Tea Party Brews in Israel, Prompted by Concerns About Obama
Thursday, October 28, 2010
By
Patrick Goodenough
Logo of Israel's nascent Tea Party. The text reads "At the Likud's Tea Party, we say 'no' to Obama."
(CNSNews.com) – Stand by for the kosher tea party.
Inspired by the movement that is roiling politics in the United States this election season, conservative Israeli lawmakers plan to launch an Israeli version at the weekend, with their sights set firmly on President Obama.
The initiative is being driven by Michael Kleiner, a veteran legislator who split from the ruling Likud Party during Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu previous term. He now heads a small nationalist party to the right of the Likud.
Sunday’s rally in Tel Aviv is headlined “Say no to Obama,” signaling the view held by many Israeli conservatives that the president is placing undue pressure on Netanyahu to make concessions in negotiations that are not in Israel’s national interest.
Their immediate concern is that Netanyahu will agree to U.S. calls to renew a recently-expired, 10-month freeze on construction work in Israeli settlements in the disputed “West Bank.”
More than 300,000 Israelis live in the communities, which range from small hamlets to towns with populations exceeding 30,000.
The Palestinian Authority (P.A.) says that as long as building continues in settlements, it will not return to direct talks with the Israelis. P.A. leaders are also considering the option of pursuing a United Nations resolution establishing a Palestinian state unilaterally.
Adding to domestic pressure on Netanyahu, at least three sitting Likud lawmakers plan to take part in Sunday’s rally, Israeli media report.
The organizers’ stated goals are ambitious.
“We seek to change the political debate in Israel, to change the public’s worldview about what can and cannot be done to end the conflict,” they say in a statement posted on a Hebrew-language Facebook page set up to promote the initiative.
Talk about the need for negotiation arises from “inertia and habit,” rather than from a real political need or Israeli interest, the statement says.
Noting the U.S. Tea Party’s opposition to the Obama administration, it says the Israeli movement will aim to prevent “surrender” to Obama’s pressure.
It is time for Israelis to stop feeling helpless in the face of pressure from Obama and the European Union, and to redefine the Israeli national interest, “with heads held high and without fear,” the statement says.
The organizers are inviting “people who are our cup of tea every city and every community across the country” to join forces and host events.
Tea party movements have emerged in
several other countries this year, including versions in Italy, Australia, the Netherlands and Britain.
Kosher Tea Party?
