An interesting essay by our friend Gilad (accompanied by other Israeli opinions) about the election of Amir Peretz to the top of the Israeli Labour. It is an encouraging step, but bear in mind that the party that elected Peretz is NOT the all-powerful Labour of Golda Meyer or even of General Barak; it is a party in free fall with best assessment around 10-15 places in the Knesset (out of 120). Sharon succeeded to derail Labour (as he derailed the Palestine Solidarity Movement) by his Gaza operation. Thus, Peretz and the Moroccans get their chance to rule Labour five minutes before the crash. His chances to succeed are minimal, for European Jews won't vote for a frank (an Oriental Jew). Sharon seems to be ready to run for next elections - and win. But who knows? And Gilad's main idea is correct: the left should turn homewards. Israel Shamir ----------------------------------------------------------- National Socialism As Opposed to Global Capitalism The case of Amir Peretz by Gilad Atzmon http://www.gilad.co.uk/html%20files/peretz.html The recent election of Amir Peretz as the Chairman of the Israeli Labour Party is far more significant than many commentators would seem to admit. For the first time, the Israeli Labour party is led by a real fiery working class leader. Peretz is a relatively young man who grew up in a council estate in Sderot, a southern Israeli shantytown that was built especially for Arab Jews back in the 1950’s. At the time, the Jewish Ashkenazi elite couldn’t tolerate the idea of Arab Jews flooding into their newly erected European metropolises. The vast majority of Arab Jews were not part of the Israeli demographic landscape until after the foundation of the Jewish state. They were brought to Israel en mass in a massive exodus operation, which often times was forced. The idea behind the operation was the necessity to beef up the majority of the Jewish population by outnumbering the Palestinian population that refused to flee in 1948. Once in Israel, the Arab Jews were treated rather badly. Immediately upon their arrival they felt the heavy hand of Ashkenazi supremacist discrimination. The majority of the new immigrants were dumped in council estates in the Negev desert and other unpopular regions. They were there to serve the Zionist cause either as a cheap labour force or just as a human shield between the emerging European Jewish cities and the hostile Arabs on the other side. Peretz grew up in Sderot and in the 1980s he became the town’s mayor. In 1995 he was elected as the head of the Histadrut, the major Israeli trade union. A few days ago, Mr. Peretz made it to the very centre of the Israeli political stage. He had managed to oust Shimon Peres, the never dying and yet the most defeated politician in modern history. Amir Peretz’s appearance is such a big revolution that Sharon and the Likud party are in a real state of panic. But the Likud isn’t alone, Shas, the Orthodox Sepharadic party is mighty concerned as well. For the first time, a secular Sepharadic man is leading one of the two biggest parties. Moreover, the man is an ordinary human being, he isn’t an heroic veteran IDF general. He isn’t an ex Mossad assassin, he doesn’t have Arab blood on his hands. He didn’t adopt the Ashkenazi’s pretentious jargon. He wasn’t appointed by an Ashkenazi politician as political bait to pull in Arab Jews. He is a simple Israeli man who managed to take over the second biggest Israeli party, he did it on his own right and he is an Arab Jew. Mr Peretz was born in Morocco. He immigrated to Israel at the age of four. He has never denied his origin or tried to assimilate into the Ashkenazi Israeli world. I would allow myself to argue that if there is any remote hope for the integration of Jews into the region, it is a man like Peretz who may deliver the goods. It is a man like Peretz, himself an Arab, who can treat his neighbours with respect. Rather than Shimon Peres’s global dream of ‘new Middle East’ in which Israel delivers wealth to the ‘inferior’ Arabs, Amir Peretz’s message to the Israeli people is rather simple and far less pompous: once we address our social problems we will be ready to talk peace with our neighbours. This message is actually deeper than any other Israeli political manifesto I can think of. To start with, it is genuine. For the first time an Israeli politician considers peace as a meaningful signifier rather than an empty slogan. For the first time an Israeli politician refuses to drop the word ‘shalom’ just for the sake of dropping it. But not only is Peretz’s message authentic, it may as well be a message to the European community: No more global capitalism. Rather than serving big business politics you better look into your back garden. This message may help the confused French left address their current crisis. Unless some social justice is introduced into our national discourse, Europe would turn into hell. Don’t you forget, for many it is hell already. It isn’t a coincidence that Peretz came with such a message. Israel is ahead of Europe in terms of moral deterioration. Being an Americanised state, it has been suffering the impact of global politics for many years. Israel is but a mere microcosm of a ferocious cultural battle. Being at the forefront of the so-called ‘cultural clash’, Israel is the place where East meets West. Where the colonial meets the oppressed colonized. Where black meets white. Israel is the pain Western colonialism dispersed to the Arab world. The Israelis are the occupiers but at the same time they