Arabs watching the Israeli elections
Netanyahu on Al-Jazeera (screen capture) I spent a good part of yesterday afternoon watching al-Jazeera’s coverage of the Israeli elections. I’ve also been reading editorial commentary and news coverage from across the Arab world. I’d like to be able to say that Arabs are on the edge of their seats awaiting the outcome. ...
Netanyahu on Al-Jazeera (screen capture)
I spent a good part of yesterday afternoon watching al-Jazeera’s coverage of the Israeli elections. I’ve also been reading editorial commentary and news coverage from across the Arab world. I’d like to be able to say that Arabs are on the edge of their seats awaiting the outcome. But that’s not what I’m seeing. For the most part, the elections are seen as a choice between bad (Livni) and worse (Netanyahu) with Lieberman the “real” emerging face of Israel. This isn’t like 1996, when the choice between Peres and Netanyahu seemed stark and urgent. Today, they survey the wreckage of Gaza and see little reason for hope regardless of the outcome. Whoever wins the election, argues the journalist Mustafa Zayn in al-Hayat, the true winner will be Ze’ev Jabotinski and his doctrine of the “Iron Wall.”
The skepticism bridges today’s great divide in Arab politics. There’s little difference between the