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Israeli election candidate: ‘We don’t have a single leader who can say loud and clear the Palestinians deserve their own state’
Emilie Moatti, a former Labor MK, and Democrats candidate stars on panel session at LFI Labour Party conference fringe event
A leading candidate for Israel’s opposition Democrats party has said that Israel currently lacks a leader willing to publicly state that Palestinians deserve their own state.
Emilie Moatti, a former Labor MK and ex-head of the Knesset committee on foreign affairs, made the remarks at a well-attended Labour conference fringe event in Liverpool.
Speaking on the Labour Friends of Israel organisation’s panel debate about the forthcoming Israeli elections, Moatti addressed what she described as “the elephant in the room.”
She told the audience, “Between the river and the sea, there are 40 million human beings. We know our history, and we don’t want to bring Yugoslavia or South Africa to the Middle East.”
“So we have to end it, and there is a solution,” she continued. “The problem is, and this is why I’m very worried these days about our election, there are many politicians, but we don’t have one single leader who can say it loud and clear that the Palestinians deserve their own state.”
Moatti was joined on Sunday afternoon by other speakers at the event, including the academic Dr Melanie Garson, Shai Agmon of Molad and Yossi Mekelberg of Chatham House, which was introduced by LFI’s parliamentary chair, Mark Sewerds MP.
The Leeds MP told the audience, “It’s exactly one month before Israelis go to the polls in what will be a crucial election. You can argue about the stakes, but in my view it is existential, and it’s absolutely vital that the Israeli people take this opportunity to remove Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing coalition from office.”
He added, “Now, there is a real prospect of change for those of you following the polls—and don’t worry if you haven’t. That’s what today’s event is about.” Sewards claimed that the Democrats, “Labour’s sister party, are making the case for a progressive voice in the next government.”
Moatti, 14th on the Democrats’ list and the only speaker standing as a candidate in Israel, was widely seen as the event’s most significant contributor.
She praised the stances taken by both Andy Burnham and Keir Starmer in relation to Israel, saying, “I’d like to tell you, on a personal note, that despite the angry tones you reaffirm our government, we do appreciate your current government and its loyalty to the security of Israel and to the two-state solution.”
Moatti concluded by wishing “Prime Minister Burnham all the very best,” adding, “He has plenty on his plate, and don’t be too concerned about the ugly noise coming from our governments. It’s very important to me, because soon, very soon, there will be history—bad history—and we’re going to vote Bibi out on the 27th of October.”
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