Israel moves forward with newly formed Kadima party
By Jeremy Last and Jacob Sugarman
The Jewish Advocate
Israel awoke to a surprise Wednesday after four months of campaigning produced election results far from what were initially expected.
Surveys of the population taken since former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was hospitalized on Jan. 4 indicated that his newly-formed Kadima party was widely predicted to gain more than 40 of the 120 Knesset seats. While in recent weeks opinion polls have shown a drop in support for the party now headed by Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to around 35 mandates, as the exit polls were announced at 10 p.m. on Tuesday it was clear that the phenomenon of floating voters had taken its toll.
Though Olmert's party had won the election, and he is expected to be named the next Prime Minister, Kadima emerged victorious with only 28 seats.
The new Israeli leader now has the task, over the coming weeks, of forming a strong coalition with other parties in order to control a majority in the Knesset. This may prove rather difficult, however, considering the Labor party, led by former trade unions head Amir Peretz, gained 20 seats. Labor's solid results, with eight seats less than Kadima, may lead to tensions with the left-wing party, expected to demand important cabinet positions that Olmert may be reluctant or unwilling to give up.
Olmert declared the election a referendum on the future borders of the country, after he outlined his proposal to "set Israel's borders" by 2010.
"The game is open and all the parties want more money and more power," Professor Gabi Sheffer of the political science department at Jerusalem's Hebrew University told the Advocate.
"I think the Labor party will probably bet he first desirable partner for Kadima, but then Olmert has a problem of whether or not to invite [ultra-orthodox Sephardi party] Shas to join the coalition. if Shas doesn't join, then Olmert has a grave problem in establishing an effective stable coalition."
In one of the greatest surprises of the election, That Gil, the Pensioners Party, gained eight seats and may help Olmert in the short term, especially as they have no clear cut views on security issues. Even with the Pensioners and labor, however, Kadima will still only control 55 seats and will need to find at least another six - perhaps from the left wing Meretz and Hadash parties - to have and maintain a majority in the Knesset.
Across Boston, there was a great deal of surprise at the outcome of the election, but a similar feeling of encouragement radiated from many locals following the announcement of the results.
"I think that the fact that Israel went through a major traumatic event when [Prime Minister Sharon] was incapacitated, it's amazing that the transition was so smooth up to the election," said Israel's Consul General to New England Meir Shlomo. "The people have spoken and we have the results. But the real question is who will be the partners in a Kadima government...it's not about who will be what minister, but what the platform of the new government will be."
Lawrence Rosenthal, executive director of Boston's American Jewish Community, said: "there were obvious surprises, but I think the election clearly implies is the general movement [of the Israelis] toward the center. The end of f Likud is a message that planned expansionism is not what Israelis prefer."
Nancy Kaufman of the Jewish Community Relations Council added that the election results showed that Israelis are getting tired of politics. "More people than usual chose not to vote, and that was a statemetn that [they] want to get back to living [their lives]...it's a message to the world that democracy can thrive even when there's the issue of conflict."
According to Barry Shrage, president of Combined Jewish Philanthropies, Israel acts as a beacon for democracy.
"It's always important to note, especially in today's Middle East, that democracy is working in at least one country, and that is in Israel," he said. "The people made a choice in a free democratic way, and we should applaud that."
