There is something uplifting in witnessing the downfall of the Meretz party, which may not even pass the electoral threshold in November 1 national ballot, if pre-election polls are to be believed.
This is not to say I rejoice in failures of others, but rather take pleasure that comes with understanding that Israeli voters have grown tired of the far-left rhetoric that Meretz and event the Labor Party have been promoting.
In fact, all of their present and former voters still aspire to a two-state solution with the Palestinians, as do a third of right-wing voters. Voters past and present of Meretz and Labor remain proponents of democracy, free speech and an independent judiciary.
But, for the past two decades the two parties have adopted more extreme views and their voters are moving towards the political center, even if it sometimes has right-wing components.
Zehava Galon was elected the leader of the Meretz party on Tuesday after beating Deputy Economy Minister Yair Golan with 60% of the vote, four years after stepping down from the dovish faction's top job.
During the two candidates' election campaign, it seems the pair made every possible effort to push its voters even further away.
Golan began his campaign while still in uniform as IDF deputy chief of staff, in a Holocaust Memorial Day speech, where he compared the changes in Israeli discourse and society in 2016 to those seen in Europe in general, and in Germany in particular, during the 1930s. That speech is often quoted by those demonizing the Left.
He is not entirely wrong and some processes occurring in Israel must be cautioned against, but you would be hard pressed to find another Western leader who would say such words, especially while in uniform and on the day that Israelis remember the victims of the Nazi atrocities.
Golan did not stop there, and has since said that the IDF is no longer Israel's Defense Force, but "army of occupation." One might wonder why a person who holds such views would invest in such a long and distinguished career in the armed forces.
Galon, for her part, is less a manifestation of Meretz and more of a link with the communist Hadash party, a member of the predominately Arab Joint List alliance. It is no coincidence that some of the signatories of the letter supporting Galon, published last Friday, were Hadash members and supporters of the boycott movement against Israel.
Galon enjoys the support, not so much of Meretz voters, but of those on the far-left who view themselves as anti-Zionists.
There is no denying that there are fascist elements in the Israeli Right, but she is an example of fascism of the Left.
In a recent editorial for Haaretz newspaper, Galon called right-wing activists "subhuman" and threatened to "deal with their fascism the same way the original fascists had been dealt with."
She then claimed her strong words were written because "we have principles of equality, love of humanity, freedom and fraternity." What is interesting is that this "amazing" article was titled: "The political center is undermining itself." The center is undermining itself? Really?
There are many more examples of both the Labor and Meretz parties' movement to the far-left. Former Meretz leader and Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz once supported the prosecution of Israelis in the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague.
What has become evident is that left-wing Zionist voters have had enough. They are not only left-leaning in their politics. They are also Zionists and that is why they are finding that centrist candidates represent them much better.
The days when the Labor Party was winning 46 seats Knesset seats are long gone. Voters who were moderate then, have not budged but their party has, and the party is paying for it with a loss of Knesset seats.
The Israeli public, unlike some of its political leadership, aspires to a negotiated end to the conflict with the Palestinians, but will not concede on matters of national security.
Therefore, talks of polarization in Israeli society is contradicted by polling that shows a growing support for moderate policies and a diminishing voter base for those on the extreme left.
The political and social trends and changes on the right are a different story, which deserves a separate editorial.