Israeli Election Crisis

Candidate Tzipi Livni

The Toronto Star
February 9, 2009

The election in Israel is too close to call at this point. It will be very interesting to see who will come out on top after Tuesday's national election. The eventual winner of the election will have little to celebrate over, however, as there will be a coalition government and "a period of political paralysis". International efforts to create a Palestinian state have complicated this further. The Israeli political race is between two popular candidates. First, the former prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who is strictly opposed to giving away land and creating a Palestinian state. The second candidate is the current Foreign minister Tzipi Livni, who would be the first female leader in nearly 40 years. For months now, opinion polls have predicted a crushing victory by Netanyahu's Likud party. However, new polls show that the gap is being closed by Livni's Kadima party. Either way, the winner would have to form a coalition government with smaller parties because of the split in popular vote. Netanyahu does, however, seem to be in a better position to lead the country because of his prior political experience, right wing stand and new popular platforms. One of his newest platforms, influenced by a former protege, Avidgor Lieberman, calls for all Israeli Arabs to swear loyalty to the state or lose citizenship. Although Livni may still win this election, she would have to form a coalition with a smaller party, meaning that she could no long pursue her promised peace agreement with the Palestinians. This strength of the Israeli political right truly reflects the turmoil within the country. Recently, Israel has completed a three-week offensive against the Hamas in Gaza, and two years ago, they fought against the Hezbollah guerillas in Lebanon. These conflicts have led to a sense that the Jewish state is surrounded by enemies and have left the world community skeptical about whether peace will ever be achieved in the Middle East.

In my opinion, I believe that the right choice of voters in Israel is Tzipi Livni. She is far more left wing than Netanyahu, but I believe that she would do the best job in creating peace in the country by acting in a conciliatory way with respect to the Palestinians. She truly is the better candidate in this situation. While Netanyahu does not believe in withdrawing the Israeli settlements in Gaza and the Left Bank, Livni proposes a more peaceful solution. She intends to create an agreement with the Palestinians regarding land divisions, under peaceful terms. While this agreement may not be created due to the coalition government likely to be formed, I believe that she could evoke the greatest change in the middle east and bring about true peace.