Michael Freund explains why the Israeli left is obstinate, oblivious and nearly obsolete:
In Israel, there are a variety of organizations spanning the spectrum, with some calling for annexation of Judea, Samaria and Gaza and others demanding that the territories be handed over to the Arabs. In the Palestinian-controlled areas, by contrast, no such political diversity exists. Last time I checked, groups such as "Arab Friends of Israel" or "Palestinians for Peace" had yet to be established. To put it even more bluntly: there is no organized Palestinian left-wing to mirror that which exists in Israel. One would expect that if Palestinian society were truly longing for peace with the Jewish state, then its political arena would somehow reflect this. When was the last time you heard about Palestinian relief groups offering to help Israeli victims of terror? When have Palestinian human rights organizations pressed Palestinian officials to make concessions to Israel? How many Palestinian clerics have issued rulings forbidding suicide bombing attacks? We all know the answer to these questions. All of us, that is, except for the hard-core ideologues of the left. ............. Moreover, for all the invective that the left directs against the Israeli government and Jewish settlers, the fact remains that there is - thankfully - no such thing as "Jews for Jihad" or the "Likud Tanzim." The popularity of such groups among Palestinians, and their absence on the Israeli scene, is hardly coincidental. It speaks volumes about the two societies, their values, goals and objectives.
