34 Comments so far (Add 1 more)

1. I made the test, and it put me somewhere between Hadash, Meretz and the Green Movement / Meimad.
   I’m deliberating around the elections, and I was thinking of those three parties. So I can say that this compass is rather accurate.
   After the Peace Now demonstration, Meretz isn’t an option anymore…

   I feel the same way about Meretz. That demo was something between a tragedy and a disgrace. And I still don’t know what party I’ll vote for, now. Lisa

   

   1. Yohay
   on January 25th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
   

2. Kadima – 78% and Avoda – 74%. No surprises there, as these are the two parties I’m considering.

   Two surprises: Likud – 71%, a close third. I guess it’s the socioeconomic right factor (75%) that put me so close to Bibi. And Meimad/Yeruka – only 51%, doesn’t make much sense.

   

   2. sharvul
   on January 25th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
   

3. Being a German not even living in Israel I took the test just for fun and due to my general interest in ME politics.

   In my results Meretz was slightly ahead of Labor and Ra’am-Ta’al.

   Concerning the party leaders: I wouldn’t trust anyone! They all had their chances and failed in my point of view.

   

   3. c.sydow
   on January 25th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
   

4. A toss-up between Meretz and Hadash, followed by Ra’am Ta’al and Labour. Eh.

   

   4. Melinda
   on January 25th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
   

5. Never being in Israel, only reading about the country in swedish press and off course on your blog Lisa. My results where the following:

   Ra’am-Ta’al 94%, 100% agreement when it comes to security.
   Meretz 91%
   Hadash 88%

   

   5. Xavier
   on January 25th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
   

6. Kadima – 82%, Labor -77%
   followed by a strange combination of Marets – 68%, Israel Beiteinu – 66% and Ra’am-Ta’al – 65%

   

   6. Leonid
   on January 25th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
   

7. Dear Lisa,

   On my weblog I already gave the results that I got, but does this comment count, and thus bring the disclosure of your personal results one step closer?

   Dear Bert: Yes. Lisa

   

   7. Bert
   on January 25th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
   

8. As I am not an Israeli, my results are irrelevant (Meretz and Meimad, each about 75 %). My partner ’s results however were a riot. He is Israeli, secular to the bone and has just learned about his hidden tendency towards Torah Judaism. He ’s having a drink now.

   @J: I’m not sure that one drink is enough to get over that kind of shock. But I am grateful to him for supplying today’s uncontrollable giggle. Lisa

   

   8. J.
   on January 25th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
   

9. Hebrew speakers can also do this test, from Harvard’s website:
   https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/israel/research.jsp

   It is a test in psychology, so it is a bit different, measuring people’s automatic attitudes.

   

   9. yoav
   on January 25th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
   

10. I come slightly above dead centre of the bottom left square.

    

    10. Eamonn
    on January 25th, 2009 at 4:10 pm
    

11. This test is stupid. I took it and it placed me in the map as a dove on the socioeconomic left, with the ticker right next the green party. As for the results, I didn;t agree with any party more than 77% (which was labor). Kadima was 73% and Meretz 70%. Are you sure this test is accurate? The results are highly suspect!

    

    11. The Sandmonkey
    on January 25th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
    

12. I scored all mainstream parties, not more than seventy points for any of ‘em (should I say which ones?). If I could take Barak’s military record, Bibi’s smarmy smugness when speaking to the US press, and Tzipi’s “balls-to-the-wall” approach when taking no prisoners at the UN or in foreign confabs, I think we’d have an awesome honcho.

    In a time of crisis, I want the steady hand of the military man. It’s essential, in fact. Since it’s “play it again Sam’s” for Barak and Bibi, as we all know, we’re going to see a different Bibi and a different Barak. In the former case, Barak’s come a LONG way since 2000. Bibi’s had more time to consolidate his US-Europe money and power base, which could prove to be a bad thing again as the boys from the outside tug at his strings and he’s got to cover up all his tracks. We’ve seen how that happened before. And Sara at the First Lady…ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww….

