it's cosy, it feels safe. Others prefer to rely on the IDF power of deterrence. Some would support the excessive use of White Phosphorous, others would like to see Iran wiped. The assumption that there is political division in Israel is just a myth that the "goyim" are happy to buy into, because it gives the impression of the possibility of political change, and even spiritual transformation. But the grave truth is that, when it comes to the real fundamentals, Israelis are pretty much united: Labor leader Shelly Yachimovich and war criminal Tzipi Livni, were both among those who rushed to support Netanyahu's Operation Pillar of Cloud. Yair Lapid, the leader of the second largest Israeli party, also identified as a centrist left, wouldn't refuse a ministerial job by Benjamin Netanyahu. Meretz which, though a Zionist party, is the only Jewish party in Israel that has even a trace of ethical, universal thinking, and values of equality, still comprises a mere 6 Knesset members out of 110 Jewish MKs.