I have mixed feelings about Labor party leader Avi Gabbay signing off on the end of the Zionist Union and the Labor party. As the son of a Revisionist father who could not get a day of work because he was not a card-carrying member of the Left, I am happy to see the prophecies of Zionist visionary Ze'ev Jabotinsky and Israeli poet Uri Zvi Greenberg realized.
Who would have believed that the day would come when the vision of the socialist Left had become so completely and utterly irrelevant that many on the Left would be ashamed to admit their political leanings in public. Who could have imagined that the latest incarnation of the historic Mapai party, whose leaders founded the state would be pushed to the sidelines, would be predicted to garner no more than eight or nine Knesset seats in the upcoming elections.
The sadness I feel stems from the recognition Labor party heads have for decades shirked the great Zionist dream of the founders of the state, having grown addicted to empty talk about peace with the Palestinians, who turned out to be certified liars. Along the way, the values of Jewish settlement, security, the redemption of the land and the Jewish people's return to history were all forgotten.
It stands to reason that the last person to lead the party will be held responsible for its fate. We can, therefore, conclude that Gabbay is responsible for destroying this once large, leading and important political camp. When Yitzhak Herzog handed the leadership over to Gabbay, Labor had 24 seats in the Knesset; now that same party is faltering and fragmented. I doubt Avi Gabbay ever voted for Labor before being appointed party leader in July 2017. He was one of the founders of the Kulanu party and served as a minister in the Israeli government, but upon recognizing an opportunity to take over a different party, he joined Labor in 2016. The only difference between him and [Hatnuah party leader] Tzipi Livni is the number of times they jumped ship. The method is the same.
The Israeli public, including the minority of the population considered to be weak, cannot accept a leader who tells to the nation how many millions of dollars he made in his work for a public company and then tries to play the role of savior to the poor people of Israel. This paternalism, which contributed much to Likud's rise to power, is identified with the Mapai party of the 1950s. The hatred toward it is immense for generations of Israelis.
Avi Gabbay had an opportunity to try and present a significant and alternative vision to the worldview of the Right. For whatever reason, he chose the easy way and joined the "Anyone but Bibi [Netanyahu] chorus. Instead of proving he had a path, a compass and a new direction for Israeli society, he chose to slander and disparage. To his regret, Netanyahu is not Livni and will not be disposed of with two short sentences on live TV.
As the end of Gabbay's political career draws near, as is accepted in the Labor party, I suggest he read Amos Oz's last book, "Judas." In the book, he will discover the unique specialty of his friends who have abandoned him and now look for another savior.