    I’d dig Tzipi in the role, though, if only for same reason everyone thought Obama would be the US candidate of choice — it’s candy and good PR for the Holy Place. Despite the fact that Israel’s already “gone there” with Golda, at least it shows the Haters that we’re a full-fledged democracy where a woman can rule the roost with skills whenever she proves her mettle to do so. And she’s untested (and carries herself well, speaks English fabulously with zero hesitation, and brings a feminine sensibility to the position which I, for one, appreciate — imagine her and Merkel at the next Davos meeting). As I don’t read the Israeli tabloids and the op-eds, there might be things about her career and backstabbing abilities I plainly don’t know about, so please forgive the maudlin sappiness I might unknowingly be laying on too thick.

    I mean, since it’s only these three and I’ve got to choose…I take…

    

    12. Adam Daniel Mezei
    on January 25th, 2009 at 10:06 pm
    

13. In terms of accuracy, I wonder how a three-subject poll (Security, Socioeconomic factors, religion) can be represented on a 2-axis diagramme.
    Oh well.

    Results are… 82% for Yisrael Beitenu, 71% for Likud.

    Just kidding
    Hadash 78%, Meretz 74%, followed by Ra’am Ta’al, Balad, Labor, and Kadima.

    For some reason though my gut reactions towards Barak as a ‘leader’ are worse than Bibi.

    As for Meretz – i don’t know. I might be willing to cut them some slack, as disappointed as I were with their first reaction they did rectify it pretty quickly…

    

    13. Mo-ha-med
    on January 25th, 2009 at 10:11 pm
    

14. 81% Meretz
    79% Ra’am-Ta’al
    76% Khadash
    74% Avodah

    It seems that the questions leaned towards the practical, rather than ideological. Asking me whether I thought Israel should be a homeland for the Jews would distinguish pretty easily that I better fit the Zionist than non-Zionist parties in this list.

    

    14. Vasi
    on January 26th, 2009 at 12:24 am
    

15. One could always vote for the green leaf party. Then, whatever happens, we’d at least be able to….have a plant-based escape path?

    

    15. Elianah
    on January 26th, 2009 at 1:14 am
    

16. am not into all the political parties but took the test anyway here goes nothing….
    Meretz – 84%, Ra’am-Ta’al – 83%, Hadash – 78%, Balad – 76%, Labor – 74%

    What I am shocked is that likud was at 56%, I thought they would be in the single digits

    

    16. Halla
    on January 26th, 2009 at 9:24 am
    

17. @ Yohay/Lisa: but will any of those parties pass the minimum percentage threshold? In some ways I default to Meretz because of the left/green/etc parties it is the one who has historically gotten the most people in past the threshold. I have no idea on whether meimad or the greens can do that, and I’d hate to waste my vote.

    Then again: Ale yarok o ale la’nayedet!

    

    17. Idan Gazit
    on January 26th, 2009 at 9:43 am
    

18. hadash 95%
    Ra’am-Ta’al 90%
    meretz 88%
    balad 83%
    labor – the green movement 65%

    but wait, weren’t arab parties banned from running?

    Hey Rami, The Knesset Electoral Committee did just vote to ban the Arab parties (Balad and Ra’am Tal) from the upcoming elections. It’s sort of a received opinion that the KEC was just grandstanding, knowing that the Supreme Court will overturn the vote, but I still think it’s pretty horrifying that ostensibly moderate parties supported an anti-democratic move like this – and even worse, that the public seems largely indifferent. Lisa

    

    18. rami
    on January 26th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
    

19. As expected, I am on the hawkish side of Kadima, albeit neutral on the social issues.

    What I didn’t expect is that it puts me between Kadima, Labor (75% each) and — shudder — Israel Beiteinu (73% – mainly due to a match with their socioeconomic stand).

    I hope we can still continue being friends despite…

    Ah Shai, don’t worry, I know you’re an old softy under that pseudo-hawkish exterior. Besides, I still think I can convert you. Lisa

    

    19. Shai
    on January 26th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
    

20. Maybe it’s a stupid question, but what was the Meretz’s “shameful position” on the operation in Gaza? I must have missed it..

