News bytes 24 days before Israel’s elections – the Green Movement-Meimad hit the blogosphere

Green Movement-Meimad Open Election Event

While politicians are still debating whether or not Israel’s elections will be held on time, and the mood in Israel is still shadowed by the ongoing conflict in Gaza and southern Israel, the Green Movement-Meimad is continuing to reach out to the Israeli public.  The party’s election event will be this coming Sunday at the Convention Center in Ramat Aviv.  Everyone is invited to attend and meet the party’s candidates, activists and supporters and transportation is available from all over Israel.  Sunday, 18 January, 18:30, Ramat Aviv Convention Center (גני התערוכה), Purple Prime hall.

A new party without huge cash reserves or support from vested business interests, we’re depending on the good work and will of hundreds of activists and thousands of supporters.  One excellent source of support and inspiration (an Obama-esque source) is the blogosphere.  Three in the blogosphere who have weighed in with a positive take on the Green Movement-Meimad party are author/journalist/blogger (South Jerusalem)  Haim Watzman, Jewish Climate Initiative blogger Yannai Kranzler, and teacher/writer/blogger/activist Elana Sztokman.

In her blog, “For serious Jewish women,” Sztokman interviews Professor Alon Tal and writes:

IGM-Meimad: Uniting rather than polarizing

The overlap between environment, education, and social justice creates a powerful and inspired platform – all in the name of Judaism. “We’re talking about ‘nutritional security’,” says Tal. “We want to bring compassion back, a certain type of internal harmony, a community that has a strong sense of social justice.” And this requires political activism.

The new party, the only party running whose list is exactly 50-50 men and women, reflects the pluralism and wholesomeness of its message. “What I like about this merge is how it blends secular, young Jews and mostly religious or traditional Jews,” Tal emotes. “We were so excited about a partnership with this party, even though they had a rabbi with a black suit on as their head and the people in our party were much more secular – because we thought that was something as a statement of sorts. It was good for the country. All the polarization that exists in Israeli society is fabricated by larger parties and manipulated by them. While in fact, on the key day-to-day issues, we don’t have any problems, and we have the same visions.”

The rest of Sztokman’s wonderful interview is here.  Watzman’s piece (which prophesied the merger of the Green Movement and Meimad) is on Jewcy, here, and Kranzler’s supportive piece is here.  We appreciate all three bloggers and their efforts to bring about a social-environmental revolution in Israel.

A good start: 1 in 6 residents in my apartment block explicitly support the Green Movement-Meimad!

On our way to the Israel Green Movement primaries!

Invitation to the green celebration and primaries

First and foremost: Green Movement Celebration and Primaries – all the public is invited for the celebration, members invited to vote.  So come to the Kibbutz Seminar Center in Ramat Aviv this Friday, at 8:45 through the afternoon to celebrate with us.  If you are a voting member, candidate profiles in Hebrew are here.  About 10 of the candidates are also profiled in English on our site.

Otherwise, so much to report – The Green Movement is involved in several environmental campaigns, two new writers have joined our blog, new Facebook groups – including one in English for locals and one for Israel Green Movement friends abroad, and several articles covering our press conference yesterday (one in English here and one in Hebrew here, with video coverage of Eran Ben Yemini and Alon Tal at the press conference).  But, alas, I have my day job to worry about and the primaries are coming up, so I can’t write more now.

When I get back, I’ll report on the results of the primaries and we’ll get many more items of interest up on the blog.  So, more soon and here’s to a greener, more economically and socially just Israel!

Our IGM candidates

Israel Green Movement and the elections – running independently

The Israel Green Movement – with 900 card-carrying members and growing – has been approached by a number of parties to join with them in their race for Knesset.  The most serious of these offers – from the new social-democratic party in formation (including Meretz, ex-Laborites and social activists) was turned down by the IGM membership in a vote of 22-74.  Yossi Abramowitz, who is running for the IGM list, covered the event on his blog here.  Unfortunately, I can’t cover the issues that were raised, as I didn’t attend, but I will link to the discussions around the event as they come up.

In the meantime, more excellent reading material from Greenprophet.com, who interviewed our spokesperson, Rami Livni, here.

And while you’re reading, here’s my newest piece – this time in the Providence Journal – on my impressions from the first Middle East Biodiversity Congress last month in Aqaba.  I include it because I argue, once again, that our environmental problems are grounded in more systemic problems of inequity, war, misplaced values, and demographic and economic issues.

The causes of our biodiversity crisis, like the causes of many of our global environmental problems, are rooted in broad, systemic problems: Wars, military training and arms races in the Middle East directly degrade the natural environment, but also insidiously distract us and divert our limited economic and political resources, from not only caring for our natural heritage, but for people as well. The gospel of economic growth churns up ecosystem after ecosystem, and with them some of the most beautiful natural assets that the Earth has to offer and a source of wonder to people. Population growth places increasing stress on hydrological systems and land reserves that must continue to provide raw materials, food, water and space to an ever-growing population.

