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I’m Voting Likud

Dr. Emmanuel Navon

In four days, we Israelis will be called upon to choose our leaders for the next four years (assuming, optimistically, that there won’t be early elections again).  I’m voting for Likud, and I invite you to do the same.
I’m not a typical Likud supporter.  I was born and grew up in France in a liberal and assimilated Jewish family.  I went to Sciences-Po, France’s elite school for Government (Nicolas Sarkozy studied there but didn’t graduate because he failed an English test).  I was on the path that led many of my former classmates to France’s current leadership.  Sarkozy, who was my mayor at the time, could have been my boss today.

But I came to realize that there was no future in Government for a Jew.  So I decided to make aliyah.  I arrived in Israel at a historical moment, not knowing a word of Hebrew. Two weeks before the signature of the Oslo Agreements.  I thought then, like many people did, that peace was within reach.  Then I started noticing Arafat’s doublespeak and lies, as well as the political bias of Israel’s mainstream media and academics.  When Arafat launched his war of terror in the fall of 2000, I joined Likud – not exactly a pragmatic move, since I had just started my academic career. 

 The reason I’m telling you my personal story is so that you realize that I am not trying to convince you because of some ideological or family commitment to the Beitar movement or to Vladimir Jabotinsky.  I joined Likud after changing my mind about many issues.  And I believe that today’s Likud is worthy of our support.  Likud has impressive candidates and is led by a man who has learned from his mistakes.
There are two unfortunate tendencies among Israeli voters these days: indifference and populism.  Many people feel that there is no one to vote for and that it doesn’t really matter who is the next Prime Minister.  Others are carried away by Lieberman’s simplistic rhetoric.  Well, dear fellow Israelis, it will make a big difference whether our next Prime Minister is Tzipi Livni or Benjamin Netanyahu.  And Avigdor Lieberman, who was a member of Olmert’s failed government for over a year, is no Messiah.

Tzipi Livni is an honest and serious person, but she is not a leader.  She keeps reciting over and over the same speech about the need to keep Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, about the world being  divided into the extremists and pragmatists, and about the need not to miss windows of opportunity.  She even looks tired of repeating the same three empty slogans like a broken record.  But she can neither point to any personal accomplishment of her own as foreign minister nor spell out clear and realistic solutions to Israel’s problems.

Ehud Barak is full of himself and doesn’t learn from his mistakes.  He has an impressive military record, but he, too, is no leader.  He is not a  leader because he despises people, is always right, and has no patience for whoever is not as “smart” as him.  He talks about peace but brought upon us two wars (in 2000 and in 2009).  He scoffs at the capitalist system that made him rich.  He wants to keep his job as Defense Minister in a Likud-led government, though he knows that by doing so he will deal a fatal blow to the Labor Party.  He couldn’t care less.

Avigdor Lieberman does say some sensitive things, but some of his more vulgar and rough expressions do him no honor.  It’s easy to draw popular support by talking harshly about Israel’s Arabs.  But let’s see him once he’s in the government –as indeed we saw him when he was in Olmert’s government.  I’m willing to bet that Lieberman will neither repeal  citizenship over loyalty issues nor move the security fence west of Um el-Fahm.

Benjamin Netanyahu, by contrast, has a proven record, has learned from his mistakes, and offers credible solutions to Israel’s problems.

As Finance Minister, Netanyahu rescued Israel’s economy.  He displayed both an acute understanding of economic issues as well as political courage by making unpopular but necessary decisions.  He also did well as leader of the opposition, proposing alternatives to the government’s policies but also defending those policies in the foreign media when the country was at war.

Netanyahu also learned his lessons.  While Barak cannot get over his inflated ego, Netanyahu has become more humble, more considerate, and more open to other people’s ideas.  His political exile seems to have had a positive impact on him.  Our Sages say that Joseph had to sit first in a pit and then in jail, in order to acquire a quality he was lacking, a quality that any true leader needs: humility.  It is a fact that those same people who left Netanyahu ten years ago have now come back to him.  And new people, with impressive records and character, have joined him.  Netanyahu turned a weakened and humiliated Likud into a party prepared to win the upcoming elections with serious and impressive candidates.

Finally, Netanyahu offers concrete and credible solutions to Israel’s major problems.  His economic solutions have proven successful in the past.  His ideas for correcting our dysfunctional educational system have been successfully implemented in countries such as Finland and Singapore.  He has been both warning about and acting against the Iranian threat for the past twelve years.  On the Palestinian track, he avoids both the empty rhetoric of Lieberman and the delusional obsession of those who continue to believe that making Oslo work is just a matter of trying again and harder.  We need a leadership that makes it clear to the US and the EU that, while we aspire to achieve peace, the time for delusions is over.  Both Presidents Obama and Sarkozy have shown understanding for his explaining the need to change reality on the ground (such as building a viable Palestinian economy and a functioning government) before launching hopeless “peace initiatives.” 
 

If what you are looking for is the Messiah, those elections are not for you.  There is no perfect and ideal candidate, and there isn’t a solution to every problem.  But there is a choice between different people and different ideas.  And so if you are ready to settle for less then the Messiah and for less then a perfect world, do vote on Tuesday.  That’s the only way to change and improve reality.  Netanyahu is the most worthy candidate, but he will only be able to govern with a large party and a stable coalition.

