Posted November 7 2008 by Brian Blum
Jerusalem Election Diary: Haaretz gets it so wrong
I don’t usually write about the same topic two weeks in a row, but, with less than a week to go, the upcoming Jerusalem mayoral elections is so important that I feel compelled to post again.
Last Friday, Haaretz published an editorial slamming mayoral candidate Nir Barkat and endorsing “a responsible haredi” (a code word for Meir Porush, the only ultra Orthodox candidate running for the position). Many Jerusalemites like me were outraged.
The reason for Haaretz’s position is that Barkat has come out in support of building a Jewish neighborhood near the Arab village of Anata, at the foot of the Jerusalem neighborhood of French Hill. The area has long been a thorn in the Palestinian’s side: building there would help connect Jerusalem to the satellite city of Ma’aleh Adumim in the West Bank, but it would also have the effect of preventing territorial contiguity for a new Palestinian state.
Barkat says that building this new Jewish neighborhood will help solve the city’s “shortage of housing for students and young people.” But it’s also a clear ploy to help win over Jerusalem’s “swing vote” – the Modern Orthodox residents who, according to recent polls, are split between Barkat and rival Porush. Given that most of the city’s voters, whether religious or secular, tend to be right wing, it’s not a bad campaign tactic.
Whether you agree or disagree with Barkat’s position, Haaretz - by coming out against the current front-runner in the race - is saying something far more disturbing about Israel’s attitude towards Jerusalem.
Haaretz is, in effect, giving up on Jerusalem. Or perhaps they already have. In the eyes of the Tel Aviv-based newspaper, Jerusalem is already all religious; there’s nothing to do here; no nightlife; it’s too far away; too dangerous; too tense; and ultimately not even worth a visit. The Western Wall, the Old City, the quaint alleyways and gourmet restaurants, the cool summer air, the unique architecture, the spirituality, the Knesset and center of government – all of these are unimportant to the enlightened readers of Haaretz where the heaviness and tension that are part and parcel of Israel’s capital might, God forbid, impede the never ending pursuit of next party.
Indeed, to Haaretz, Jerusalem is not a city at all. It’s a metaphor, a bargaining chip on the geo-political stage to be divided in an eventual peace. Anything getting in the way of that end must be resisted, fought, denigrated. Haaretz couldn’t care less about the problems the city faces, from transportation gridlock to cleanliness and jobs, reverse emigration, religiously-mandated unemployment, and a rapidly deteriorating education system, all areas for which Barkat - in contrast to the other mayoral hopefuls - has clear, step-by-step plans for rapid execution. The quality of life in Jerusalem can go to hell, Haaretz is saying, as long as the next mayor doesn’t stoop to interfere with the inevitable outcome of Oslo and Annapolis.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m no right wing extremist. I think Barkat was wrong to inject such a controversial issue into a local election campaign at the last minute. It seems too pandering. And, at least in our liberal Anglo bubble, not an insignificant number of people have vowed to submit an empty ballot on election day.
But it’s not as if mayoral competitor Porush holds a significantly different view. Haim Watzman, writing in the excellent South Jerusalem blog, points to Porush’s campaign site where the haredi mayoral candidate also advocates building Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, although he’d make them ultra-Orthodox rather than ear marked for students and young people as Barkat proposes.
In the end, though, how much influence does a mayor even have over national issues like where to build and which settlements to keep? That’s for the next prime minister to decide along with the rest of the Knesset. In any case, if Barkat wins, he’ll need to put together a municipal coalition that will almost certainly have to include the left wing Meretz party, which will temper if not entirely block Barkat’s right wing ambitions.
Haaretz ends its editorial by urging Labor and Meretz voters to withdraw their support for Barkat. Whatever your own opinion is, and by now I think you know mine, make sure you get out to vote this coming Tuesday and exercise your democratic right. The U.S. elections had the highest turn out in decades. It is incumbent on us to do the same.
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2 Comments currently posted. 
Tzioni says:
Moshe G says:
Very thoughtful and insightful criticism here. It’s subtle, but Haaretz’s bias definitely shows once analyzed
lol did you expect any less from Haaretz?