    Ps. Thanks for this blog!! Greetings from Poland

    Hi Ewa, welcome to my blog – it’s great to have a new commenter. In answer to your question, Meretz’ s position on the war was to initially support the military operation, then change their minds in an incredibly craven manner that can be summed up as, “Well, maybe we should think before we deepen the operation.” They never expressed any strong opposition in either moral or pragmatic terms. You can read more about that on this post by Yohay. Lisa

    

    20. Ewa
    on January 26th, 2009 at 10:49 pm
    

21. I got:

    Labor – 74
    Kadima – 74
    Ra’am Ta’al – 71
    Meretz – 71

    More left-wing and dovish than I thought….

    

    21. Rob
    on January 27th, 2009 at 4:33 am
    

22. Mapam (united workers’ party) existed after the mandate time, ultimately merged in Meretz.

    

    22. Uri ZACKHEM
    on January 27th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
    

23. Labor- 84%
    Meretz- 79%
    Kadima- 76%
    …(Arab parties)

    Hmmm, in contrast to the 2006 elections, this time there’s actually a battle between the Avoda and Meretz. Then again, I think I’ll go for Nitzan Horowitz as my rep. for the Knesset. Meretz it is.

    Thanks for sharing this link.

    

    23. Noam
    on January 27th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
    

24. I won’t go into details, but the compass has me a total hawk (!!!) and very, very slightly left of center.

    Either I didn’t quite understand the questions or they were misleading, no?

    

    24. Sara
    on January 27th, 2009 at 10:21 pm
    

25. Hi, Lisa

    Probably Meretz’s position was a “shameful” one but during the wave of terror that struck Israel for five years (the ones that forced you to leave Israel) the democrats and humanist of Balad, Ra’am-Tal or Hadash never had a word of solidarity or at least of humanity with their fellow citizens. Two years ago Hizbullah innocently offered a summer full of ’tilim’ and, again, the ‘zionist’ were at fault because they can not stand friendly cross-border raids that kills israelis.
    People who worships Kahana, Goldstein or Amir are RIGHTLY
    banned from the Knesset but unfortunately the same can not be done to the gentlemans that have Sami Kuntar, Nasrallah, Ayash, Yassin or Arafat as role models.
    (Ahmed Tibi was at the time an MK and an adviser to Arafat, is it normal?)
    Anyway I’m not Israeli.

    @Pedro:
    1. I left Israel for six months in 2002 because I was offered a lucrative job at a time when I couldn’t find work in Israel; I did not leave Israel because of the terror attacks.
    2. People who worship Kahana, Amir or Goldstein are not banned from the Knesset. The late Rabbi Meir Kahane’s party, Kach, is banned because its platform is racist and hate-based. Balad and Ram-Ta’al are neither racist nor hate based. Ahmed Tibi was an adviser to Arafat after Israel and the PLO signed the Oslo Accords. He resigned as Arafat’s adviser in 1999, before he ran for a seat in the Knesset.
    3. Hadash, which is a Jewish-Arab party, has in fact been active in supporting its fellow citizens during times of crisis, by initiating social programs, for example.. I would suggest you check the party’s website, but the information is only in Hebrew so that would probably not help you. Certainly Hadash has a better record in this area than do parties that claim to be more patriotic.
    Lisa

    

    25. Pedro
    on January 27th, 2009 at 10:28 pm
    

26. Great link – lots of fun. All I can say is, I hope it isn’t Bibi.

    

    26. miki
    on January 28th, 2009 at 7:58 am
    

27. Meretz 84%
    Hadash 83%
    Ra’am-Ta’al 81%
    Balad 79%

    On the graph, I landed at the middle of a straight line between Torah Judaism and Meimad.

    The results might have been different had I not answered “no opinion” to the PM candidate questions.

    

    27. Udge
    on January 28th, 2009 at 11:47 am
    

28. I have to agree with SM, the test works only if you are completely decisive in all questions as well as consistent (at least the way the poll designers define consistency).

