Tzipi, you disappointed me

Had Machiavelli been working as an election strategist in Israel, this is the advice he would offer the candidates: “If you are trailing in the polls, if you have nothing serious to sell, if you are perceived as dull and pale, all you need to do is show contempt to the ultra-Orthodox – preferably to Shas – and in one moment you will activate the secular bitterness gland. It would be sufficient to note that they do not serve in the army, that they are leeches, that they are primitive, that their rabbis are old and bizarre, and there you have it – you will go up in the polls.

"In your television appearances talk about draft-dodging, provide one or two Rabbi Ovadia Yosef quotes, swear that voting for you would block those dark people – in fact, it is the last obstacle between the forces of darkness and forces of light – and you’ll get the job done. The elections are safely in your pocket. Believe me, go for it, it’s been tried and tested, and it works.”

It works, yet it is so repulsive. Livni could have formed a government and headed it, yet she refused to engage in dialogue with Shas, which represents authentic parts of the public. She agreed to accept most of Ehud Barak’s caprices, and it appeared appropriate and legitimate to her, yet she refused to accept Shas’ demands, because she viewed them as an extortion attempt.

Based on her value system, Barak comes from her neighborhood and it is possible to reach a compromise with him, yet Shas is a rival from a different galaxy, and she is unwilling to accommodate it. The fact that Shas’ demands had substance to them and had to do with the support offered to children, in a country where such large percentage of children live below the poverty line, did not make Livni change her mind.

Livni made her choice, and the election campaign got underway as a result. Now, she is using the incitement against Shas as a trump card. After she refused to compromise with it, she is de-legitimizing it. She is turning to us, the voters, and telling us: “Vote for me because I’ll be the toughest vis-à-vis Shas. I hate it just like you do. I already proved how strong I can be when faced with it.” Livni is well familiar with the character of her followers, and therefore she understands that such position is worth many votes at the polls.

To be honest, this is disappointing. To see these conditioned reflexes of Israeli society – overused, tired, repulsive, yet still oh-so-efficient. Those who slam the ultra-Orthodox benefit; those who threaten to divide Jerusalem also benefit. Those who claim that their rivals support the Arabs benefit. How disappointing it is that a candidate like Livni, who I suspected had more to sell, joined this murky wave. Moreover, how disappointing that one can still ride this wave to a medal.