The missing ‘peace’ in Israel’s election campaign

Peace with the Palestinians is strikingly absent from Israel's election campaign, despite a video of Israelis singing 'The Song of Peace' at a music festival. Professor Gideon Rahat says the main divisions are about security and the character of the state, not peace. Only 29% of Jewish Israelis support negotiations with the PA, and settler violence has drawn condemnation from opposition figures.

A video of young Israelis singing 'The Song of Peace' at a music festival, an anthem associated with Yitzhak Rabin, highlights the absence of peace as a campaign issue in Israel's upcoming election on October 27. More than three years of war have reshaped the country, but few candidates are offering a vision for relations with the Palestinians. Professor Gideon Rahat of Hebrew University says the main divisions are about the future character of the state and security, not peace. The government under Netanyahu has focused on judicial overhaul, while the ultra-Orthodox avoid military service. Only the Democrats party appears open to addressing the Palestinian issue. The Peace Index shows only 29% of Jewish Israelis support negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. Settler violence against Palestinian olive farmers has drawn condemnation from opposition figures Gadi Eisenkot and Avigdor Liberman, who called it 'Jewish terrorism' and damaging to Israel's legitimacy.