21 - 27 December 2000
Issue No.513
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 21 - 27 December 2000 Issue No.513 |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
Israel on the edge
By Abdel-Alim Mohamed *
It may seem to be a mere political stumbling block, but the crisis now besetting Israel is long-term and wide-ranging, affecting society and even the existence of the state itself. The determined negation of any Palestinian social or political dimension to what Israel geographically demarcates is a theme to which not only Arabs will return. Written into the very definition of the "nation," this essential flaw has a part to play in the present crisis.
At the political level, the problem is easily stated. Since 1992, major Israeli parties have had to pander to minority parties in order to stay in power for any period of time, while the minority parties have blackmailed the major parties into compromising their positions on various issues. No single political orientation has been given a chance. In an attempt to reduce the influence of minority parties, the law was modified in 1992 to separate the election of the prime minister from that of the Knesset constituency. Yet this development only resulted in greater political dissipation and indecision, the number of political blocs rising rapidly from 10 in 1992 to 16 in 1999.
It was the influence of the major parties that was ultimately reduced, increasing their dependence on minority parties. Whether or not to abolish the modification and go back to the old system is currently being debated. And in light of these circumstances, it is only natural that no third party (the two players in Israel's bipolar political game being Likud and Labour) has emerged. Such a third pole might have opened up new horizons for the Palestinian question -- perhaps even a resolution of the apparently endless conflict.
*This week's Soapbox speaker is assistant director of the Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies.
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