A significantly different shade of green

While many, many of Israel’s seasoned environmental activists, scholars and sympathizers have already joined up with the Israel Green Movement, I have been asked more than once why Israel needs another Green Party.  The question is flawed.  Israel has, until now, had a Green Party in name only.  Ha’aratz environmental writer Zafrir Rinat points this out in today’s Haaretz.  It is important to note that Rinat has been on the environmental beat for more than ten years and he knows the Israeli environmental scene inside and out.  Rinat writes of the Green Party (the other guys – not us):

To this day, the party lacks any democratic setup and its worldview is worryingly narrow. It almost ignores social and political aspects pertaining to Israeli society…

What most characterized the party to date has been its efficient use of the “green” label that has become a hot commodity in recent years. Also, it attributes many far-fetched environmental accomplishments to itself in order to gain public support.

However, most of these accomplishments in the field – reducing pollution and preventing construction in open areas – are the product of hard work by non-governmental organizations. With the exception of a few local achievements in Herzliya and Tel Aviv, the Greens have had almost no influence on environmental issues on the national level. The party can claim that the election of its members to the Knesset will help it gain influence, but the fact that it has already self-ascribed other environmental achievements does not help its political credit.

The article is here.  While that says it quite clearly, I’ve conveyed to my friends a more personal interpretation of the situation:

Many of the Green Party founders and leaders were politicians looking for a cause.  The Israel Green Movement is made up of leaders from the environmental movement who decided that politics would be the best way to move the environmental agenda forward.  This is reflected in the platforms - the Green Party never has seemed to have a comprehensive world view.  Bike paths and cell phone antennas (prominent issues in their past campaigns) are important, but we need economic and social policies as well – environmental problems arise from a world view and behaviors that harm both the environment and society.  The Israel Green Movement has published a detailed vision and is working intensively on a detailed issue-oriented platform that encompass a social-environmental world view and relates to economic policy, the peace process, land use policy, education, social welfare and many other issues.  Indeed, will be no niche-specific party.

This doesn’t mean that there aren’t good people in the Israel Green Party – but as a whole, they never attracted the rank-and-file environmental activists because something is missing.  They never attracted a wide constituency because they are a niche-specific party.

I think if those in the Green Party with a social-environmental world view compare their party with the Israel Green Movement, they will “come home” to us.  I don’t want to see a split in the vote as it harms everyone interested in promoting social justice, economic equity and environmental progress, but continuing with a Green Party that doesn’t really “get it” will also not bring about the real changes we need in Israel (and the world).

The Israel Green Movement – Becoming a Political Party!

Its official!  The Green Movement will be making a bid for the Knesset.  The Jerusalem Post reports:

The Green Movement transformed into a political party this week ahead of national elections scheduled for February.

For the whole (short) article, click here.

Obviously, we’ll be reporting here any developments as soon as they surface.  But I can’t emphasize enough – now is the time to join if you’d like to influence the future direction of the party of the Israel Green Movement.

Some green political news from Israel

A couple quick links from the recent press in Israel.

Rachel Azaria – running for Jerusalem city council with the Hitorerut-Yerushalmim party - explains in a Ha’aretz Op-Ed why the winner of the race for mayor of Jerusalem will need a social-environmental party in city council to “keep him honest.”  She writes that in the context of two candidates with narrow political agendas:

“the second ballot – for city council – in the municipal election becomes all the more crucial, offering residents the opportunity to vote not solely on the basis of religious leanings, but according to the agenda presented by the various lists and the quality of the people running on those lists. Whoever becomes mayor will need to assemble a coalition, and voting for a list that reflects one’s values and concerns should help to guarantee that someone is keeping an eye on his actions and influencing policy.”

For the full op-ed, click here.

In other news, the Alon Tal gives a sneak peak to the Jerusalem Post of what’s going on in the Israel Green Movement, from running candidates in municipal election to the proclamation of a new political party at the national level.

“According to Tal, there are five elements that must characterize any green party:

• Transparency
• democratic norms
• professionalism
• a broad agenda, rather than a niche one
• leaders with proven records”

Indeed!  For the full article, click here.

Getting you up to date – some media on the Israel Green Movement

The Israel Green Movement is still in the process of formation.  However, it has already gotten quite a bit of media exposure.  Here are some links to articles in the Jerusalem Post, Haaretz and Globes (in Hebrew).  Just to get you up to speed on where things stand.  These articles over-focus on comparing the IGM to the Israel Green Party.  Not the same thing.  I’ll elaborate soon.