Charles Lenchner writes at Peace in the Middle East:
The upcoming elections in Israel will see three parties with the word “green” in the name compete for votes.
The Green Party (Hayerukim) is a Tel-Aviv based municipal party that has run before, but didn’t meet the threshold for getting Knesset seats.
The Green Leaf party (Aleh Yarik) is better known for supporting the legalization of marijuana. They just got a well known comedian who riffs on biblical themes, Gil Kopatch, to stand at the head of its candidate list.
The Green Movement (Hatnua Hayeruka) was founded recently. It is recognized by most Israeli environmental activists and European Green parties as the “real” Green Party, despite being a latecomer. Greens Engage interviewed one of the founders, Dr. Alon Tal.
Dr. Alon Tal is the former chair of Life and Environment, the umbrella group of all Israeli environmental nonprofits.
The Hayerukim party is definitely hawkish and has clashed with the GPUS over its support of equality in treatment between the Israelis and Palestinians by the U.S. in terms of foreign aid.
What are their foreign policy positions? So many of the major leaders in Israel are hawkish.
Aleh Yarok has come very close to the threshold for winning a seat several times. They are a popular protest vote and have some support on the larger college campuses. It would be great to see them get in this time. It will be interesting to see what Alon Tal’s party does. He is fairly well known and respected, and would have had no trouble winning a seat if he had run with a larger party.
Israeli politics in general is very interesting for followers of alternative politics. With one of the lowest thresholds of entrance, the Knesset may be the most representative parliament anywhere, as even the smallest movements can realistically hope of having at least one of their own in office. Sadly, no libertarians though. The libertarians I knew in Israel usually had to choose between the “fiscally conservative” Likud (think Club for Growth Republican) or the “socially liberal” Meretz (think Dennis Kuchinich).