A first Mizrahi prime minister would mark a milestone, but would not erase Israel’s deep ethnic divisions As Israelis wait to see what government emerges from Tuesday's general election, the possibility that opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot could displace Benjamin Netanyahu as prime minister has made headlines around the world. In part, this is due to the swirl of controversy that has dogged Netanyahu for years, but in Israel, the ascent of Eisenkot could mark a shift in Israeli politics and society. Eisenkot, who rose to prominence as chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces and later formed the Yashar party, is a Mizrahi Jew of Moroccan descent. If he ousts Netanyahu, he will become Israel's first non-Ashkenazi prime minister; a symbolic rupture with a dominant political establishment with roots deep in Central and Eastern Europe. "I think it's definitely important," Noam Gidron, a faculty member form the Department of Political Science at Jerusalem's Hebrew University, told TVP World about the possibility of Eisenkot becoming prime minister. "Who is in government, who is in high political office; that matters for people. It means something for people. It has symbolic value. It can motivate people to go into politics when they see someone they can relate to." Gidron also added that the "old Ashkenazi, more socialist, elite have been losing power for quite some time," which is, in a way, remarkable given their dominance of Israeli politics since the country's founding in 1948. The CEE connection All seven Israeli prime ministers born outside the Middle East came from territories now covered by Poland, Ukraine and Belarus. David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, for example, was born in the Polish town of Płońsk, some 70 kilometers northwest of Warsaw. He was Israel’s westernmost-born prime minister, while Moshe Sharett, prime minister from 1954 to 1955, was its easternmost-born, having been born in Kherson, in present-day Ukraine. Five other prime ministers were the children of immigrants from Central and Eastern Europe, including Netanyahu, whose father was born in Warsaw. The Ashkenazi dominance also pre-dates the establishment of Israel. Most Jewish settlers who moved to Palestine during the years of the Ottoman Empire and the British mandate came from Central and Eastern Europe. By establishing towns and kibbutzim they helped cast the die which would form the basis of Israeli society and political culture. Social divide In contrast, the Mizrahi, who trace their heritage to the Middle East and North Africa, have had, at times, a far from frictionless relationship with Israeli society. Around 600,000 arrived between 1948 and 1972 as ancient Jewish communities were expelled from or left numerous Middle Eastern and North African countries. Destitute newcomers, they were often given poor-quality housing in border areas, and had to take the worst jobs, all of which helped created a racial divide that still exists in Israel to this day. Earlier this month a television host sparked controversy by calling Eisenkot a "monkey" controlled by the "Ashkenazi elite." So, the possibility that a Mizrahi Jew could break the dominance of the Ashkenazi establishment has added additional spice to Israel’s already volatile political scene. But Gidron cautioned against thinking that an Eisenkot premiership would reshape the political order and heal the racial divide. "I don't think we should belittle that [the possibility that Eisenkot could become prime minister]," he said. "At the same time, this divide has deep roots in Israeli society. And also, Mizrahi Jews are still underrepresented in different arenas of Israeli social, political, and academic elite. I definitely think it is an important step forward, but it won't bring it to an end to the divide." His words are echoed by those of Sammy Smooha, a sociology professor at Haifa University, who believes Eisenkot, if he becomes prime minister, will focus on national security rather than improving the lot of the Mizrahi. "Most Jews from Arab countries in Israel today are in the middle class down, you know in working class poor and so forth," he told TVP World. "Do you think Eisenkot is going to redistribute the resources in Israel so there will be high mobility for Mizrahi Jews? Is he going to change the nature of the of the welfare state in Israel? No, he will not do it. "He's going what to do what he needs to do deal with national security because this is the real problem of Israel today, and he is not going to be really different from Netanyahu."
