Are We Stuck !?

Today was almost like any other day in Israel. After hearing the few dots on the radio every hour on almost any station you can listen to the news, the tone is most of the time serious, the Hebrew language advanced with lots of passive sentences and the news seem to be no different every day.

It's the same words over and over ... Today as I approached Ashkelon I could see a big cloud of smoke, the result of 50 Qassams that were sent over the fields in the Western Negev. I guess this day will make an entry in the Guiness book of records... The South of Israel is stuck with Gaza in a abhorent cycle of violence. Every day it seems like nonsense is taking place again! Indeed sadly enough Israelis are stuck with no solution facing this unbreakable destructive cycle and no real solutions seem to be emerging.

The feeling of being stuck is reflected elsewhere: Israelis who have been described for decades as the most passionate citizens when it comes to politics are increasingly distancing themselves from politics and distrust politicians. Indeed, a study conducted by the Israeli Democracy Institute recently proved that this feeling already pre existing in 2007 had just worsened in 2008.

When political and critical thinking is stuck then the same discussions come again and again. Political discourse is cut short and the favorite pastime is to describe how the politicians are "all the same." Today debates about the legitimacy or even the existence of occupation in the West Bank is left to the Disapora Jews for to argue!

Blaming Olmert for everything has thus become a national sport! It seems that today passion in politics only rises when the word Olmert is pronounced. Yet this thinking is superficial and one should ask why Olmert is still in place despite being one of the most unpopular Prime Ministers of the history of teh state of Israel. My personal answer is that Olmert reflects very well the Israeli political system its consequences and the results of the divisions of the Israeli society.

If we are stuck with a lack of leadership action and consensus it is because of many reasons but yet one needs to remember that the Israeli society is very vibrant rich and productive. Is the political system able to represent well the Israeli society?

What I am advocating will sound less entertaining than my previous posts but I attach quite some importance to it.

In 1996, the political system that has been parliamentarian was reformed and voters were to vote for one Prime Minister and one party. Eventually, communal voting grew and people voted for parties according to their own ethnic lines or own interests while voting according to national lines when it came to the Prime Minister. The electoral system was eventually rereformed to the old system in 2003 and citizens only voted for a party but communal voting still dominates.

Over the past years unique parties have been created: the green leaf party (advocating the legislation of Marijuana), the Zayne party (for the protection of male rights), the retirees party, etc. Eventually some of those unique parties even managed to get into coalitions and get a serious role!

As a result Prime Ministers have found themselves heading coalitions of mixed and sometimes opposed interests. hence, the work of PM of Israel has become one of the most difficult and stressful jobs in the world. In parrallel, this creates unstable governments and because ministers rotate so often power has shifted to bureaucrats instead of lawmakers supposed to represent the people.

Once part of a more bipolarized system parties have increasingly changed. Politicians don't have to work their way up anymore from the local council to the regional council and then to the Knesset. Kadima who was created in the midst of the Likud split after Sharon's decision to withdraw from Gaza has picked professors, stars, community advocates with no previous experience in politics.

What enriches this stuck political syndrome described above is that increasingly many feel unrepresented. The political map today is just a representation. My sense is that many citizens feel that their voice is not heard that the political sphere is disconnected from the world: I felt the same in a sort of political bubble when a rocket hit the mall of Ashkelon and I was at the President's conference. Politicians on the surface have their press memos ready with an empathic speech but the people feel that their heart is not there.

Somehow today political root activism is losing ground. This situation is certainly not healthy in a democracy. The people feel like there is no one to talk to, the family of the kidnapped soldiers and those who advocate on their behalf feel like politicians are more worried about their corruption or sex affair. Citizens feel like some politicians are above the law and have no obligation towards anyone.

One way out would be in my opinion a mixed or complete representational system with a district system where lawmakers would be elected in their district. They would be accountable for a group of citizens namely their constituency and will not be reelected if they failed to listen to their people. I also hope to see primaries open to everybody in Israel. Israel would have a more stable political map as constituency (if not wrongly gerrymandered) will be less inclined and even able to vote according to their own interests. Indeed, Great Britain reflects well what could happen. There is also more that could be done working from downward to upward from local councils to the state.

Of course this is just an overview of what could be done to reform the Israeli political system. I am not claiming to advocate a brilliant idea but something that is shared among some in political circles. Of course I could go on great lengths on how to reform and analyze the pro and cons but my point is here to just succently merely present an idea.

To conclude those reforms only could only be done properly through finnaly after 60 years the establishment of a Constitution and this process is daunting! It will take time but to eb optimist it will naturally come with political maturity!