Tel Aviv Politics

I spent the morning tracking down where to vote tomorrow for the next mayor of Tel Aviv, so I am in an electoral mood. It's a very exciting time to be both American and Israeli, and to see the reverberations of America's elections abroad.

For anyone living in Israel and trying to vote tomorrow, you can either call the Ministry of Interior automated hotline at 1-800300059 and give them your ID number, or punch it in to the City for All Web site. This gives you your polling place and the other figures you need to get in and out quickly.

Tel Aviv's elections are shaping up to be a localized version of America's campaign for change. A while ago I mentioned the Communist party parliamentarian Dov Khenin as a contender for mayor. Since then, Khenin has clawed his way to second-place standing in the polls, right behind incumbent Ron Huldai. Khenin's party, Ir Lekulanu, or City for All, is pushing a revitalized bus system, more transparency in city government, and affordable housing solutions for young singles and couples being pushed out of Tel Aviv by exclusive, luxury towers springing up all around the city, including in quaint older neighborhoods where they are an eyesore. Here he is in English:



Huldai counters that Khenin is a newcomer without his record for improvement - he points to the city's investment in renovating the port in Yafo, in redoing a large park along the waterfront in the southern section of the city, and for opening new schools.

But the City for All movement is electrifying, as you can see even if you don't understand Hebrew from this news piece on the two candidates. The interviews with Huldai are on the beach promenade in Tel Aviv's clean, affluent North. Huldai stands on a pristine stretch of boardwalk, leaning over the rails with the waves behind him. On the other hand, Khenin walks through the open-air market in the Hatikva neighborhood, one of Tel Aviv's most impoverished. He shakes hands with the vendors, tells them they have nice vegetables, and runs into a crusty Likud party member who says "I know Khenin. His mother was my kindergarten teacher!"



Khenin's campaign also put out the most viral Internet-ready video of any local election, with well-known Israeli TV personalities wearing the "I Dov Tel Aviv" shirt. If you want to buy your own shirt, you can get it for 20 shekels at the ColorTouch print shop, and it comes with three witty bumper stickers that say things like "I Dov Bicycles" and "I Dov Breathing."

Meanwhile, Huldai has come under fire from the other parties challenging him, including the Greens, who put out this video about how Huldai has been having a party at the expense of our asses:



Many of the people supporting Khenin cite his similarities to Obama in being an outsider, a fresh face and a voice that resonates with young people who have been turning out in droves to paper the streets. His party includes former members of the right-wing Likud, the religious party Shas, and leaders from the green movement.

Those who oppose Khenin cite his political background, which is extreme left, as being anti-Zionist. Polls show that he has a strong chance of winning enough votes to necessitate a run-off election, in which case all the other green and left parties would likely throw in their support for him.