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Ari On The Road
The Complex Game Of Israeli Politics
by Ari Sharp
December 31, 2002
Politics in Israel is nothing like that in Australia. For a variety of
reasons, it has its own quirks and its own problems, all of which will be
revealed and highlighted in the run up to the January 28 general election.
Unlike many of its neighbours, elections in Israel are regular
occurrences, more regular than many Israelis would like. There were
elections in 1999, 2001 and now 2003, each of them held before the natural
end of the government's term. Again, given there is no constitution ,
this concept is itself unusual.
Additionally, Israeli has an model of Proportional Representation to elect
the 120 member Knesset.
The whole country is a single electorate, and
providing a party reaches a threshold of 1.5%, they will be allocated seats
in close correlation to the strength of their vote.
Because of this, a
diversity of parties exist, each fancying their chances of a grab at power.
The political divide in Israel is far more complicated that a simple
left-right dichotomy. The politics of the Middle East create a dove-hawk
divide, and the nature of Israeli society creates a religious-secular
divide. Add into this mix parties seeking to represent Arab citizens and new
migrants, and the complexity of the game becomes apparent.
At stake is the Knesset and, by extension, the right to form government.
What is also up for grabs, particularly for those parties other than Likud and
Labour, is the possession of the balance of power.
Given that up to 15
parties have a chance of representation in the next Knesset, an outright
majority is near impossible, much like the Australian Senate.
Whether the
next government is forced to the left or right by those parties which have
the balance of power will be fascinating to watch.
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