Current conflicts in Meretz movement, their background, active players and consequent results were the subject of an extensive report written by the Israeli journalist Sarah Leibovitch – Dar, published under the title: “Leftists without Dignity”, in the last issue of “Liberal” Magazine, which is a monthly magazine that specializes in partisan and internal politics, in addition to media and cultural issues. The magazine was founded at the beginning of 2014, and the first issue was published in May of the same year.
Th report identifies three conflicting central camps in Meretz party: The ‘Reds’, led by Knesset Member Ilan Gilon; the ‘Greens’ led by the party’s chairman and former Knesset member Zehava Gal-On; and the ‘Purples’ led by Knesset member Tamara Zandberg. In addition to these central camps, there are two additional ones: the Tel Aviv Camp, led by member of Tel Aviv – Yafa City Council, Meital Lehavi; and the Kibbutz Camp led by Avy Dabush.
According to the writer, the conflict between these new camps is mainly characterized by “dwarfing the extreme conflicts that the movement had witnessed in the past”, especially between the two main camps led by Shulamit Aloni, the founder of ‘Ratz’ movement and then Meretz’ leader for many years, and Yossi Sarid, who left the “Labour Party” and joined “Meretz”. Conflicts in the past were handled in a graceful manner as if classical musical was playing in the background, but today it is “being handled with loud voices in front of everybody”, according to former Meretz Knesset member, Avshalom Vilan.
The report quotes one of the old prominent actors in Meretz congress: “During the last two years, or rather since the last Knesset Elections, many party members and actors feel that Meretz is now nothing but personal disagreements and violent fights, there are no breakthroughs or steps towards change. The party is standing still, and not making any progress, everybody is engrossed in internal fights”.
