Israeli Election Debate at Jerusalem Great Synagogue, Jan 9 2013

I wasn't planning on going to this, but there were no shows earlier in the evening that I wanted to see, so I went.  I had avoided other election events up to now, not because I can't understand a Hebrew debate, I just had more entertaining things to do.

I don't think I've been to the Jerusalem Great Synagogue since the Shabbat it opened, sometime in the 80's, when I stopped in to use the bathroom and stayed for their inaugural kiddush.  It was cold inside, I don't know if the heat wasn't on or it takes a long time to warm up, there's a very high ceiling.  Or at least where I was sitting.

Each of the speakers got five minutes, then there were questions from the audience, and then the speakers got two more minutes to conclude.  There wasn't any explanation (or I missed it) of how the parties that were invited were selected, whether any were excluded, or had been invited but declined to participate.  One of the people who introduced the debate, or maybe the moderator, said that debates in English had not been held in some other cities because parties hadn't agreed to participate.

I'm going to just say what candidates are doing now, not give their whole resume.

The Likud-Beitenu list sent Israel's Public Diplomacy (I'm not quite sure what that means, isn't that the Foreign Minister's job?) and Diaspora Minister, Yuli Edelstein, #18 on the list.  Although the Likud's campaign has mainly been "vote for us, we're going to win anyway" rather than their record, he spoke about accomplishments of the government and said that this was the most efficient government he has been in and how Israel's economy is in better shape than the UK or France (no figures were given to support this claim).  Netanyahu is the only candidate who can resist pressure from the US and UK and a strong "anchor party" will deal with issues.

Labor sent its #2, MK Yitzchak Herzog.  Not the former chief rabbi of Ireland and later the British Mandate and Israel, but that's his grandfather.  Labor established the state, is the only alternative to the Likud.  Social justice, close social gap, reduce burden on middle class.  The Labor campaign has been criticized for just speaking about social issues but Herzog also mentioned the two-state solution, to maintain a Jewish majority in a democracy.  A ten billion shekel deficit in the proposed next budget (I don't know where we are in the budget approval process right now) was hidden for months.  Netanyahu has failed disastrously leading to the UN vote (recognizing Palestine as a non-member state) and Hamas gains.

Naftali Bennet, #1 on the Bayit Hayehudi list (mainly what was once the National Religious Party, but they constantly splinter and recombine with splinters) spoke at this point to show how much he values Anglo voters.  The speaker who appeared on the program was Jeremy Gimpel, who Bennet pointed out is the only Anglo in a realistic spot on any party's slate.  (I'm not sure if this was a reason to vote for them or just a dig at some other Anglo candidates on the panel who are not expected to get in).  (Although Gimpel, at #14, is not a sure thing, either).  He told a story about Rabbi Aryeh Levine who said to a soldier that he couldn't see if he was wearing a kippah or not, all he could see from his height was his heart.  He wants to remove barriers including those between Jews and Arabs and Druze.  He agrees with 70% of what Herzog says (the social issues) but is the Palestinian issue the only one?  (Based on the rest of what he and later Gimpel talked about, it seems so).  He wants there to be a strong, secure Israel, the Jewish leader of the world, to bring the Haredim and Arabs into society.  He vehemently opposes a Palestinian state (applause at this point, his supporters think this, if not the only issue, is the most important one).  No one's going anywhere but they can work together and even shop in the same supermarkets.

Dov Limpan, #14 on the Yesh Atid said the Knesset is a place to pass legislation, not just for slogans.  50% of first graders are Arabs or Haredim, he's not against either group but the problem is that they aren't part of society, they need to do the army or national service and then participate in the workforce.  Netanyahu agrees with this.  The education system needs a complete overhaul to become one of the top ten in the word, Bennet agrees wit this.  Haredi schools need secular subjects, secular schools need more Zionism.  Soldiers and university students should get housing subsidies.  The threshold for getting into the Knesset should be raised.

Alon Tal, #13 on the Hatenua list (which the program listed as "The Tzippi Livni party")  spoke about the environment (he comes from the Israeli Green Party which ran together with Meimad in the last elections), not losing the chance for a two-state solution.  If you agree with Bennet's opposition to a Palestinian state don't vote for us.  Tzippi Livni comes from a Revisionist background (her parents were in the Irgun and she started out in the Likud) and believes we have a right to the West Bank but told of a tombstone in the US West of someone who "insisted on all his rights" or something like that, I didn't write down the exact quote.  Holding on to the West Bank will either lead to apartheid or a loss of the Jewish majority.  The economy depends on the peace process.  He's in favor of pluralism, he's a gabbai at at Conservative shul, his daughter was spit on as part of Women of the Wall.  The government has not spoken about segregated bus lines.  800 people die each year from air pollution,.

