Anglos flock to hear Blue and White heads Benny Gantz, Yair Lapid

Gantz and Lapid put a strong emphasis on the need to bring the country back to together and heal social divides, receiving warm applause whenever they did so.

By JEREMY SHARON
Blue and White leader Benny Gantz and MK Yair Lapid (photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/MAARIV)
Blue and White leader Benny Gantz and MK Yair Lapid
(photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/MAARIV)
In a packed auditorium in Tel Aviv’s fashionable port district, Blue and White leaders MKs Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid sought to woo the vote of the Anglo-Israeli electorate Monday night, putting on, by turns, an interesting double act of charm and grave solemnity to convince the audience of their cause.
The several hundred people who packed the hall hailed from across the globe, from the US to Australia, South Africa to the UK, as well as a smattering of French and Latin Americans, with the attendees in the majority noticeably young.
And the background of the attendees as immigrants from Western, developed countries was apparent not only by the language they spoke but by the concerns they voiced and the questions they raised.
Noam Yaffe, 23, originally from Australia but now of Ramat Aviv, said that he found the  public tolerance of apparent political corruption unfathomable.
He spoke of a prominent Australian politician whose career ended over the receipt of an expensive bottle of wine, and opined that “Israelis need to expect more of their political leadership than what they’re getting.”
Lee-Ann Lavine, also 23, and originally from South Africa, said that she was concerned about the divisions that have arisen in Israeli society, and said that although she was not a “diehard anyone-but Bibi” voter, was worried about his rhetoric on this issue.
Indeed, Gantz and Lapid put a strong emphasis on the need to bring the country back to together and heal social divides, receiving warm applause whenever they did so.
Lapid got one round of applause for saying that Blue and White will introduce civil marriage and end any discrimination against the LGBTQ community, and again for declaring that his party will implement the Western Wall agreement in a nod to demands for greater religious pluralism in Israel, principally by Diaspora Jewry and immigrants to Israel.
Indeed, Lapid’s smooth English, relaxed delivery and frequent humorous quips had the crowd warming to him to a much greater extent than Gantz, whose somewhat somber style evinced less of a connection with the audience.
Still, Gantz was able to animate the crowd when he spoke about resolving Israel’s social ills, and he received an ovation for declaring that he and his party would build an Israel “where we are more united with one another, more patient with each other, more accepting to one another, whether it is Jews, Arabs, religious, secular.”
After the first half hour of traditional questions and answers from the compère to the Blue and White leaders, questions were taken from the floor which again had a notably Western immigrant flavor in their content and focus
One attendee asked Gantz if, given the current political deadlock, Israel should reform its electoral system, an idea rarely discussed in the Jewish state despite the problems Israel’s strict proportional representation system can throw up.
Another question posed related to Israel’s arms sales to countries accused of severe human rights violations and even war crimes, such as Myanmar, the Philippines, Cameroon and others, an issue which has been championed by members of the Anglo immigrant community, among others.
And other questioners asked for more detail on some of the key issues of the election, including on its attitude to a peace process with the Palestinians and US President Donald Trump's peace plan, perhaps also reflecting the desire of the Western immigrant electorate for more and clear information on the platform and policies of the parties asking for their votes.
Ultimately, one got the sense that the majority of attendees would be voting Blue and White in the upcoming poll, even if the audience appeared satisfied if perhaps not overwhelmed with enthusiasm towards Gantz and Lapid.
Still, after a year of incessant political debate and electioneering it is hard to blame anyone for a certain degree of torpor towards this latest election.