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But the reception given the honest and humble Amram Mitzna indicates that it was premature to crown him the next savior. MK Eitan Cabel has already warned him not to "get near" the party. Minority Affairs Minister Avishay Braverman, of course, came out against "tilting too far to the left."

Meretz was orphaned a long time ago. Most of the Arab parties don't even bother to address the Jewish voter. Even the binational Hadash party is still more Arab than Jewish. The "National Left," a worthy political initiative, may be taking its first steps but is also an orphan without leadership and plagued with the classic sight defect of the Israeli left: an inclination to set its sights on the center.



All these causes are worthy, but they don't add up to any meaningful political activity. They all share an ideological common denominator, and that's why they all should be part of a broader, unified struggle.

You can't be an ardent feminist and support Tzipi Livni. You can't be green and support Gilad Erdan. You can't care for migrant workers while ignoring the plight of Palestinians without permits who are hunted down here like animals. Livni and Erdan should be judged on the basis of their overall worldview, and it is not a truly liberal and humanistic one. From opposing violence against women to opposing the occupation, from human rights to animal rights, one cause is linked to another, and they all come together to form a worldview. Non-profits don't do the job here. For this, you need a political party. The task of creating one is difficult. The shelf parties and skeleton companies, the former left - they long ago stopped fulfilling their purpose. Attempts to create new political frameworks in Israel have been full of disappointments and failures. But the vacuum begs for action. It cries out for an alternative that will not eye the center, will not justify itself to the right in response to accusations of being unpatriotic, will not apologize for alleged betrayal and will not be ashamed and ambiguous. What we need is a real, clear left, with no ifs, ands or buts. In a society where "left" is a derogatory term, this is a difficult task. But it is even more difficult to continue on without one.