I don't think I've ever been in the same corner as newly elected Meretz chairwoman Tamar Zandberg, but here I am, arguing that the scandal surrounding her consultation with right-wing strategist Moshe Klughaft is absolutely ridiculous.
Zandberg was caught in a lie this week – a day after winning the Meretz leadership in her party's first primary election – having initially denied using Klughaft's services.
But the resulting media storm has completely gotten out of proportion. State Comptroller Yosef Shapira will likely respond to this farce soon by assigning five attorneys and a team of investigators and aides to the case – likely costing the state 20 additional government employees' salaries. If Shapira does see fit to investigate the Klughaft case – technically, Zandberg did violate Israeli law regulating external support for parties – are we to expect Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh and major crimes investigator Roni Rittman to get on the case posthaste?
It seems to me that in light of these developments, we must bring back the honorable Judge Ronit Poznansky-Katz (who was suspended for colluding with prosecutors before remand hearings) because we might be in for a remand extension.
Just recently, Eli Kamir, a public relations adviser, or strategic consultant, or whatever you wish to call him, was detained for 7 days in a corruption case. This was clearly an unjustified detention. Is Klughaft next? Will we soon hear secret recordings of conversations between Zandberg and him? Will there be a legal escalation leaving us with more left-wing legal commentary?
It is hard to say why this incident sparked such a media frenzy. The fact that she solicited pro bono advice was only offensive because she dared consult a right-wing adviser. That's what set off the reporters and the editors and infuriated Zionist Union Chairman Avi Gabbay. Had she consulted with left-wing strategists Moti Morel or Lior Horev, would she have earned the same absurd amount of press coverage?
What will be left of Zandberg after Shapira finishes his investigation, likely three years down the line? Her persona as a political figure. In the political arena, the Klughaft scandal will not harm her, it will only propel her forward. After this, she will be seen as a political leader who takes no prisoners; someone who is willing to get her hands dirty to advance the interests of her party and her career; someone whose agenda is transparent.
In regard to Klughaft, she hinted that she was willing to test the boundaries and join up with a strategic adviser of ill repute, regardless of his political views.
This is the newly minted Meretz leader's first match in the left-wing ring against the most dangerous opponent – Gabbay. It seems that Gabbay's attacks on Zandberg are just making him seem petty. Featherweight Zandberg, meanwhile, could end up having Gabbay on the ropes.
On the other hand, Zandberg has lost her credibility within days of being elected. It started with her denying that she made a pilgrimage to Yasser Arafat's grave, which turned out to be a lie as seen in photos and heard in testimonies, and now Klughaft. And she even did the exact opposite of what any adviser would have advised: Stop apologizing. She is profusely apologizing and voicing regret at having consulted Klughaft. Why? Because he is a right-winger. Because he is affiliated with Habayit Hayehudi. Because he falls outside the bounds of leftist legitimacy. His right-wingedness mars her ideological credibility.
To call her a leader is a bit of a big term. Zandberg is a reflection of the process that Meretz has undergone over the years, going from a left-wing party with Zionist roots and becoming a post-Zionist party that aligns itself with U.S. leftist activist groups such as J Street and Jewish Voice for Peace. Zandberg certainly knows that there is only one type of money that she is allowed to take – George Soros' money, the New Israel Fund's money or the money offered by foreign governments seeking to undermine the state of Israel.
