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Five Ways of Looking at the Knesset

Neve Gordon

This is the way the results of the elections are being presented in the Israeli press:

Centre Left BlocRight Bloc

Other, perhaps more accurate ways to present the election results:

LeftBlocRight Bloc

Non-JewsJews

WomenMen

Willing to take the necessary steps for a two-state solution?

Willing Unwilling


Comments


  • 23 January 2013 at 8:47pm
    klhoughton says:
    Sad most about that last. Jewish history (see the tale of living in Egypt that ends with Pesach, crossing a sea of reeds, and forty years of refusing to ask directions) tells us that having a majority population without representation is not sustainable.

    Given the choice between a Jewish state and a Democratic one, I personally would prefer the latter. But we didn't start from there, and an independent Jewish state is hardly a valueless proposition.

    Given that, if the descendants of those who formed Israel and its post-1948 immigrants, wish to retain the former and not abjure the latter, the choices are spin-off ("two-state") or treating non-Jews as equivalent to slaves. I'm not certain either of those is sustainable, but the choice is that of those who see the daily interactions.

    Whether they still believe a decision can be deferred or have made their choice is not clear from the vote, but let us be optimistic for the moment.

  • 23 January 2013 at 10:34pm
    Farbror 77 says:
    In the diagram Non-Jews/Jews, there seems to be 130 members of Knesset, while the others have 120, which is the correct total.