Green Movement hopes to get members into key city hall posts

There are five elements that must characterize any green party: Transparency, democratic norms, professionalism, a broad agenda, rather than a niche one, and leaders with proven records.

By EHUD ZION WALDOKS
alon tal 88 (photo credit: )
alon tal 88
(photo credit: )
The new Green Movement has come on strong for the local elections set to take place across the country on November 11. Although its official launch as a political party will be in December, the movement has been actively cultivating partnerships with local lists all over the country to advance the environmental agenda, co-founder Alon Tal told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday. Members are running with the City4all list in Tel Aviv, which is headed by environmentalists and MK Dov Henin (Hadash) and on Nir Barkat's list in Jerusalem, and the group has endorsed lists in Ramat Hasharon and Rehovot, among others. In Tel Aviv, Tal believes the City4all list will be the largest faction in the city council and three members of the movement, environmentalists all, have joined forces with the party. In Jerusalem, movement member Naomi Tzur, number three on Barkat's list, is in line for a deputy mayor's post if Barkat wins, Tal said. While Tal stressed that his organization is not yet a political party, its maneuvering in the local elections has a double purpose: To propel candidates with an environmental agenda into positions of local power, and to serve as a trial run for general elections, whenever they occur. Tal is hoping Kadima head Tzipi Livni can form a coalition without going to early elections, so that the movement can get properly organized. "It gives us about a year to get organized; we'd be in trouble if we had to run tomorrow," Tal told the Post during an interview in Jerusalem. According to Tal, there are five elements that must characterize any green party: • Transparency • democratic norms • professionalism • a broad agenda, rather than a niche one • leaders with proven records While refusing to directly denigrate the existing Green political party, Tal said, "If you judge a party according to those criteria, then I think you'll see there is only one real environmental party." Tal and Green Course founder Eran Ben-Yemini decided to form the new movement for three reasons. First, the environmental movement in Israel had matured enough. "We have a social movement behind us, similar to Shas," Tal explained. Second, they were repeatedly seeing environmental causes defeated by political interests. Third, they believe there is no current political party willing to go as far or push as much for the environmental goals they feel are critical. While there were a few possible political homes for these professional environmentalists, none was a good enough fit. "Meretz is talking with Livni today about joining the coalition and none of our issues is even in the top 10 on Meretz's agenda," Tal said. "Let me give you an example: There are 40 nature reserves, about one million dunams all together, which should have been officially declared, but they haven't been yet. As soon as Israel gets smaller [through an agreement with the Palestinians], it will be impossible to get the reserves declared. "What party is going to advocate such a thing? What party will advocate [that] 50 percent of the infrastructure budget should be allocated to public transportation?" he asked. There was a brief period during which a supporter of green causes had the prime minister's ear, Tal said, and that was when Omri Sharon pushed through the Nitzanim reserve, the Hiriya park and the first reading of the Clean Air Act. But that lasted just a year and a half. "We need to build this awareness in," Tal said. While polls have said there is a chance for an environmental group to take three to seven seats in the next election, according to Tal, their goal was not to form a party to take advantage of an electoral opportunity per se. "We are trying to create a party for the long run. It is all right even if we don't get in to the Knesset this time, although I think we have a good chance." Tal should have a good sense of what that position is. He is the founder of the Israel Union for Environmental Defense (IUED) which is one of Israel's premier environmental lobbying and activist organizations. He is also one of the co-founders of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies at Kibbutz Ketura. He and Ben-Yemini have spent the past several months recruiting leading minds to craft a balanced platform for the movement. While the platform stresses environmental issues, it also addresses democratic values, education, peace and security and other facets of governance. The party list has yet to be decided, because it won't be set in advance. "Six months after we launch [in December], we'll have primaries. Everyone will have to run for a position. Let the majority rule. That's why Eran and and I call ourselves ad hoc leaders," he said. At present they have about 1,000 members and more are rapidly signing up, according to Tal. "We are going to be a big surprise," Tal declared confidently. He pointed to a recent meeting where 120 people came to discuss what the movement's stance on animal rights, transportation, finance and education should be. They had an unpleasant surprise recently as well, Tal said. "We were appalled when we discovered that someone had set up a fictitious site [in the group's name]. They distorted our platform to paint us as crazy left-wingers intent on recycling all the tanks and things like that. "We tracked it to a site in Arizona and we have initiated legal action which we hope will uncover the perpetrator," he said. Tal was not unduly dismayed by the vandalism, however. "It is a sign someone thinks we are a threat," he said.