With just under three weeks to go to the Israeli elections, 34 political parties have submitted candidacies to the Central Elections Committee for a place in the next Knesset. That figure isn't a misprint; there really are 34 parties and it is safe to predict that most of them will sink back into oblivion after February 10.
I'm usually quite at good at multi-tasking, but right now I'm still struggling to deal with the aftermath of Israel's latest war to summon enthusiasm for the elections.
At an election meeting this week, Tzipi Livni said she was jealous of the pomp and circumstance that she saw in her weekend visit to Washington ahead of the inauguration of Barack Obama.
History will judge whether President Obama's achievements will match his words, but as I watched his inaugural address yesterday I also felt jealous. Despite the tremendous difficulties that the U.S faces at home and abroad, the sense of hope that the new president engenders in Americans is palpable. How I envy that feeling of hope.
Not one of the candidates in the 34 parties is offering Israelis genuine hope of a better future. The smaller parties represent narrow interests, and the major ones merely offer more of the same.
Is there really no other way?
These words from President Obama’s address resonate with me the most: "...power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. ...our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint."
We would do well in Israel to take these words on board. The party that is led by a person who offers me even a flicker of hope for realistic, positive change, and who exhibits even the slightest sense of humility (something that is sorely lacking round these parts), will get my vote. With less than three weeks to go, and with 34 possible choices, I have yet to find that party.
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