What’s Wrong with Bibi?

Unlike others, both here and in the US, I don’t think the almost inevitable win of Benjamin Netanyahu in the upcoming election will be such bad news. Or rather, I do think it will be bad news, but I don’t think the other options are any better.

I don’t know anything about Tzipi Livni. I don’t think anybody in Israel does. Her ideological roots are in the Right wing, and she joined the Likud because she opposed the Oslo agreement. It seems she has since moved to the center, but so have most of the senior Likud politicians. Talking about a two states solution does not make her special these days – nor does her actions as Justice and Foreign Minister. There isn’t a single idea one can relate to her, and as far as I can tell, she shares Ehud Olmert’s and Netanyahu’s radical free market ideology.

As for Ehud Barak, his positions are all but unknown: he opposes talks with the Palestinians; he chose not to sign a peace deal with the Syrians when he had the opportunity, and he is a hard-core capitalist. He actually stands to the right of Kadima, and could easily find his place in the Likud. Electing him as PM – not that he has a chance – would be another wasted opportunity, just like his previous term in that office.

Some people argue that the danger is not Netanyahu himself, but his future partners in government. But as I wrote here before, unless the Right wins in a landslide (70+ MKs), the next government will probably include Kadima, Shas, Likud and maybe Labor and Liberman’s “Israel Beitenu”, regardless the identity of the next PM. So it’s not so important who wins.

I don’t think the Left has much to offer in this election. Two right wing politicians (Livni and Barak) are leading the Center-Left block, and their only massage is a fear campaign directed at Netanyahu. It’s simply not a good enough reason to vote for them.