The 2009 Israeli Election: A Bump in the Road to Peace?

Abstract

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Notes 1. Gilead Sher, interview with author, December 8, 2008 (lawyer, chief of staff and policy coordinator for former prime minister Ehud Barak, and key figure Meretz). 2. It was not just a question of the number of rockets fired but also of their increasing range. For an authoritative analysis of the war see Anthony H. Cordesman, “The ‘Gaza War’: A Strategic Analysis” (Washington, D.C.: CSIS, February 2, 2009), http://www.csis.org/component/option,com_csis_pubs/task,view/id,5250/. 3. Yossi Alpher, “Too Early For Despair,” Bitterlemons.org, edition 7, February 16, 2009, http://www.bitterlemons.org/previous/bl160211ed7.html#isr1. 4. Natasha Mozgovaya, “Obama: We Will Aggressively Seek Lasting Middle East Peace,” Haaretz, January 23, 2009, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1057919.html. 5. Yuval Karni and Itamar Eichner, “Livni: Electing Netanyahu Will lead to a Rift with U.S.,” Yedioth Ahronoth, January 25, 2009, 2. 6. For a discussion of the renewed calls for electoral reform, see Amnon Rubinstein, “Plenty of Brakes But No Engines,” Jerusalem Post, February 17, 2009, http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1233304810588&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull; Moshe Arens, “The Electoral System and the Voter,” Haaretz, February 10, 2009, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1062722.html; Shlomo Avineri, “The Good and the Bad of the System,” Haaretz, February 19, 2009, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1065365.html. 7. Alpher, “Too Early For Despair.” 8. The results were: Kadima 28; Likud 27; Yisrael Beitenu 15; Labour 13; Shas 11; United Torah Judaism 5; UAL Ta'al 4; National Union 4; Hadash 4; Meretz 3; Balad 3; Jewish Home 3. See Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, February 10, 2009, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/History/Modern+History/Historic+Events/Elections_in_Israel_February_2009. 9. The 32nd government of Israel was sworn in by a majority of 69 to 45 votes. Five of the Labour members of the Knesset abstained. Initial posts were distributed in the government as follows: Likud 15; Labour 5; Yisrael Beitenu 5; Shas 5. See “Netanyahu Government/Who's Who in the New Cabinet,” Haaretz, April 1, 2009, http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasen/spages/1075505.html. 10. Dana Weiler-Polak, “Record 20,072 Israelis Filed for Unemployment in March,” Haaretz, April 6, 2009, http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1076532.html. 11. “Israel's Netanyahu Government, the Annapolis Process and a ‘Two-State Solution,’” Beyond Images Web site, Briefing 238, April 5, 2009, http://www.beyondimages.info/docs/B238.doc. 12. Avigdor Lieberman, speech, Jerusalem, Israel, April 1, 2009, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/About+the+Ministry/Foreign_Minister/Speeches/Statement_by_incoming_FM_Avigdor_Liberman_1-Apr-2009.htm. 13. “Obama's Remarks to Turkish Parliament,” Washington Wire: Wall Street Journal Blogs, April 6, 2009, http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2009/04/06/obamas-remarks-to-turkish-parliament/. 14. See “Abbas Lays Down Terms for Renewing Peace Talks,” Haaretz, April 5, 2009, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1076521.html. Even the relatively mild statement by Assistant Secretary of State Rose Gottemoeller that “Universal adherence to the NPT itself, including by India, Israel, Pakistan and North Korea … remains a fundamental objective of the United States,” provoked a frisson of alarm in Jerusalem. See Barak Ravid, “‘Making Israel Sign Nuclear Treaty Won't be Miracle Cure for World Ills,’” Haaretz, May 7, 2009, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1083236.html. 15. The response amongst some sections of the Jewish community within the United States to the arrival of Lieberman in power was extremely negative. See Eric Yoffe, “Confronting Our Demagogue,” Forward, February 17, 2009, http://www.forward.com/articles/103108/. For a broader discussion of changes in Jewish attitudes within the United States, see Hilary Leila Krieger, “U.S. Jews Back Obama's Mid-East Path,” Jerusalem Post, March 23, 2009, http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1237727519689&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull; Nathan Guttman, “The Pro-Israel Lobby – ‘Alive, Well, and Bipartisan?’” Haaretz, March 25, 2009, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1073714.html. For a more recent discussion of how the new mood revealed itself during the recent American Israel Public Affairs Committee [AIPAC] conference, see Nathan Guttman, “AIPAC Confronts a New Reality as Obama's Agenda Becomes Clear,” Forward, May 15, 2009, http://www.forward.com/articles/105680/. Additional informationNotes on contributorsJonathan MarcusJonathan Marcus is diplomatic correspondent for the BBC World Service. He travels to Israel often and broadcasts frequently on Israeli politics and diplomatic developments in the Middle East