Sharon or No Sharon: Zionism Stays 

When Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, Defense Minister under the right-wing government of Ariel Sharon, announced the withdrawal of his Labor party from the government, it caused anxiety both among protagonists and antagonists of the coalition, that had been ruling the state of Israel for the better part of the past two years. 

Some may be inclined to think, that if Sharon succeeds in creating a new coalition consisting of only right-wing parties, which are generally in favor of expelling the Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza, the chance of a major disaster for the Palestinians will increase. 

Others may be hoping, that his efforts fail, and that new elections might put a different leader in office, with a vision that creates hopes for peace, instead of grim promises of increased violence. Naturally, most peace-loving humans in the world are likely to share this hope, and wish nothing more than to see this man, who has a long history of engaging in terrorism and war-crimes, removed from behind the rudder of the Israeli warship. 

Indeed, his militaristic policies, void of any diplomatic qualities, provide no light at the end of the tunnel, and only promise to plunge the region into years and years of conflict, violence and human tragedy. As obvious as this is, it is still wise to look a little bit further, and consider what other leadership from within Israeli society might offer possibilities for a peaceful resolution of the decade-long conflict. 

Of course, there is the Labor party, with Ben-Eliezer, who has earned points among the Israeli population, on his conduct in managing the Palestinian Intifada. The main reason for this, is that he kept a tight grip on the Palestinian population, forcing them into practically continuous curfews where people are shot at sight, often fatally. It seems that Ben-Eliezers move was aimed at calling new elections, providing him with a chance to make a move forward in his political career. However, it is quite uncertain that he will succeed. 

Although the term Labor party invokes visions of leftist attitudes and convictions, with an emphasis on social equality and attention for the poorer sections of society, in Israels case, this is quite a deceptive conception. Even if Labor ruled Israel, this would have no effect on the main strategy of the Zionist state. Even though outright expulsion of the Palestinians is not topping their list in their current program, the fact that they would be unable to compromise on any of Israels demands any more or less than the Likud government, is essential. There, where it comes to the basic concepts of humanity and its history, that are shaped by Zionism, there is no essential difference in ideology between leftist or rightist Israel, especially where it concerns claims to Palestinian land. 

Labor, the party that has ruled over Israel throughout the largest part of its history, and invaded and occupied parts of Palestine with brutal force, has been one of the main factors in shaping the facts on the ground, that are the root cause of todays difficult situation. 

Since it is Ben-Eliezer himself, from the Labor party, who has been the architect of todays massive onslaught on the Palestinian people, a continuing and bloody suffocation that has been going on for more than two years now, it would be foolish to assume that the Israeli left is in any way more dovish, or peace-loving than the Israeli right. One should not mistake their generally more diplomatic approaches, for genuine recognition of the Palestinian people, including their rights to sovereignty on their own land. When it comes to the blatant infringements on Palestinian lives, lands and human rights, it is Zionism that provides the justification, and in this respect, both Likud and Labor drink from the same well. 

Of course, there are leftist Israelis who are genuinely interested in peace, and who have seen through the fabrications and historical falsifications of Zionism, and who see the Palestinians as their equals. It even seems, that their number is growing, judging from the increasing number of Israeli and Jewish writers and intellectuals, who express distinctly non-Zionist views, and who refrain from applying its racist logic to every political question. Their number among Israeli society may even be larger than estimated, especially among young people, as was clearly illustrated by the courageous actions of the Refuseniks. 

However, as long as these factions of Israeli society, who are, after all, living in a democracy, dont show the political courage to stand up, and unite together with the Arab parties in the Knesset, to form a broad-based network of cooperation, and perhaps even fuse into one big party, it is very unlikely that things will change, and we will continue to be faced with people like Sharon, or one of the many other Sharons, some even leftist, that are standing in line.