"Fully Left": Former Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg Returns to Politics After 22 Years
Avraham Burg has joined the new Jewish-Arab party "Mekom Le-Kulanu" ("A Place for All of Us"). In an interview with Ynet, he stated that after "four traumatic years," Israeli society needs an alternative based on equality and Jewish-Arab partnership.
Former Knesset Speaker Avraham (Avrum) Burg is attempting a political comeback 22 years after leaving public life. Yesterday, he announced he is joining "Mekom Le-Kulanu" ("A Place for All of Us"), a new Jewish-Arab party, and intends to participate in its upcoming Knesset election campaign.
In an interview with Ynet, Burg claimed this is an attempt to present a clear alternative to the path in which, according to him, Israeli politics has deteriorated in recent years:
"The last four years: the judicial coup, October 7, the wars that followed, the corruption, and the collapse of everything dear to the Israeli collective, are four traumatic years. Some are waking up, some have become indifferent, some are leaving the country, and some, like me, are standing up and saying: the alternative to all the rot is a fully left-wing path."
He added that a "fully left-wing path" is not a struggle for a specific group, but a worldview that seeks to promote common interests for all citizens. Burg emphasized that the struggle for minimum wage, fair rent, or the protection of the residents of Gaza and the Palestinians is, from his perspective, part of the struggle for the moral character of Israeli society.
Burg rejected the division between Jewish and Arab parties: "I don't ask if you are an Arab or Jewish party. I ask: are all the citizens of this democracy equal in your eyes? If everyone is equal — we are partners." Despite the low point in relations between Jews and Arabs since October 7, Burg claimed he believes in coexistence, adding that "the only place trying to uproot civil proximity to normality is the political system. And therefore, these politicians must be removed."
Meanwhile, more than 400 supporters, Jews and Arabs, participated this Sunday in a large election rally for "Mekom Le-Kulanu" in Jaffa. At the rally, the party presented a political vision based on Jewish-Arab partnership, equality, peace, and social justice.
"This is what our society looks like: Jews and Arabs together, people who understand that there is a place for all of us in this country," said Alon-Li Green, co-chair of the party. Green emphasized that the party's list is based on equal representation: "Half of the party's representatives are Arab and half are Jewish. We have a historic opportunity not only to replace the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, Itamar Ben Gvir, and Bezalel Smotrich, but also to present a real alternative to it based on peace, equality, social justice, and Jewish-Arab partnership."
Burg himself said at the rally: "We are growing the camp. The real vote-burners are in the tired parties that refuse to recognize the new hope growing here. The seeds of hope have already been sown and now they are growing into a massive political force. Whoever does not rise to the magnitude of the moment — burns the hope."
