Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is attempting to form a new government in the wake of the resignation of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert over a corruption scandal and following her win in the Kadima Party elections.
Livni’s apathy toward
the important social and feminist struggles represents poor credentials for one
who wants to lead such a polarized and divided country.
The
election of Livni as the chairperson of Kadima and her entry into the position
of Prime Minister is big news for Livni and those close to her. However, this
is not big news for the public of women in Israel, or for those who support an
end to rule over the Palestinians. Livni’s apathy toward the important social
and feminist struggles represents poor credentials for one who wants to lead
such a polarized and divided country. Even in the political sphere, because of
which she wanted to be Prime Minister, it does not appear that she possesses a
coherent and comprehensive world view.
For
several long months, a storm raged in Israel around the sexual violence
of President Moshe Katsav and Justice Minister Haim Ramon. The legal and social
discussion flooded the public discourse with a range of important social
issues, particularly the understanding that the male, patriarchal regime, both
in the government and in the home, possesses a strong element of harming the
security of women. A widespread but generally hushed danger. Even if Livni
knows that every third woman in Israel
undergoes sexual assault, her silence about the aforementioned incidents sends
a message of cooperation with the existing order. Therefore, she is no big news
for the women of Israel.
The
burning topic for Livni (and she mentions this explicitly) and the reason for
which she wants to be Prime Minister is the political sphere. However, also in
this area her contribution is unclear. She is the one who calls for attacking Gaza in the wake of every
violation of the calm. A reaction such as this will immediately result in
escalation and mutual attacks, and will eliminate the tahadiya. In the
matter of Syria
she predicates negotiations on exactly the things which are meant to be the
results of negotiations: cessation of Syrian support for the Hizbullah and
Hamas.
Livni
promises to protect the interests of Israel vis-à-vis the Palestinians. This
is indeed the heritage of Sharon: security,
settlements and parts of East Jerusalem for Israel. And the Palestinians should
make due with a tiny country – divided, economically crushed, densely populated
with its own population and the hundreds of thousands of refugees who will be
allowed back into its territory.
The
fact that Livni is a woman does not automatically guarantee different politics or
policies. Her moderate image is not a replacement for true vision. The
ideological vacuum that she brings with her to the job will be quickly filled
by the generals and their war drums, together with the boys of the treasury who
will demand budget cuts and privatization.
Adi
Dagan is the spokesperson for the Coalition of Women for Peace.
This article originally appeared on the Israeli online news source Ynet. It was
translated from Hebrew by the Alternative Information Center.
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