Laura Wharton, #11 on the Meretz list   Elections are for the Knesset, not the government, Meretz values legislation.  Agrees with Tal about the two-state solution, it's an illusion that the current situation can go on.  Bennet said that there are 1.8 million Palestinians in the territories, she says the number is around 3 million.  As Ehud Barak said, the solution is "we're here, they're there".  Soldiers should be on the border, not policing in the territories (some applause).  No Meretz member has been investigated for a crime.  Social justice - stop tax breaks for corporations, spend it on education.  A sane, safe country with recognized borders.

Aryeh Eldad, #1 on the Otzmah Leyisrael list and currently a National Union MK (some of the National Union went with the Bayit Yehudi list.  The next two candidates on his list are "former" Kach members, also from the National Union.)  As a doctor in the burn unit during the 2nd Intifada he decided that instead of treating victims he would move to politics to practice "preventative medicine" (which is probably vague enough to not get disqualified as a candidate).  He prevents the creation of a Palestinian state there, he says.  The land belongs to us and no one else.  Giving away land is based on a "misdiagnosis", the war is a religious war (enthusiastic applause, but two of the right-wing applauders were sitting directly in front of me and it was hard to tell how widespread the applause was.)  Jordan is Palestine.  Netanyahu favors a two-state solution and so his party will not join the government.

Menachem ShemTov from Shas (If he's a candidate, he's not in the top 16) says Shas is in favor of social justice and is a bridge between extremists from Meah Shearim and the secular because its voters have relatives among both groups.  It's not a start-up.  There already are two states, Caesarea (a rich town) and Jerusalem.  Rabbi Ovadia Yosef's daughter started a haredi college and Shemtov is involved in the Nachal Haredi.  (He has nothing to say about the Palestinian issue because he hasn't gotten instructions yet about that, I think.).

By the time for questions, Gimpel is now there in place of Bennet.  The first questioner asks each partt to say what they mean by Jewish and democratic and who decides (I think he had more questions but the moderator cut him off, and said that future questions should be directed at only one candidate).  Answers: Shas - the Bible. Otzma Leyisrael - the Torah is the common denominator but obligations are important (sometimes speakers will shove their key points in where they don't answer the question, their campaign is about how Arabs, who don't serve in the army, don't deserve rights, without going into specifics, they are vague about how this would apply to Haredim or people who are obligated to serve but refuse, or at least I haven't seen their answer). Likud - quotes Yosef Burg that what's important in Religious-Zionism is the hyphen, all students should visit Jerusalem.  Labor - all citizens should be equal and there should be freedom of religion, what makes the state Jewish is symbols and holidays.  Social justice is Jewish.  Bayit Yehudi - restore Jewish pride.  50% of sodiers have never been to Jerusalem.  Yesh Atid - Gimpel would make a great leader in NCSY but don't force his Judaism on anyone.  We persecute Russian immigrants as non-Jews after they were persecuted in Russia for being Jews.  Meretz - Herzl write a book called "The State of the Jews", not "The Jewish State".  Supports culture, tolerance, something needs to be done for the 10,000 couples who marry abroad because they can't marry in Israel or don't want to get married through the Rabbinate.

The next questioner asked the Yesh Atid representative what his red line is about a nuclear Iran, he said we can't tolerate them having nukes but must act together with the US and EU.

Someone asked all the candidates about a personal problem which wasn't clearly explained, he described himself as a stateless person from Egypt, the moderator said this wasn't the right place for that and he walked out, came back in shouting, was shown to the door by a security person, this went on for a while.

For Labor: how to get Abbas to return to negotiations?   Herzog started by objecting to Eldad's support for Jordan as Palestine, Abbas strengthens Netanyahu by refusing to negotiate, start from the December 2000 Clinton parameters which would keep Gush Etzion where Gimpel lives before we lose that too.  Eldad responded that it was King Hussein who said that Jordan is Palestine.

