Netanyahu victory spurs diverse reactions

SAN DIEGO (SDJW)–Reactions to Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s election victory were not long in coming after the results were announced on Tuesday, March 17.  Here are some of them collected by San Diego Jewish World:

Americans for Peace Now — Israel’s general election results are a disappointment for pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans. They will undoubtedly make our objective even harder to attain.  Pre-election polls and the overall atmosphere in Israel preceding the elections provided us with hope for a government that would embrace the policies and values that we support. It now seems like Israel’s next government will provide us with more of the same, if not worse.  Moments like this are not new to us. Yes, they disappoint us, but we do not succumb to the disappointment. We know that our fight to secure peace for Israel and its neighbors is a long-term fight.  We care too deeply about Israel’s future as a democracy and a Jewish state to cede the struggle over Israel’s future character to the bullies and the bigots, the racists and the ultra-nationalists. We know that the only way for Israel to be loyal to the vision of its founders, to be both a secure, morally sound Jewish state and a democracy, is to end the occupation and reach a peace settlement with the Palestinians and the Arab world. Together with our Israeli sister organization, Peace Now, we will therefore redouble our efforts to advance this objective, serving as a bulwark against the rejectionists and the zealots, true to our core values.  We have our work cut out for us.
Israel’s next government, a Netanyahu-led government, despite bombastic campaign sloganeering of its future components, will have to face the same political and security challenges as the outgoing government did, which are likely to intensify. Whether it is a deepening rift with the US administration, international isolation, or the untenable occupation of the Palestinians – these problems are not going away, and are only going to intensify, given the policies that one should expect from a right-wing government.  Israel’s next government is not likely to pursue peace-oriented diplomacy with the Palestinians. It is likely to further advance West Bank settlement construction, creating facts on the ground that will hinder a two-state solution. It is likely to further drive the fallacious message that peace with the Palestinians is impossible, irrelevant, and even undesirable. Israel’s Peace Now movement and its US sister organization, Americans for Peace Now, have for more than three decades been at the very forefront of demonstrating why these rejectionists are wrong. We now need to redouble our efforts. We will.
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Anti-Defamation League, Barry Curtiss-Lusher, ADL National Chair and Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director: We extend our congratulations to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Likud Party for their strong showing in these elections, and wish the prime minister well as he moves to build a new governing coalition. With the highest turnout in 15 years for national elections, the people of Israel selected their parliamentary representation for the next four years. The proud demonstration of Israel’s open and vibrant democracy over the more than 67 years since its founding stands in stark contrast to every other country in the Middle East. Regretfully, this campaign was too often marked by extreme and divisive statements by candidates.  We urge leaders of all parties to work to reach out to all segments of Israel’s society and heal these wounds. Now the work of forming a governing coalition begins. We wish Israel’s leaders success in establishing a new government that will be able to effectively address the many domestic and security issues facing Israel.

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U.S. Rep. Robert Dold (R-Illinois): “Congratulations to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his victory.  This election underscores that Israel is a thriving democracy in an increasingly unstable Middle East and serves as a reminder to all about the unshakeable bond between our two nations. It was a great honor to escort Prime Minister Netanyahu as he entered the House chamber for his speech earlier this month and to communicate directly to him that our community stands shoulder to shoulder with the people of Israel.  I look forward to working with him and our partners in Israel to prevent Iran from starting a nuclear war in the Middle East and advance our shared values of freedom and democracy.”

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U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California)– “In light of his election victory, it is my hope that Prime Minister Netanyahu puts together a coalition government that works together in a sensible manner and strives for peace and stability. Despite campaign rhetoric, Israel must pursue a negotiated two-state solution with the Palestinians. This is the only way to ensure Israel remains a secure, Jewish, democratic state. Now that the election is over, continuing to mend tensions in the U.S.-Israel relationship needs to be a priority for everyone, regardless of political affiliation. I hope the new Israeli government can work toward that end.”

