How Meretz has fared since Gaza war

Thanks to Lilly Rivlin, we note this Al-Monitor “Israel Pulse” website article on how the dovish left-wing Meretz party has fared in the wake of the recent Gaza war.  Meretz poll numbers initially went down dramatically from a projected high of 12 Knesset seats to six (the exact number of seats it holds now). As the reporter, Mazal Mualem, put it: “Wars are bad for the left, and especially for a party like Meretz, which opposed the operation almost from the outset, even though the operation had overwhelming public support.” But these numbers are reported as coming back up, currently to nine.

This article, “Meretz hopes to restore Israeli left to its glory day,” features an interview with Uri Zaki, a young Meretz leader who recently had a stint in the United States as director of B’Tselem USA.  Ms. Mualem erroneously identifies him as having been “the former head of Meretz in the United States.” Regardless, it’s an upbeat piece that claims that Meretz is rising on a new wave of support from young voters.