Something I've been wondering while trying to follow the upcoming Israeli election: where is the discussion of energy and environmental issues? Is there no politician focused on this arena? Are the Israelis lacking an 'Ozone Man'?
I began my investigation by checking out the Likud party - the party currently in power, who is also expected to at least retain the Prime Minister position. The bulk of Likud's platform is dedicated to Israel's security, with some ideas for economic and social concerns at the bottom of the list. If the current front-runner for the Prime Minister position, along with the bulk of seats in the Knesset, doesn't mention anything about the environment or energy - can it really be a priority for any of the parties?
Next, I tried to cast a wide net to see where the other major parties stand. The Jerusalem Post has a handy quiz to help you figure out which party is most in line with your values. It's worth noting that not one of the 30 questions asked relates in any way to the environment. There are a few questions regarding social and economic concerns in the society. Ultimately, it seems that the environment isn't anyone's radar.
Professor Adi Wolfson, of the Shamoon College of Engineering Green Processes Center recently explained the silence to the fact that there are no disagreements. The idea being if everyone agrees, what is there to discuss? Professor Wolfson further reckons another, and perhaps more important reason it's not discussed: because voters don't really care. Whether the public doesn't care because too much of their energy is spent on security concerns or due to a culture that just doesn't place value on these ideas, we can hopefully explore at a later time.
Much to my delight, I eventually found that there is one party that explicitly promotes the need for an environmental blueprint for Israel - Tzippi Livni's Hatunah party. Ms. Livini had previously helped to start the Kadima party in 2005, but left it last year. Her new party joined forces with the Green Movement Party and, unsurprisingly, its platform focuses on the environment.
While it can be expected that the Green Movement would advocate sustainability, Ms. Livni's motivation seems to be from a more traditional political perspective: how her platform will create jobs, improve constituent quality of life, and strengthen Israel's energy independence. These don't need to be niche values only taken up by one party. Anyone serious about the welfare of the State of Israel and its people have no excuse not to include these points in their own party's platform.
I find it interesting because in my experience, Israelis are on the whole more aware of the environment than any other country I've lived or traveled. Because things like water happened to be tied up with politics, I just have found that Israelis are very in tune with their resources. I'm wondering why then it isn't more at the forefront. Maybe because its not really considered something that gains votes politically, or something that needs to be discussed? Simply something that exists but isn't a controversial topic, and maybe therefore isn't explored? Interesting post.
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