Israeli Crackup Update.

Cynicism and apathy are good things?


Israelinsider: Israelis Just Wanna Have Fun
by Roberta Fahn Schoffman

Observers are quick to point out that the "revolution" did not happen in these 2006 Israeli elections. Kadima's performance turned out to be weak, Labor's revival not strong enough. Likud may be reduced to a fraction of its prior strength, but much of the right-wing energy was diverted to Avigdor Lieberman. The various religious and Arab parties did not stray far from their traditional numbers. No one, of course, predicted the Pensioners' amazing showing, but we've grown accustomed to such one-shot, out-of-nowhere parties - even ones whose MKs are not elderly -- that don't last more than one term.

It would seem that Israelis are becoming apathetic and cynical. How else to explain why hordes of young Tel Avivis voted for Pensioners whose names they did not know? But it can also be argued that Israelis are growing "normal", increasingly resembling their western counterparts. Voters are turning out in smaller numbers, and are tired of heavy existential issues. They seek economic security, and, as the anticipated next prime minister framed it precisely, they want a "country that is fun to live in." And this, in spite of the unappealing coalition negotiations that are already dredging up old vendettas and bringing out the best in no one, is good news.

We can argue whether or not these elections were in fact a national referendum on future disengagements, as Netanyahu claimed early last month. But we cannot discount the clarity with which Ehud Olmert articulated his intentions for a "convergence plan" that would involve a substantial withdrawal from the West Bank and evacuation of settlements. There was no blurring of goals when he stated that his government would "set the final borders of the State of Israel." The cumulative support received by Kadima with 29 seats, and parties to its left, including Labor (19 seats), Meretz (5), and the Arabs (10), gives an unmistakable majority to those who reject Greater Israel and endorse a negotiated or unilateral return of territory. There could be no better testimony than the large newspaper ad that the Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza felt compelled to publish this past weekend, pleading, "Olmert has no mandate for retreating in Judea and Samaria."