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New Israel Fund, Daniel Sokatch–I’m in Israel right now. Our staff and allies here are somber but undeterred.
We know that yesterday’s election is a moment in time, and not one that is going to change Israel’s immediate course or the New Israel Fund’s priorities. The challenges we face in moving Israel towards a more equal and just society are serious. The election campaign highlighted some of them: an increase in polarization, racism, and incitement is one such challenge. When the Prime Minister urged his base to come out and vote to counter “Arabs coming in droves to the ballot box” I knew, as you did, that this pandering to fear and prejudice could only exacerbate the divisions between Arab and Jewish citizens. We also share the concerns of millions of Israelis about growing income inequality, the cost of housing, and increased poverty — concerns as yet substantively unaddressed by the existing or incoming government. And the fact is, Israel cannot be both Jewish and democratic absent progress towards ending the occupation. We know that the New Israel Fund has played and will continue to play a crucial role in building a shared society and combatting racism. The growing unity in the Arab community, reflected in their turnout and support for the Joint List, is a positive sign of change. We know that our Coalition for Affordable Housing has kept that issue at the front of the political agenda. And we know that as we work to expand the progressive camp, the need for a more socially just society unites Israelis from many sectors and many walks of life. Long before this election was even announced, NIF’s leadership made the strategic decision to focus on creating the environment in which progressive change can happen through our New Initiatives for Democracy (NIF-D). It was the right decision. And we have a lot of work to do. The struggle for a democratic Israel was never only about the outcome of an election; it is a deeper effort to build power for those who have none, to build ties between Israelis now alienated from one another, and to oppose racism and inequality wherever they appear. With your continued partnership, we will continue our work, to do just that.
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Republican Jewish Coalition, Matt Brooks: “We want to congratulate the people of Israel on their successful elections yesterday.  Democracy won in a region plagued by failed states, rogue regimes and terrorism.  This is a win for the world.  Given the consequential issues facing the voters of Israel, such as a nuclear Iran and Israel’s security in a troubled region, they chose Netanyahu to lead them forward despite some international opposition.  The RJC looks forward to continuing its work to enhance and strengthen American-Israeli relations.”

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Union for Reform Judaism, Rabbi Rick Jacobs –“We will have the opportunity over the coming hours and coming days to reflect with the entire leadership of our Movement on the results of yesterday’s election in Israel. I especially want to hear from our Israeli colleagues. For now, I just want to share a few thoughts. The final hours of the campaign – including the Prime Minister’s renunciation of his commitment to a two-state solution as well as his naked appeal to his hard-right bases’ fears rather than their hopes – were disheartening. Israel deserves better, especially from a Prime Minister who holds himself out as the leader of entire Jewish people. Elections are, by their nature, divisive. Putting together a government, and governing, require a different set of skills, and a different mindset. We hope and pray that all parties, especially those who will be charged with assembling a government, will keep that truth foremost in their thoughts. Our Movement is, and remains, committed to democracy, to peace, and to pluralism. We will reach out to the new government, partnering where possible, challenging where necessary.”

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World Jewish Congress, Ron Lauder — “Israel is one of the world’s great democracies and once again, its people have shown this through a free and open democratic election. Prime Minister Netanyahu has demonstrated his tremendous leadership abilities over the years along with his incredible dedication to the Jewish state of Israel. At a time that has seen a dangerous increase in anti-Semitic attacks throughout the world, the next few years will be a challenge for Jews everywhere, and I look forward to working with Prime Minister Netanyahu to make the world a safer place for all people. I urge world leaders to respect the result of this democratic ballot and to work closely with Prime Minister Netanyahu and his new government in the months and years ahead. In a volatile Middle East, Israel’s right to exist as a democratic, Jewish state must be safeguarded, the security situation in the Middle East must be improved and the government must ensure that Israel can continue to be the economic and scientific powerhouse it has become in the past decades.”

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Zionist Organization of America, Morton Klein:  “We congratulate Prime Minister Netanyahu on his victory. Contrary to predictions, life-and-death issues of security were a vital aspect of this campaign and it is clear that it was on this basis that the Israeli electorate decided to endorse Benjamin Netanyahu, rather than Isaac Herzog and Tzipi Livni. With vote counting almost completed, it seems fair to say that the Jewish right-of-center parties — Likud, Yisrael Beiteinu, Jewish Home, United Torah Judaism, Shas — received 58 seats, whereas the Jewish left-of-center parties — Zionist Union, Yesh Atid, Meretz — received only 39 seats. Given this, it is a landslide victory for Mr. Netanyahu, who won around 60% of the Jewish Israeli vote. It is now clear that Tzipi Livni was seen as a liability for the Zionist Union’s prospects on the basis of her past concessionary policies to an unreconstructed terror-supporting, anti-peace Palestinian Authority (PA) dictatorship. That is why, at the eleventh hour, Mr. Herzog announced that, contrary to the original plan, he would not rotate the premiership with Ms. Livni if elected to office.  This last-minute change of tack had nothing to do with any policies other than security. They realized that security remained an uppermost issue for the Israeli electorate, which did not have confidence in Ms. Livni to do the job in the top post. This reflects a fact that will not go away: to this day, the left-wing parties have not come clean and admitted that the Oslo process they championed, initiated and pursued was an unmitigated disaster which brought death and injury to Israeli cities and rendered the country vulnerable to increasing security threats, especially from Gaza. This failure to come clean and opting instead to continue pursuing the same failed policies with the same, unchanged, terror-supporting, anti-peace PA seems to have continually deprived the Israel left of a larger share of the vote.We note that Prime Minister Netanyahu won in the face of a very personal, negative campaign which was strongly aided by foreign money, including from the European Union and, if reports are correct, by the U.S. State Department. Reports indicate the State Department may have contributed as much as $350,000 to the anti-Netanyahu campaign. If so, such a shameless and extraordinary intervention in internal Israeli election processes is deserving of investigation, as the U.S. Senate has proposed. ..”

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