Israeli left regroups to survive Trump era
Israeli progressives fear that the spirit of the new US administration not only will encourage settlement construction, but threaten liberal values and tolerance within Israeli society.
"It is the fulfillment of a nightmare," says Yehudit Oppenheimer, describing the lethal combination of the US administration and Israel's right-wing government. Oppenheimer is the director general of Ir Amim (City of Nations), a nonprofit group that promotes equality and coexistence among Jerusalem's diverse communities. As someone identified with Israel's political left, she believes that the election of Donald Trump has shredded the rules of the game.
While settlers are celebrating the rise of the new president as a miracle, feelings among the Israeli left range from chronic stress to sheer terror. Now they are busy trying to find ways to stay positive, and so far they have not been particularly successful.
One thing that worries Oppenheimer in particular is David Friedman officially taking office as US ambassador to Israel. Friedman, an Orthodox Jew who wears a yarmulke, has close ties to the settler movement and serves as chairman of the US branch of Friends of Beit El. When his appointment was announced, he declared that he looks forward to working "from the US Embassy in Israel's eternal capital, Jerusalem."
Even if the US Embassy is not moved from Tel Aviv, Friedman can still cause enormous damage, at least as far as progressive groups are concerned. The ambassador-designate owns a home in Talbieh, a posh neighborhood of Jerusalem within walking distance from the residence of Israel's president, and has already announced that he plans to live there while serving as ambassador.
