Why is Livni moving closer to the far left?
Op-ed: While Hatnua chairwoman says she is fighting for a Jewish state, she is dangerously adopting the rhetoric of the anti-Israel left.
Not one state. Not a bi-nationalistic state. Not a state which give up its Jewish identity or a state which gives up equality and democracy.
It's not simple. That's the combination that many people like to discount. But it's the most appropriate combination for the State of Israel.
The range of possibilities for a hesitant voter like me has become wider. I must admit that the Labor Party, together with Hatnua Chairwoman Tzipi Livni, is definitely an option. In the press conference she held with Labor Chairman Isaac Herzog, the two of them conveyed a clear national message.
One of my friends complained that they did not talk about peace. "They are so identified with peace, to the point of obsession," I replied, "that I doubt that's what they're missing."
But something went wrong. Livni appeared on Channel 2's satire television show "Matzav Hauma" (State of the Nation) and lashed out at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a humiliating manner. It wasn't Netanyahu that she humiliated; it was herself.
I have quite a lot to say against Netanyahu. I have written and I will write against him. But he is not trash.
Livni knows very well that she had Netanyahu's full backing throughout the negotiations with US Secretary of State John Kerry. That's why she didn't resign from the government at the time. She wouldn't dare say the opposite, because it's all documented. Those days, Netanyahu demonstrated amazing moderation.
But when Livni refers to the prime minister as "trash," she isn't just using foul language. She is also dangerously moving closer to the anti-Israel left's rhetoric.
I spent the past few weeks in Europe. I visited research institutes, universities and newsrooms. I heard horrible comments. I defended Netanyahu although I have no intention of voting for his party. But it’s clear that Livni's statement will become a significant part of the anti-Israel propaganda.
Criticism is legitimate, but Livni's comments are not criticism. Why she sat in Netanyahu's governments for years. So how did he suddenly turn into "garbage"?
The centrist parties have the most important job. They are the ones which can steer Israel on a course of sanity, which protects national interests on the one hand, while willing to take steps towards separation and improving Israel's international status on the other hand.
The center, allow me to reiterate, is the most important place in Israeli politics. It's neither the bi-nationalistic right nor the blind left, part of which is becoming a partner in the anti-Israel campaign.
The Herzog-Livni combination, and the things they said in the press conference, created a new momentum. The center got a shot in the arm.
There is a need for an alternative government. There is a need for hope. There is a need to prevent the bi-nationalistic disaster. But the left has a tendency of making it clear that it's not an alternative. The left has a tendency of proving that it suffers from blindness.
People are allowed to make mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes. Livni's comment that "in order to solve the Islamic State problem we have to solve the Palestinian problem" was an unfortunate remark. A person is not judged for every mistake, however.
But Livni, who actually comes from the right, might still become a sort of convert. And the converts are the worst. They have to prove that they are loyal to the new religion. So instead of being in the center-left, Livni's comments are dragging her to the far left.
"I am fighting for a Jewish state," she said excitedly at the joint press conference. I believe her. So why the hell is she insisting on adopting the Bil'in protestors' rhetoric?
I have no idea which party I am going to vote for. All I know is that Livni will have to work very hard to gain my vote.