    I have the same score for Torah-Judaism, Hadash, Raam-Tal AND Likud – all 68%! Labour, Meretz and Kadial – all approx 75%.
    And I wasn’t tailoring my answers but answered honestly…

    Either I am schizophrenic or there is something wrong with this poll.

    G

    

    28. G
    on January 28th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
    

29. Lisa:
    1-”I couldn’t find work in Israel; I did not leave Israel because of the terror attacks.”
    It’s true but the security situation had an enormous impact on the economic situation and without ‘Homat Maged’ the economic reforms introduced by mr.Netanyahu would be worthless.
    2-” Balad and Ram-Ta’al are neither racist nor hate based. Ahmed Tibi was an adviser to Arafat after Israel and the PLO signed the Oslo Accords. He resigned as Arafat’s adviser in 1999, before he ran for a seat in the Knesset.”
    In fact, Itamar Ben-Gvir, Baruch Marzel and their ilk can not run for a seat in the Knesset but Azmi Bishara could.
    The fact that mr. Tibi had resigned before does not transform him in a supporter of the state of Israel as a Jewish ( the national home of the Jewish People) and democratic one.
    Also, Balad, Ra’am-Tal, Hadash and the Islamic Movement are against the national servive because they are afraid of «”Israelization” of Arab youth at the expense of their Palestinian Arab identity though state institutions participating in the program, such as hospitals vehemently reject claims the program is part of a sinister plot to undercut Arab leadership» (see:”Opposition to national service in Israel’s Arab sector is bitter” Yoav Stern, Ha’aretz 08/04/2008;
    “Azmi Bishara, former chairman of the Israeli Arab Balad party, has characterized Israel as a “foreign entity” uninterested in peace, that follows the same path as the Crusaders.”, Ha’aretz 05/06/2008;
    “Balad to hold vote on whether to accept Israel as a Jewish state” Ha’aretz 19/11/2007 )
    “[Israeli Arabs] are salt of the earth. We did not immigrate here like you,”Ahmed Tibi, Ha’aretz 20/01/2009. Racism?!
    3-Again, Hadash is quick to hold anti-war demonstrations and not anti-terror demonstrations.

    

    29. Pedro
    on January 28th, 2009 at 5:35 pm
    

30. not sure what it all means – just seems to prove i am a soft headed deluded, self hating, leftist who should burn in hell ;o)

    Ra’am Ta’al 84%
    Meretz 83%
    Hadash 78%
    Labor 76%
    Balad 74%

    peace out

    

    30. ben
    on January 28th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
    

31. I’ve scored between Meretz, Green Movement and Hadash. Meretz lost their credibility to me, and while I respect the people at the Green Movement the Arab-Jewish relationship within Hadash appeals to me. I also know that Dov Khenin, of Hadash, is one of the greatest environmentalists in the country, so I won’t be lost on that either.

    

    31. Gilad
    on January 31st, 2009 at 1:53 pm
    

32. A bit late, but just to share with you my concern: my highest score is 90% with Israel Beitenu for religious issues… I really didn’t understand what should I vote for after this test: it put me close to Avoda and Meimad, but looking at the single results, I’m closer to Kadima. Anyhow I protest beacuse there wasn’t Bogrei Alè Yarok+Holocaust survivors, which is actually one of the options I’m evaluating

    

    32. Sharon
    on February 2nd, 2009 at 3:30 am
    

33. i scored 93% Hadash and Ra’am-Ta’al and 89% Meretz. I was below (i.e. more dovish) and slightly to the left on the chart of all parties. If I was Israeli, I would vote Hadash.

    

    33. Eddie
    on February 6th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
    

34. 84 Meretz
    80 Khadash
    85 Ra’am-Ta’al
    74 Balad
    69 Labor
    65 Green Movement-Meimad

    But, I would probably vote for Green-Meimad, if I were Israeli. And certainly not for Barak’s Labor.

    Thanks to Vasi (who makes an excellent point above, at #20, about the Zionism dimension being essentially non-existent in the quiz) for the tip about this blog.

    

    34. MSS
    on February 10th, 2009 at 6:14 pm