Israel/Palestine
Related: About this forumIsaac Herzog’s lead ahead of election reveals Israel’s changing values
If ever a man was born to hold high office in Israel it would seem to be Isaac Herzog, leader of the Labour Party and co-chair of a voting bloc known as the Zionist Union. His grandfather, Yitzhak Herzog, was the first chief rabbi of Israel; his father, Chaim Herzog, was the countrys sixth president; his uncle was Abba Eban, the great orator and Israeli foreign minister.
So it should come as no surprise that less than a week before Israels election, Mr. Herzogs bloc has a lead over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus Likud party, and that Mr. Herzog has a good chance to become Israels prime minister.
But it is a surprise, a bombshell. The soft-spoken, cerebral Mr. Herzog is far from a typical candidate for prime minister. Israelis like their leaders tough and gruff think David Ben Gurion, Golda Meir, Menachem Begin, Ariel Sharon.
That Mr. Herzog is in the running so close to election day speaks volumes about the changing values in the Jewish state. This is not his fathers or his grandfathers Israel.
http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/isaac-herzogs-lead-ahead-of-election-reveals-israels-changing-values/article23401074/?service=mobile
Agnosticsherbet
(11,619 posts)"with security a distant second."
It is high time the left returned to power in Israel.
Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)Good luck with that!
Agnosticsherbet
(11,619 posts)though the polls i've see shows that the Arab Block is also likely to pick up a few seats, which I think is a good thing.
Tarheel_Dem
(31,257 posts)guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)If Isaac Herzog wins the election, and he can craft an electoral coalition that allows him the room to maneuver, and if he is true to the many statements he has made regarding the settlements, his election could indeed be a large step toward a two state solution. Three big if statements to overcome. For the sakes of the Palestinians and the Israelis I hope Herzog is successful on all counts.
He has talked about giving up settlements, but how many, which ones, and what about the status of Jerusalem are all big issues. In my view, a view shared by many, only a return to the pre-1967 borders will ensure a lasting peace.
Agnosticsherbet
(11,619 posts)Borders agreed upon by both sides in open neogiation is the only chance of a lasting peace. And they would require a strip of land along the Egyptian border so the West bank would have free access to the Gaza Strip.