Emanuel Shilo, 'Besheva' Editor in Chief
Emanuel Shilo is Editor-in-Chief of the popular, rightist Hebrew language weekly newspaper "Besheva", read by hundreds of thousands of Israelis.Blue and White has warned that the Likud is endangering democracy by not acceding to its demands.
There is no party as democratic as the Likud in Israel's entire political system.
Yair Lapid created a political party for himself, called it Yesh Atid, and appointed himself its chairman, with no elections and no census of party members. The party's constitution states that the chairman of the party chooses its list for the Knesset – and you know who that is. Lapid and Lapid alone. He chooses the MKs he wants and gets rid of them like pawns on a chessboard (just in case you wondered where Dr. Aliza Lavie disappeared to and whatever happened to Dr. Ruth Calderon, both of whom were not on this election's party lists).
When Lapid's party was first formed, before the elections for the 19th Knesset, its constitution stated that his position as party head would be ensured up until the end of the 20th Knesset's tenure, which would be followed by party elections. However, Lapid the great democrat made sure to change the constitution repeatedly so as to extend his term as party chairman without elections taking place, and today has guaranteed himself chairmanship of the "Yesh Atid" party until the end of the 25th Knesset!
Blue and White head Benny Gantz was not chosen to be the chairman of his party by means of a democratic process either, nor was Bogey Ya'alon. They each established political parties for themselves and appointed themselves as chairmen, then decided the makeup of the party's Knesset list as well. When Blue and Whtie MKs Yoaz Hendel and Tzvika Hauser insisted on remaining faithful to a minimal level of Zionist tenets and to the promises made to voters during the election period, they were threatened with being dropped from the party list in the coming elections.
The only present party chairman chosen by means of primaries, after winning over Gideon Sa'ar by a large majority, is Binyamin Netanyahu.
Avigdor Liberman is the eternal head of his Yisrael Beytenu party, and there is not the slightest chance of running against him. He, too, chooses the party's Knesset list and drops people off that list at will, with a wave of his hand, and without a murmur of protest from the ranks.
In the haredi parties, the makeup of the party lists is chosen in negotiations between the different sectors, haredi rabbis and hassidic courts. There is no democratic process involved in forming the list and in choosing the party head.
For the past several years, the Religious Zionists have not held primaries and there is no real democratic process. The Knesset list is chosen by a Central Committee which is appointed and not democratically voted in.
The only present party chairman chosen by means of primaries, after winning over Gideon Sa'ar by a large majority, is Binyamin Netanyahu.
The only party list chosen by tens of thousands of voters, Likud members who take part in primaries, rather than by one leader's decisions or closed room negotiations, is that of the Likud.
And then leftist Mks Yair Lapid, Ofer Shelach and their yes-men in the media tell us that Netanyahu is a dictator and that Likud voters simply do not understand the essence of democracy. If it were not tragic, we could laugh.
This article is the translation of a Hebrew facebook post which went viral. The writer, Emanuel Shilo is editor-in-chief of the Besheva weekly newspaper.
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