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Dry Bones
A Vote For Israel
asser Arafat may think he can influence
Israel's Jan 28 elections by exhorting his
followers to delay attacking soldiers and
innocent civilians for the next two weeks.
But the gesture is hardly going to help the
Palestinian leader's preferred candidate, Amram
Mitzna, with an Israeli citizenry that has seen
enough of Arafat's true beliefs to let him call their
electoral shots. Arafat would be better off steering
clear of his ham-handed efforts to interfere in the
election process.
American Jews also need to stay clear of the
process of selecting Israel's next prime minister and
ruling party because those choices need to be made
by Israeli citizens. But we have had
enough experience with elections —
good, bad and everything in between —
to be able to offer some practical advice
on how voters should go about making decisions.
• Tip 1: Think long range about what would be
best for Israel. If you don't have some vision of
what a peaceful, prosperous country could be and
how it should relate to its Arab neighbors, you
can't really measure any candidate against that
vision. Once you know what you want — an Israel
that has annexed all of the West Bank and Gaza,
perhaps, or an Israel with a strong Palestine next
door, or an Israel with disconnected Palestinian
enclaves nearby — you will be able to make some
judgment about which candidates and party most
closely shares your vision.
• Tip 2: Demand precision from the candidates
and parties about their proposals. Exactly what
are they saying they would do about national
security? How do they approach the future of
Jerusalem? What will they do about which settle-
ments? What specific steps do they advocate for
improving the economy? What are their positions
on religious pluralism? Don't be satisfied with
candidates who will not spell out their stands on
the issues that interest you. If they can't answer
your questions to your satisfaction, be prepared
y
to refuse to vote for them.
• Tip 3: Don't get distracted by
rumors and unproved charges.
The recent allegations that Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon improperly
tried to disguise a $1.5 million
loan from a friend fall into this
category. Unlike the very, very dis-
turbing corruption in Likud's
process for selecting Knesset can-
didates, the charges about Sharon
smack as much of being a last-
minnte smear campaign as a seri-
ous effort to uncover malfeasance.
It would be easier to
follow this advice if the
Israeli press were doing a
more responsible job of
vigorous and intelligent coverage
instead of the disappointing focus
on poll results, rumors and politi-
cal strategy that has become its
daily diet. Not one voter in four
thinks the press is doing a good
job of covering the issues, accord-
ing to a recent academic survey.
We see strengths and weaknesses
in all the candidates and what
they propose. We commend, for
example, Shinui leader Tommy
Lapid's commitment to religious
pluralism and we like Mitzna's
ability to keep the peace option
alive, because Israel is suffering in
the world's opinion that Israel is
too brutal toward the Palestinians.
And we like the depth of Sharon's
experience as both a military and political leader
who has been able to keep the country generally
unified throughout the terrible intifiida (uprising).
On the other hand, neither Mitzna nor Lapid
has yet demonstrated the scope of leadership that
the country needs while Sharon is never going to
be credible as a negotiator for a lasting, stable rela-
tionship between the Palestinians and the Israelis.
But what we see and feel is beside the point. The
choice belongs to Israelis alone. The strength of
the Mideast's only true democracy has stood the
test many times in the last half century; we have
no reason to think it will fail now. ❑
based social service programs that are troubling to
many of the traditional Democrats who will be
making primary election choices.
We do think, however, that he got it just right when,
announcing his candidacy Monday, Lieberman said he
was convinced that his Judaism would not be
a drawback for voters so much as his religios-
ity would be an advantage. "I'm not running
on my faith," he said, "but it is at the center
of who I am and I'm not going to conceal it."
The senator is likely going to have less of a prob-
lem with religious bigotry than he will with the ques-
tion of whether he can be even-handed in his deal-
ings with Israel and the Arab nations. He is going to
have to face that issue more squarely than he did
Monday when he ducked behind platitudes about the
need for a strong U.S.-Israeli relationship. The issue is
not likely to be a make-or-break one for primary vot-
ers unless Lieberman allows it to be by declining to
speak candidly and thoughtfully about it.
It says a lot about America that a Jewish presiden-
tial candidate now can expect to be judged on his
own political merit. Lieberman has shown a lot of
that merit already, building an impressive record in
the Senate and as a vice presidential candidate who
won a plurality of votes two years ago. As he makes
plain his policies and processes, we are sure it will be
great to have him in the race. ❑
EDIT ORIAL
Related coverage: page 22
BUT IT
LOOKS ol<
AM6RIc A
buit,L NEED
-
14AT HAND
A Candidate For America
mr
e're delighted that Senator Joe
Lieberman is running for president of
the United States and not just because
he is Jewish.
He is intelligent, humane, honest and energetic, just
the characteristics we want in a president.
But he is going to have to prove over the
next 18 months that he would offer the right
policies to strengthen the American econo-
my without ravaging its environment and assure the
national security without trampling individual rights.
He starts as a centrist, with views on issues such as
school vouchers and government support of faith-
EDITO RIAL
Related coverage: page 18
1/17
2003
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