Where is the Israeli Left?

My first demonstration was an all-Israeli protest outside of the Knesset against Lieberman’s proposed ban on the Arab Nakba... The bill was later shelved by members of Likud, but if you’re not familiar with this bill, check it out here just so you can truly understand how evil Lieberman is:

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1085588.html

 This demonstration consisted of about 30 Israelis, mainly from the International Solidarity Movement, Rabbis for Human Rights, and ICAHD, chanting and holding signs with virtually no police disruption. 

It was basically the same procedure as small protests in the US, though while Americans would consider it small, the Israelis in attendance told me that this was exceptionally big.  I was shocked that more Israelis would not turn up for a moderately well-publicized demonstration against a blatantly despotic bill.  But, as I continue to learn, the Israeli left-wing is sadly shrinking.  I can already feel how tight-knit the native activist community is: practically everyone knows each other, and I have probably encountered a large fraction of leading groups and organizers.  Accordingly, the left-wing is strongly reliant on international volunteers and support, which is unhelpful in building a stable infrastructure.  Many organizers visit for between one month and one year, presumably bringing productive dialogue back to their respective countries, but only contributing a little to the Israeli movement...

Of course, I am one of these only-semi-helpful volunteers, scrambling to help as much as I can for the short time that I’m here.  ICAHD is full of unfinished projects by old international interns that I simply don’t have the resources or experience to complete.

This is a stark contrast to the optimism that Obama brought to the American left.  Obama’s overwhelming political support from the youth generation is somewhat paralleled by Lieberman’s election support.  Privileged American youth go straight to universities, a bastion of liberal and multicultural thought, while Israelis are required by law to immediately join the military.  Here they are taught to see Arabs as enemies, encountering them only at checkpoints and other confrontational situations.  For example, my friend Shira, whom I met when she was an Israeli soldier on Taglit, is a progressive and open-minded person, but the only sentences that she knows how to say in Arabic are “Stop and identify yourself” and “give me your ID.”  In the army that was the only reason that she would speak Arabic.  It is no wonder why so many young voters chose Likud and Yisrael Beitenu.

On a lighter note, Paraska and I have begun to use this as an easy way to repel the advances of asshole Israeli boys.  They ask for our number, we ask who they voted for, and we reject them if they say anything other than Meretz.  It is a very useful defense.