'Only an Arab PM could be seen as an Israeli Obama'
Is there an Israeli equivalent to a young, charismatic leader who will surprise everyone? Experts believe there is no such person in Jewish state right now
Experts claim that those waiting for the "Obama effect" in Israeli politics in the upcoming elections will likely be in for a disappointment. According to them, there is no rising star in Israeli politics at the moment who could turn into a charismatic leader and attract the entire public.
Prof. Sami Samocha from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Haifa University told Ynet, "The Sephardic people in Israel do not resemble the blacks in the United States.
"We do not have a racial problem and a history of slavery. If there's any equivalent to a black president in the State of Israel it would be an Arab prime minister."
According to Samocha, "History would be made if an Arab person is elected to head the State, but this is unlikely. This is a barrier which cannot be overcome as the elected person must be a Zionist in order to head the State, and this exposes him to the Arabs.
"In addition, the question of Israeli Arabs' loyalty to the State still exists, while there is no question whether black people are loyal to the United States. The rifts are extremely different."
Prof. Samocha believes that the fact Israelis have yet to elect a Sephardic prime minister is only by chance, and that no outstanding Sephardic leader can be found today for the same reason no refreshing leader can be found.
"The Israeli society is facing a historic point of leadership decline. In almost all fields, those who are in Israeli politics today are of the lowest levels. It's simply unbelievable. It's hard to point to a prominent Sephardic leader."
'Israel doesn't nurture stars'
Prof. Peter Medding of the Hebrew University's Department of Political Science believes that "the State of Israel is not built up for stars like Obama."
According to Medding, "The Israeli election system is relative and multi-factional and doesn't nurture stars. The American system features a competition between two candidates, and their personality traits are emphasized. This necessarily creates a personification of the candidates. But one cannot be nominated without receiving the party's mandate and without a policy. This isn't a beauty contest or 'A Star is Born'."
He says, however, that there are those attempting to turn Israeli politics into American politics.
"Until the 1980s, the battle was between the parties while the candidates were the parties' delegates. Today this barely exists anymore, and it's unclear what replaced it. In the past, the more successful the party the more successful the candidate was. In other words, the interests were identical and the parties even issued a platform. There was a policy making process.
"During the days of (late Prime Minister Yitzhak) Rabin, the government was still dealing with the previous government's failures and presenting a platform for change. Today this entire process has shrunk into one world, like 'realignment'."
And if there are any rising stars, says Prof. Medding, they quickly disappear, like the Shinui and Dash parties.
"The stars supposedly rise fast, people say they have a bright future and they all disappear. Other examples include (former Labor Chairman) Amram Mitzna and (former Knesset Speaker) Avraham Burg.
"One could say that apart from President Peres, who has been a star for dozens of years, there are no stars in Israel. I don’t see any new group in the horizon which could fill the void left by Shinui, for example.
"The person who flourishes in Israel will be the one who will manage to gather a group of united supporters with the same views and the same message, who can convince the voters that they are such a united group."
Asked whether Shas Chairman Eli Yishai or any other party members could flourish in the upcoming elections, he says, "Shas' potential reservoir of voters is limited."
As for the Likud's young members, "None of them can overshadow Bibi (Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu). They all share his success and ability to lift his party."