themselves are the first to suffer from being the carrier of those doomed policies. Israeli society is falling apart under the burden of many conflicting interests. On the one hand we can trace the liberal Western footprints of hard capitalism and privatisation. Israeli economy is run by big companies, that itself has led to a society obsessed with consumerism. On the other hand, we can see a rapidly growing economic gap between the rich and the poor, something that evolved into some serious social unrest. The rise of Peretz is a direct reaction to global capitalism. The Local grass-roots hero is apparently the best answer to the faceless Global enemy. It is hard capitalism and global interests that may make Amir Peretz into Israel’s next Prime Minister. It becomes clear that the only way to confront global capitalism is to fight it locally and socially. This is what the Israeli Labour party has decided to do. Wisely, they dumped their old globalist Peres in favour of a man of the people. In the next election the Israeli people will have to choose between the hard capitalistic vision of the notorious Netanyahu and the call for social transformation and equality led by Mr Peretz. I allow myself to assume that this is where Europe is aiming. The turbulence within the Labour backbenches that led to Blair’s defeat in the House of Commons less than a week ago, points out that it is the local concerns that will eventually topple Blair rather than his numerous war crimes in Iraq. Unless France endorses a sincere social attitude, it is aiming towards civil war. If the European parliamentary left is interested in rescuing itself as well as Europe from a complete defeat to American values of greed and radical egotism, it may want to explore Peretz’s moves in the coming months. The only way for the European left to survive this doomed era is to detach itself immediately from big business politics. To address a particular social strategy that addresses the unique local discourse and circumstances of what is left of the national state. ----------------------------------------------------------- A Moroccan to Head Labor? By: Alon Abutbul The truth must told: Our Ashkenazi brothers in the Labor Party can't stomach the thought that a dark-skinned Moroccan, with a thick mustache to boot, could possibly lead the party. At the moment of truth, they all folded and fell in behind the Old Man. They are trying to stop the clock. Anything but change. It's obvious. Most people harbor a deep-rooted fear of change. But the Labor Party is sick. It's got a chronic disease, but refuses to die. At the same time, it refuses to live. It desperately needs change. How many people I know well will vote today for the Labor Party today! Once we sat together, Ashkenazim and Sephardim, dreaming of revolution within the party. Together, we hoped, planned, and looked for ways to turn this faltering party into a real political force, offering a real alternative to the existing government. Together, we discussed ways to change the face of the Labor Party, ways to bring quality young people into the party and to fight our revulsion from politics and politicians. We talked about beating apathy and despair and corruption. We wanted a real voice in the party, influence and to make our lives here in Israel better, for ourselves and for our children. We tried to find original ways to meld the old with the new, and we all agreed it was time to rid ourselves of Shimon Peres. His time has passed; we just didn't know just who to should take his place. It's a real crisis of leadership. We'd hoped to find new blood before we, too, get old. It's unbelievable, but the same people who came seeking real change will stand today at the voting booth to vote for a man whose honor, like his shame, are long gone. It is complete insanity. On the other hand, I can imagine how all this happened - the process by which they changed their minds and abandoned their demands for radical change – because they've had enough of the bureaucratic politics of the Labor Party – to adopt a conservative, fearful position. And when I ask for reasons, they mumble, "I don't want to see Amir Peretz head the party." And when I ask why not, I hear, "Amir Peretz will send the party backwards, to the days of (now-defunct Labor predecessor) Mapai." And we are left with a paradox: The archaic Peres, well into his 80s, is perceived as modern and enlightened, while Peretz, a man in his 50s, full of life, at the height of his strength and energy, a man who represents action, a representative who is relevant and modern, in all areas – political, social and economic- and who brought new color and fresh voice to the Labor Party, is viewed as someone who will drive the party backwards. Amazing. It's incredible how when the moment of truth arrives, all of kinds of excuses suddenly appear to explain how and why the representative from Sderot, who speaks loud and clear and with a terrific accent, will drive the party backwards. He's primitive, no? Without question, they will say: Peretz sent Abutbul to raise the ethnic ghost (as if Abutbul must certainly not have capable of independent thought. How could he? He's primitive, no?) But it's not true. Peretz couldn't, and wouldn't want, to bring up the ethnic issue. My brothers: you Ashkenazim have an ethnic ghost to deal with. He jumps and disrupts, warns and threatens, every time that Peretz, or any other Sephardi comes close to a real place of influence in the party. Maybe this time you won't be afraid of change. Don't be