Save the Labor Party

There’s a story about Golda Meir once sitting down for a conversation with Yaakov Shimshon Shapira, among the veterans and founders of Mapai, the Labor Party’s predecessor. Golda, who was a great cynic, discussed with Shapira the question of “Mapai’s young members” who wanted to replace the “old-timers.”

“Oy,” sighed Golda. “Oy, Yaakov. What will we do after all those young people die?”

Almost all of those who at the time were referred to as Mapai’s young guard died since then – yet only Shimon Peres, who is like none other, shows us the way to this day. To paraphrase Golda’s question, today we can ask: What will we do after the Labor Party dies?

One does not need to be a member of Labor in order to appreciate and cherish the party’s role in establishing the state and shaping its character, and moreover, to realize that two large parties (even though today Labor is the third largest) are the essence of democracy. Without them, we won’t have a proper political life.

You want a reminder? When Mapai was almost a dictatorial ruler, in the early years of the state, it’s hard to say we were the epitome of democracy. The opposite is true.

On Wednesday, the Labor party is holding a convention. It’s a sick party, emaciated, and suffering from high fever and vomiting. On the convention’s agenda we see several controversial clauses regarding the management of the party, while all the rivals fail to see that soon enough they will have nothing to manage. Anyone who brings such clauses up for discussion at this time is an idiot (and I really don’t know who that is.)

Emergency call-up

On the convention’s agenda today should be only one clause: Self-inspection and reconciliation. Try, time and again, to bring all the rivals to sit around the table, find the common denominator, and realize that there is no other way.

Today, the Labor Party mostly needs to be saved from itself and its functionaries. Everyone is in dispute, and therefore there is almost no chance that anything good will come out of the current leadership. At this time, this leadership comprises people who are only interested in their personal wellbeing.

As a large part of the rivals and bitter enemies view themselves, in their own eyes at least, as future leaders (of what?), there is no possibility of entrusting the task of reconciliation in their hands. Therefore, embarking on a new road is a mission reserved for the old-time leaders.

If there is still some sense in the heads of the various party members, they need to issue an emergency call-up, today, and bring back past leaders: David Libai, Avraham Shochat, Ora Namir, Moshe Shahal, and others, and form an “emergency council” that would propose a new way and partnership for all.

Instead of the nonsense this historic party is about to collapse over, the old-timers should rise up and extract the party from the ruins.

And here is where we ask, like Golda did: What will we do after the young ones die?