| The Unholy Alliance: Labor in a Likud-Led Government
By Hanan Ashrawi
MIFTAH, Jerusalem, February 27, 2001
On February 26, 2001, Israeli Labor Party's Central Committee voted by atwo-third's majority to join a "unity" government under the leadership ofLikud's Ariel Sharon. Despite serious reservations and outright dissent by such Labor leaders asShlomo Ben-Ami, Yossi Beilin, Abraham Burg (among others), it appears thatIsrael's "moderate" forces (let alone "peace camp") have opted for theirdocile cooption and self-negation. Having accepted a "junior partner" role in Sharon's right-wing government,Labor has abandoned any claims to a "higher moral ground" and has becomecomplicit in Sharon's blood-drenched past and warmongering present. By joining forces with such unlikely partners as Avigdor Lieberman andRahba'am Ze'evi, Labor has indirectly given a "green light" to thepolitics of hate, violence, and racism. hôtels LeedsThus it presented Sharon and his crew with the badly needed fig leaf topresent themselves before the world as "presentable" within civilizedsociety. Extremism has therefore become an acceptable norm. cheap hotels in TurinShimon Peres, no less, has been selected (or has self-elected) to do thedry-cleaning job as foreign minister in a government that does not bodewell for Israel, the region, or for peace as a whole. Just as lethal is the notion of appointing a Labor minister of defense tocarry out the "dirty work" of the Sharon government. Forming close to one-third of this right-wing government, Labor has thusbeen recruited as apologists for the opposition and an instrument of itsrepression -a role no self respecting "moderate" party would havecontemplated, let alone fought for. hoteles SorrentoThe Israeli public thus finds itself instantly deprived of an honest andactive opposition to seek as an alternative or as a corrective force whenthe extremists go on the rampage or wreak havoc within Israel society andthe region. Estadia en Hoteles WaterfordDemocracy in Israel has been dealt yet another blow by those who hadclaimed to be its most vociferous proponents. Peace has been dealt a fatal blow by those who had claimed to seek it. The real question is whether this is the true face of Labor or anotherdepth to which it had plummeted. Having built more settlements than any previous government, and havingresorted to more bloodshed and brutality against the Palestinians than anyother right- or left-wing party, labor is now crowning its "achievements"with this unholy (though not entirely surprising) alliance. As had been the case with all Likud-led coalition governments, the leftwill be marginalized or neutralized and the whole political discourse willshift to the right. The "consensus" position will be formulated by the extreme political rightin conjunction with the fundamentalist religious elements, but will gain ahearing as articulated by the "left." Those who claim that such an alliance will curb the right wing and savethe prospects for peace are, at best, guilty of self-delusion. At worst,they have placed their personal self-interest above those lofty objectivesthat they claim to serve. By pretending to snatch "peace" from the jaws of war (or the Sharon gang),Labor apologists had better remember that even in their own policies theyhad failed to meet the minimal requirements of a just peace. By joiningforces with an even more hard-line government, they are making peace allthat more unattainable while glossing over the destructive agenda of theirpartners. A cosmetic Labor might be more delusional than a party suffering from theintoxication of power.It might contribute to the longevity of this right wing government, but itwill simultaneously fragment its own ranks.Perhaps this is what Labor really needs-a painful opportunity to put itsown house in order by sifting its own membership and reformulating itsfuture policies.As Palestinians, we have never suffered from the illusion that Labor isGod's gift to peace or is a Palestinian ally. However, a "peace engagement" could have served to educate the peace campin Israel and to raise its awareness of the requirements of a genuinepeace, thus shedding its preconceived and inherited notions of an imposedpeace by dictat or coercion. Having missed this opportunity, Labor resorted to the harshest punitivemeasures and the most violent means of repression, while indulging in awillful exercise of blaming the victim and Palestinian bashing.Instead of drawing the proper conclusions, Labor embraced Likud and optedfor further schizophrenic politics. Perhaps the time has come for Labor to look within, to indulge in agenuine exercise of self-examination, and even to fragment in order toregroup on a clear and sound peace policy.Perhaps the current opportunism and loss of bearings is a necessary steptowards a more honest reformulation-liberated from the legacy ofoccupation and patronizing domination. Ultimately, the panic of the Israeli public will subside, and (it ishoped) more rational minds will prevail once the dust settles and theyrealize the futility of maintaining occupation and seeking security or ofnegating Palestinian rights and seeking peace.When that happens, maybe there will be a few honest and brave individualswho will present themselves as genuine candidates for a real peace camp. Until then, we can only hope that this unholy alliance will not doirreparable damage to the chances of peace within both Israel andPalestine. Back to Articles & Essays | 