To the Likud, why did VAT and gas prices rise and corporate tax decrease?  Edelstein said that gas recently went down but the press didn't report on that.  Socialist overtaxing is counterproductive, the government created 350,000 jobs and a strong Likud will continue economic reforms.

Also to the Likud, will Netanyahu capitulate to foreign pressure on housing starts in the territories, Edelstein cited a Peace Now report about construction during the last four years which he says will continue.

A question about energy policy, Alon (Hatenuah) is in favor of Israel being the first carbon-neutral energy-independent country with renewable energy, Edelstein says that the government created a committee, Yes Atid and Meretz have plans on their websites.

A woman who I had previously noticed reading a biography of Kahane asked why the Levy report (Report on the Legal Status of Building in Judea and Samaria) was not fully translated into English.  Edelstein said he would look into it, Gimpel that the real question is why it was not implemented, why did the people elect a right wing government and get a housing freeze?  His is the only real right wing party.

Will Bayit Yehudi commit to stay out of the government without a commitment to its principles?  Gimpel didn't answer the question but attacked Yair Lapd, head of Yesh Atid as a leftist.  Wharton of Meretz said that right wing prime ministers move to the left, perhaps they get wiser with time.  Shemtov (Shas) said the issue is bread and butter, not the Palestinians.

That was the end of the questions but the next person in the line to ask questions insisted on asking his, which he had written out in advance, he held up a piece of paper.  Throughout the summing-up period and afterwards he would continue to interrupt, a security person stood next to him but didn't show him to the door.

The final remarks were (leaving out what they repeated)

Shas: this was a great show.  Don't raise VAT or water prices.  1/3 of the populations is poor.  There is no peace and no security.

Otzma Leyisrael: Bilaam said "mah tovu" and Moshe said "am naval" because Bilaam saw from a distance but Moshe knew the people from up close.  We sound pessimistic but are not.  Netanyahu will be prime minister and Bayit Yehudi will join the government, and he will make them keep their promises from outside the government.

Hatenuah: Alon's daughter is in the army, we should do what we can for peace.  Condoleezza Rice said we were very close to an agreement.

Likud: appeasement won't work.

Bayit Yehudi: Netanyahu is great but vote for us to keep him strong.  All the leftist and centrist parties are identical.

Yesh Atid: when students were harassed in Beit Shemesh, no help came from Likud, Yisrael Beitenu, or the mayor who is from Shas.  They solved it themselves.  It's them or Shas in the government.

Meretz: what sort of a country do you want?  There are many more ministers here than in the US.  Corruption.  International backing.  The Bayit Yehudi list includes people who think Baruch Goldstein is holy.  Respond to the Saudi initiative (this was the only time I remember hearing boos).

Afterwards the guy with the page of questions complained that his question would have only taken 75 seconds to read and there were two minutes left until 10 PM, he read out the first verse of Sh'ma, said there was no democracy and a judicial dictatorship.


I picked up some flyers from parties outside.

Bayit Yehudi's said that if you light candles on Shabbat, not when there's a power outage, we're for you, and "there's room for everyone", including: secular, moshavniks, retirees, drivers (there's an anti-driver party?), graduates of religious high schools for girls, religious people, soldiers, army sergeants, university students (female), women who live in Tel Aviv, new immigrants, grandmothers, kibutzniks, and formerly religious people.  Why any of those should vote for them, they didn't say.

Otzma Leyisrael's flyer said that Arabs don't pay real estate tax in Sachnin, income tax in East Jerusalem, or get building permits in Taybeh but Eldad and Ben Ari will cause the law to be applied uniformly.  How they'll do that from outside the government they don't say.

Shas had a picture of Ovadia Yosef, saying "Our Master cries and you are asleep", one of his sons woke up at 3 AM and saw him praying and crying..  The other side says that he hardly eats and cries all the time because he knows the dangers to the world of Torah.  The Satan uses nice people to get you to not listen to the leader of the generation.  All the other parties are against the Torah and the will of God, just like Korach.  And it goes on like this for a whole page with not even a tiny bit of Shas' platform, but reveals that "our master" is head of a large (but unnamed) organization that has talked more than a thousand women out of having abortions and he personally has cured tens of thousands of fertility problems by blessing them.

Yesh Atid had a big picture of their leader, Yair Lapid on one side, and actual policies on the other, all of which were mentioned during the debate.

There were more parties outside when I arrived so I might have missed some flyers.