6 Comments so far (Add 1 more)

1. I guess that means they were happy w/your work. I can see why!

   

   1. Aviv
   on February 11th, 2009 at 7:41 pm
   

2. Wow Lisa, a really good and simplistic insight, loving it. I found it interesting how you took the three examples of three very different electorates and saw the results from their experiences, great stuff. I was particularly surprised by Meir Javedanfar who spoke true words about ahmadinajad being happy at the right wing victory, particularly Livni, because Iran need a verbal enemy but of course not a physical one.

   As for the actual results, as a person who likes to see himself as a peace enthusiast with leftist tendencies I find these results appalling and frankly … scary! Liebermann frightens me, and the fact that he got that big block only seeks to assert me even more that the Israeli public is not seeking peace, despite the polls! Im not saying that Labor will bring peace, that is hardly the case, but I am saying that the whole Israeli political crew doesnt seem serious about peace. Kadima aims to engage in a peace for land deal, unlike Likud who want peace for peace, so Kadima seems like the better of the two, but Livni took part in two major wars in the past two year (Lebanon and Gaza). Security remains the prime concern for the electorate as you elaborated to me recently, so in that respect I guess the results are understandable!

   

   2. Firas Kay
   on February 11th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
   

3. “It’s complicated” sounds like a very precise way of summing up the result. (So, Facebook has become the standard for describing political processes… hmm… )

   From a purely professional point of view Israeli politics is a political scientist’s dream: Three or four conflicting cleavages all on top of each other – and that is before you add the, er, territorial dimension. I’m less sure if I would want to deal with the effects in my everyday life, though.

   

   3. Jacob Christensen
   on February 11th, 2009 at 11:58 pm
   

4. Not a peep from Central Europe on the results of the Israeli tip-off…and I, for one, believe that’s a mighty good thing up here in the Czech Republic.

   Were I forced to contend with a situation, perhaps like some of your unfortunate UK readers who risk a due thrashing (or worse) in the London streets, I’d be on the first aluminum sausage out of here. That the Czechs (the current Council Presidents) had nothing to say about the rightist leaning of the current Knesset says a lot.

   Nevertheless, I, too, would have cast my vote with Rabbi Melchior if I were available to do so, and that a proper environmental party is not in Knesset says a lot as well.

   Sage post, LG, thanks for introducing me to another new blogger I’ll be following.

   

   4. Adam Daniel Mezei
   on February 12th, 2009 at 2:44 am
   

5. I wanted Meimad.

   Perhaps next time I’ll be able to vote. I think my first vote should go to the party I want before I condescend to playing “lesser of two evils but with a chance of winning” games.

   London’s been surprisingly quiet strictly w/ re/ elections. The few people that care are bemused. Headlines reading something to effect of “Israel can’t find backside with both hands as two parties declare victory.”

   

   5. Elianah
   on February 12th, 2009 at 4:58 pm
   

6. A second question: How did you manage to write an Israel-related article for the Guardian and avoid all comments? There are no comments to this article, and that’s…for something Israel-related on the Guardian…unheard-of! Congrats!

   

   6. Elianah
   on February 12th, 2009 at 5:01 pm