Israeli General Election (2nd of March, 2020): Madness

[Former President tack50]

Peretz's collection of failed moves led to Jewish Home being the weakest part of the union with just one realistic spot on the combined list.

Which means basically the death of Mafdal.

The Labour-Meretz list have Ruth Dayan (aged 102) the wife of, and Yael Dayan (the daughter of) in places 107-108. one represents Meretz the other Labour. The also have Yossi Beilin from Meretz and his son Gil from Labour. this is truly a family reunion. I was mainly shocked Ruth was still alive

Labor has a list up to 120, that's news to me.

Dream big.

Seriously, though. Imagine being no. 100 on the list of a party that is reaching hard to get 9 or 10 seats. Should you be honored or offended about being there?

No idea about Israel, but here the very last spot is sometimes used as a way for "honorary" candidates to appear on the ballot symbolically while not getting elected.

For example the mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, appeared 36/36 on Podemos' list for Barcelona in the last election.

This is not all that common but it sometimes happens

[Former President tack50]

At this rate can't wait for a Joint List majority government some time around 2045 after the 35th Israeli election in a row

[Former President tack50]

Wait, Netanyahu announces, you're looking at this all wrong. I did win, and I won big. My bloc got 58 seats and Gantz only got 47. That's a solid majority of the Knesset. What about the Joint List, you ask. "The terror supporters aren't in the picture." They don't count. 

He said the same thing in September, of course. Which only helped create the historic result for the Joint List two nights ago. And it is clear that in the hate-filled little world of the Israeli far right it really would be a better, more pristine country if Arab votes didn't count. But Arab Israelis know better than that. They know that, at least for now, an Arab vote is as good as a Jewish one, and that only by staying homr on election day can that core democratic reality be done away with. So they voted. They voted, in many places, at a 70 to 80 percent turnout. They earned their chosen party three extra mandates--the exact number Bibi's phantom majority is missing. Of course Bibi is trying to delegitimize their achievement, then. After all, if Gantz and his allies have the courage to honor the mandate given by voters, that achievement will be Netanyahu's political death. That those most responsible for his fall will he those he spent a career anathemizing will be one of the sweetest and most hopeful moments in this country's short history.

The future in Israel is too often marked by the shadowy gloom of conflict and injustice. This, though, is an unmistakeable bright spot. A very small one, but it gives just enough light to see a more cooperative, hopeful future based on building bridges rather than walls.

I mean, if Netanyahu's bloc got an actual majority is it that big of a stretch to imagine them drafting a bill to outlaw the Joint List? (or at least parts of it)

Especially considering Israel's current law already outlaws non-Zionist parties if I remember correctly, even if that part is not exactly enforced.

[Former President tack50]

Bans of that sort are rarely effective in the long run, as well as being anti-democratic.

Anti-democratic? Normally yeah, though I can see arguments for terrorists and what not; but the Joint List does not fulfill this criteria. Very hypothetically, a party that would fulfill it would be for example if Hezbollah ran candidates in Israel (somehow).

Ineffective? Depends on how well enforced they are. Israel already bans such parties on paper, they just don't enforce it.

In any case, it would be up to the Israeli courts and the Israeli government to enforce such a ban. A Netanyahu majority government would certainly be ruthless on that area so no problems there. So it would be up to the courts.

Of course, its effectiveness also depends on how wide-reaching it is and how do Arabs react.

A ban that say, leaves Hadash legal (but not the other JL Parties) and Arabs react by just voting for them would be essencially meaningless, accounting to just a couple seats less. Or if say, Arabs just moved to Labor as the lesser evil.

A completely ruthless ban that leaves no anti-Zionist or even ambiguous parties whatsoever and with arabs reacting by staying home and spoiling their ballots would be extremely effective.

[Former President tack50]

Since I mentioned banning the Joint List as a possible way for Netanyahu to "start rigging elections", here is one for Gantz to do the same: Mandatory voting.

If liberals in Tel Aviv and Arabs are forced to go to the polls under threat of fines that will raise their turnout, while it seems the right wing base (or at least the Haredi) will turn out no matter what; so mandatory voting should mean a left+Arabs majority.

Of course, mandatory voting is infinitely more democratic than banning the Joint list

[Former President tack50]

Since I mentioned banning the Joint List as a possible way for Netanyahu to "start rigging elections", here is one for Gantz to do the same: Mandatory voting.

If liberals in Tel Aviv and Arabs are forced to go to the polls under threat of fines that will raise their turnout, while it seems the right wing base (or at least the Haredi) will turn out no matter what; so mandatory voting should mean a left+Arabs majority.

Of course, mandatory voting is infinitely more democratic than banning the Joint list

Another way to 'rig' the polls would be to allow for mail voting, since a lot of Liberal israelis have vacated for the US. However, I suspect these things are two steps ahead of where Gantz is thinking right now.

Would those Israeli citizens living in the US turn out to vote though? Allowing Israelis abroad to vote would definitely help the left as well I imagine, though turnout among "X abroad" is usually low from what I can tell.

Tbh allowing mail voting is indeed something Israel should actually pursue.