editorials
Bad Timing
T he current Israeli coalition
government led by Prime Minister
Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister
Yair Lapid has exceeded everyone’s
expectations. But it is now on the brink
of collapse.

With just 60 seats in the Knesset
and threats of resignation from mem-
bers on both the right and left, the
government appears to be the weak-
est it has ever been. It is likely just
a matter of time before the govern-
ment falls and new elections are
held. That is why it is so strange that
the Biden administration chose this
moment of government instability
to promote Israeli-Palestinian peace
talks. And it is even more curious
that the suggestion was made since
— at least until now — solving the
Israeli-Palestinian confl ict did not
appear to be a lead priority for the
Biden administration. Add to that
the fact that everyone understands
that the eight-party Bennett-Lapid
coalition would likely implode over
peace issues.

And it is for that reason that no one
seriously seeks to raise them. On top
of all that, given the government’s
uncertain future, it is widely under-
stood that any agreement reached
by this government would immedi-
This suggestion came at the same
time as the Biden administration is
reportedly considering creating a
new senior diplomatic position within
the State Department for a special
representative for Palestinian aff airs.

Israel made clear that it is not
interested in a feel-good photo op
for a peace summit that has no
likelihood of success. We agree.

ately be subject to review and recon-
sideration if a new governing group
takes control.

Nonetheless, according to reports,
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State
Wendy Sherman recently suggested
to Israeli National Security Adviser
Eyal Hulata that Israel, the Palestinian
Authority, Jordan, Egypt and the U.S.

convene a full-blown peace summit
to address Israeli-Palestinian issues.

The administration’s moves
appear to be part of an attempt
to appease PA President Mahmoud
Abbas, who has voiced both frustra-
tion and anger with the lack of move-
ment on a peace process, and who
has threatened retaliatory actions if
nothing is done. The Israeli govern-
ment is reported to have rejected
the U.S. suggestion for a multiparty
summit. In light of current political
realities, that decision makes sense.

But it doesn’t explain why the Biden
administration made the suggestion
or why it felt that now was the right
time to raise it.

Perhaps the administration is seek-
ing to add substance and seriousness
of purpose to President Joe Biden’s
planned trip to the Middle East next
month. And maybe there was some
hope that an Israeli-Palestinian sum-
mit would draw attention away from
the politically uncomfortable rap-
prochement eff orts Biden will be
pursuing with Saudi Arabia.

Either way, the eff ort did not work.

Instead, Israel made clear that it is
not interested in a feel-good photo
op for a peace summit that has
no likelihood of success. We agree.

While we remain supportive of a
two-state solution for Israel and the
Palestinians, that eff ort needs to be
pursued at a time and with partici-
pants who not only support the eff ort
but are also capable of achieving a
lasting result. For a whole bunch of
reasons, that is not today’s reality. JE
P rimary election season is
underway in many parts of
the country. As Democrats and
Republicans vie for their party’s
endorsement for the general election,
the primary results give observers and
the parties insight into what voters
think about the performance of their
elected offi cials up to now, and what
they want from them going forward.

We can learn a lot from California. In
that state’s primary election on June
7, voters sent a clear message to their
elected offi cials — a message that the
Democratic Party should take to heart if
they want their candidates to compete
eff ectively in November’s midterms.

The most publicized race was in
San Francisco, where residents voted
on whether to recall District Attorney
Chesa Boudin. Boudin was elected
in November 2019 on a forceful, pro-
gressive criminal justice agenda. But
with violent crimes and car theft soar-
12 JUNE 16, 2022 | JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
ing in San Francisco, the voters in this
most liberal city chose to fi re their
progressive prosecutor. Sixty percent
of voters in San Francisco voted to
recall Boudin.

During his time in offi ce, Boudin
enacted a number of criminal justice
reforms, including the elimination of
cash bail, a reduction of the number
of San Franciscans, especially minors,
in state prisons, and charged a police
offi cer with committing manslaughter
while on duty.

On paper, many of Boudin’s reforms
made sense and are part of a move-
ment across the country that has been
pursued by a number of progressive
district attorneys. But at least based
upon the recall vote, it appears that
voters are rejecting those progressive
programs in favor of a more traditional
approach to law enforcement.

And then there was the Los
Angeles nonpartisan primary for
mayor. In that race, Rick Caruso, a
billionaire real estate developer and
former Republican who only recently
registered as a Democrat, faced off
against Democratic Rep. Karen Bass,
a progressive, who wants to be Los
Angeles’ fi rst Black woman mayor.

The race was close. Caruso won
40.5% of the vote and Bass won
38.8%. The two will head to a runoff
election in November.

For many cities in America, such
a tight race between a former
Republican and a progressive might
not be a big deal. But for Los Angeles,
it is a major red fl ag, as Democratic
voters refl ect their frustration with
progressive policy platforms and
enactments — especially when they
involve leniency toward rising crime
and tolerance for an increase in
homelessness. Both San Francisco
and Los Angeles face a homeless-
ness crisis with rampant drug use
and mental health emergencies over-
whelming city streets.

The San Francisco and Los Angeles
votes highlight the challenge of the
increasing infl uence of progressive
politics on the Democratic Party.

While there are many elements of the
progressive agenda that are appeal-
ing and worthwhile, many of their
idealistic agenda items fail in the
real world and are being rejected by
voters. If the Democratic Party wants
to remain competitive in November,
it needs to get its arms around the
progressive agenda and make appro-
priate course adjustments. JE
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A Tale of Two California Cities