America, you’ve had your vote for change.
 
Now it’s our turn.
 

I was never a Likud partisan.  In fact, from what I saw and heard, the party seemed like a haven for loudmouths and louts, ditching Robert’s Rules of Order whenever possible. 
 
But I went to a Likud rally last week because I believe that our next government has to be right-of-center, a coalition held together by a strong nationalist party which has many more seats than its closest rival.  Today, this can only be the Likud.  The other right-wing parties can be building blocks in this coalition, but their tendency to bicker and fractionalize makes them ineligible for leadership.  Only a strong Likud can hold them together.
 
The rally itself was a surprise.  The attendees represented the full spectrum of Israeli society: secular and observant (even the ultra-orthodox!), white and black, ashkenazi and sephardi, and, perhaps most importantly, young and old.  (Years ago, I was at a rally in Tel Aviv for the then-leader of the Labor party, Amram Mitzne, attended almost exclusively by well-dressed, elderly ashkenazim.  I knew immediately it was a lost cause.  Mitzne went on to suffer the worst political defeat in Israeli history.)
 
As far as I could see, the unrulyness factor seems to have been eliminated.  There was applause and shouting, of course, but no attempts to drown out any speaker, pull the plug or take over the microphone.  I guess that’s progress.
 
The Likud under Natanyahu will bring change by shifting the focus of how the public has been viewing our conflict with Fatah and Hamas.  The current Labor-Kadima coalition has been pursuing policies which have enabled Hamas to continue waging a long “war of attrition,” setting the terms of how we fight back and maintaining a balance of terror.  Leaving aside Ehud Olmert’s alleged corruption, this coalition has been unable to provide security to the citizens of the north and the south.  (Those in the center have been spared only due to the limitations of our enemies’ technology.)  The coalition’s mismanagement of the Second Lebanese War resulted in many personal tragedies and a conclusion which only sets the groundwork for a more violent clash in the future.
 
The three-week Gaza War also ended unsatisfactorily.  For the cities and towns within 40 kilometers of Gaza, nothing has changed.  The IDF was stopped in its tracks before it could deal a fatal blow to the Hamas leadership.  Maybe diplomacy can still turn this into a partial victory — but going by the incumbents’ record, this too is doubtful.
 
Contrary to some political rhetoric, a strong nationalist government will not clash with the new Obama administration.  It will work with it to put forward Israel’s national interests in a clear and forceful manner.  Since coming to office, President Obama has demonstrated that there will not be any “revolutions” in U.S. policy towards Israel and the Palestinians.  A stronger Israeli stand against Arab and Palestinian aggression will be internalized and utilized by the U.S. for its own interests.  Wait and see.
 
In any case, get out to vote on February 10.  Can we bring change to Israel?  “Yes, we can!” 
 
Let’s send President Obama’s message to those who seek our destruction: “You cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you!”
 
Doug Greener

Speaking at the Plenum of the World Jewish Congress currently taking place in Jerusalem, Likud party chairman Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a growing scourge of anti-Semitism which many analysts have seen a considerable spike in the wake of Israel’s recent campaign against Hamas. 

Describing Jew hatred as a plague, the former Prime Minister said “In this battle against anti-Semitism we must form alliances with others who are being attacked.  Evil acts such as these begin with the Jews but can quickly spread to a far greater conflagration of hatred.  If unopposed, it will spread and consume the entire world.”
 
With leaders of Jewish communities from across the globe in attendance, Mr. Netanyahu said that in the spirit of Theodor Herzl, “when Jews are faced with anti-Semitism the response should be to turned to the place of the Jewish people.”

Victory on the street-corners = victory at the polls

The activity of volunteers is accelerating as election day nears. We went last Friday with the Likud volunteers in Tel Aviv to hand out stickers and talk to passersby.  The first group stationed itself near the Arlozorof Train Station and the second, at the foot of the Azrieli Towers near the Kirya.

“It was a true experience,” said one of the  activists. “You read news papers, you talk to friends and family but it’s only when you actually get out on the street that you feel what is going on. This is Tel Aviv and  even here, people understand that the time has come to for Likud.” Their enthusiasm became infectious after hearing the  reactions of people on the street. “Likud –nothing else.”, one soldier waved at him as he ran for his train.

There are only a few days left until elections and it seems that the citizens of Israel have already decided – Likud. Nonetheless, we mustn’t be complacent. In order to bring home  a victory, we have to work, to invest time and effort, to bring our enthusiasm and hopes to the  public. The spirit of volunteering and faith is what will bring the Likud its victory.  Not just victory but an overwhelming victory, one that will enable it to lead the country confidently through all of the tremendous challenges it faces: to restore security and peace of mind to all of the citizens of the country; to turn an economic crisis into an opportunity for growth; to transform the Israeli educational system  into one of the finest in the world.

In the two remaining weeks, we will take over the streets and intersections. But next Tuesday, we will all go to Jerusalem, to the great election campaign event  beginning at 19:00 in Binyanei Ha’ooma. For more details, click here.

In preparation for the great election campaign event, you are invited to tell us why it  is important to you to meet Netanyahu personally. The best answer chosen by the visitors to this website will win a visit behind the scenes with Benjamin Netanyahu. If you have an idea, suggestion, or question, you are invited to try to use it to engage the interest of  the next prime minister of Israel. Together we will succeed!