“Initially, I resisted, because Israel’s far-left is too far-right for me.”
Tel Aviv, March 12 – A progressive political alliance struggling to maintain its relevance in an Israel disillusioned with accommodating Palestinian territorial ambitions made what many consider a last-ditch move to rescue one of the only remaining bastions of progressive politics today, with the selection as its next chair the Chief Rabbi of Gaza, an outspoken proponent of Palestinian claims and a fierce advocate for every other progressive cause in contemporary politics – but whose leadership and organizing skills have yet to be tested in the maelstrom of Israeli politics.
The Democrats – a merger of former-powerhouse Labor and of Meretz, itself originally an amalgam of left-wing and even nominally-Zionist Communist parties – announced today that it had chosen Rabbi Linda Goldstein as its next leader to replace incumbent Yair Golan. The replacement will take effect in advance of the next elections, officially scheduled for 2026 but, many in the Opposition hope, can be advanced by bringing down the current Netanyahu government.
“It is a privilege to serve at the helm of The Democrats,” Golan stated in a phone interview. “I will continue to do so in my capacity has head of the party and head of the Knesset faction, until such time as it becomes necessary to make room for a more dynamic, younger, and hungrier leader. But I’m not getting any younger. Rabbi Goldstein is a tremendous choice for the position, bringing together as she does a coalition of activists even more diverse than our current one.”
Goldstein shares almost daily content from her X account touting the progressive aspects of life in Gaza under Hamas, where she presides over the territory’s only synagogue and offers almost-daily expressions of solidarity with Palestinians. She strives to counter the image of Palestinian society as homophobic, transphobic, misogynist, and backward, through posts highlighting her same-sex marriage and the graciousness with which locals tret her as she navigates the Hamas tunnels.
Her voice has resulted in numerous almost-collaborations with prominent anti-Zionist politicians and activists, initiatives that for various reasons never come to fruition. She has also, according to her posts, conducted romantic relationships with various Islamist leaders such as Ismail Haniyeh and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose bedroom proclivities she has praised.
Goldstein expressed gratification at the decision. “It’s the result of years of effort refining and sharing my voice on Palestinians,” she wrote in an X post. “Initially, I resisted, because Israel’s far-left is too far-right for me. Most of The Democrats’ members and voters accept Israel as a Jewish state and think Jewish sovereignty is positive, and I disagree with that vehemently. But sometimes Allah offers you opportunities you don’t expect, and I think this position will allow me to pursue justice in ways I could not before.”
“I’m staying in the tunnels, though,” she added. “Hamas bigwigs in Gaza still need my… companionship.”
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