afraid of the black man. From Ynet News, November 9, 2005 ----------------------------------------------------------- Peretz Vows to Achieve Peace, Security for Israel By: Yair Ettniger, Mazal Mualem and Daniel Ben-Simon Several hours after he was announced as the new leader of the Labor Party, Histadrut Chairman Amir Peretz on Thursday returned to his political roots to outline his political vision as the Labor candidate for premiership. The victory is an unexpected result and a blow to the Labor old guard by Histadrut labor federation chairman Amir Peretz who was named Thursday morning the new chairman of the Labor Party, defeating the incumbent and favorite, Vice Premier Shimon Peres. Speaking near the grave of slain prime minister Yitzhak Rabin at the Mount Hertzl cemetery in Jerusalem, Peretz stressed that reaching a peace accord with the Palestinians is at the top of his political priority list. "We will not rest until we reach a permanent agreement (with the Palestinians) that would secure a safe future for our children and that would provide us with renewed hope to live in a region where people lead a life of cooperation and not, God forbid, where blood is shed from time to time," Peretz said. The new Labor chairman emphasized this move is a direct continuation of Rabin's political heritage: "I came today to make a vow to Rabin, once again, that I intend to do everything I can to continue his way, I intend to do everything I can so that [Rabin's] assassin would know he failed to murder peace." Peretz recounted his long tenure as a loyal supporter of the late prime minister: "I was by Rabin's side in the days he struggled for his place in Israeli politics, I was with him in his days of isolation, and also in the days of overwhelming support from the people of Israel when they flooded him with warmth and admiration. I was also next to him on that dreadful night when we lost Yitzhak (Rabin) in the murder that shocked Israel and sought to severe and end his life and his way." Soon after the official results were announced, the new Labor chief quickly reiterated his intention of pulling the party out of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's government, propelling the country into political disarray and advancing the likelihood of early general elections. "We will notify the prime minister that we want to leave. We want to leave... certainly out of a desire to turn the Labor Party into an alternative that intends to take power in the next elections," he said. "Amir will discuss with the prime minister an agreed date for an election," said Yuli Tamir, a Labor legislator and Peretz supporter. Winner of a tightly-run race The voting result, which came at dawn, followed a tightly-run race between the two opponents, which initially showed a slight lead for Peres. Peretz, a fiery union leader, wants to steer the party back to its socialist roots, pull out of the coalition and force early elections. His message has resonated with Israelis disenfranchised by government cuts in social spending and the country's growing gap between rich and poor. Shortly after 6 A.M., amid cheering from Peretz's supporters, Labor Secretary-General Eitan Cabel announced that Peretz had won with 42.35 percent of the votes, while Peres was backed by 39.96 percent of voters. In third place was Benjamin Ben Eliezer, with 16.82 percent of the vote. Cabel was quick to rebuff claims of fraud and irregularities in the elections, which caused Peres to issue a last minute call for a halt in the count. The release of the vote's final results was stalled by several hours as the Labor election committee, led by Cabel, headed early Thursday morning to the vote counting center in Petah Tikva after several claims of fraud in polling stations. Peres appeals against results In a pre-dawn press conference, Peres called on Labor's legal institutions to look into claims of severe irregularities in polling stations in Sderot and Be'er Sheva, two Peretz strongholds. Some of the vote results "raised exceptional doubts," Peres said. "It is unreasonable that in communities where I had a majority I have now dropped to seven votes." "I expected a better evening," Peres said. Sitting alongside Peres, former prime minister Ehud Barak said the outcome of the primaries did not reflect the will of the party's voters. But several hours later, the election committee announced it had rejected Peres' claims of fraud and okayed the completing of the counting of the votes in the remaining 13 polling stations from a total of 318. Peretz did not immediately respond to the accusations, but his supporters were already claiming victory. The Peretz camp erupted into celebrations when the Histadrut chief took the lead in the vote count early Thursday, and Israel Radio said he was headed to party headquarters to make an announcement. The uncounted districts were believed to favor Peretz, and Israeli radio stations said his victory was imminent. Implications for government The outcome of the vote will have wide-ranging implications for the future of Sharon's shaky governing coalition, in which Labor is the junior member. Peres had said that he would keep Labor in the government until the next elections scheduled in November 2006. The 82-year-old politician led Labor into the government this year to shore up support for Sharon's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. The pullout divided Sharon's Likud Party, and without Labor support, the plan could not have been carried out. From Haaretz, November 10, 2005