Horowitz Holds Hague is Honest, Hampers Heap of Hopefuls’ Hunt for Harmony

Israel’s rather quiet election cycle received a surprising jolt on Saturday when left-wing Meretz party leader Nitzan Horowitz opined on last week’s decision by the International Criminal Court to launch an investigation into Israel’s conduct in the West Bank and Gaza. “I say this with sorrow, but the investigation is justified, and I think we should cooperate with it,” Horowitz said of the court’s decision to look into claims of war crimes perpetrated by Israel’s military. “I don’t want my country to be in this position but we also have to ask ourselves what are we doing to prevent it. Saying ‘The Hague is anti-Semitic’ isn’t a solution, advancing a negotiation with the Palestinians is.” Horowitz’s failure to unequivocally condemn the investigation ignited a political flareup of sorts as right-wing parties, including those who, prior to Saturday, did not rule out joining Meretz in a coalition, hurried to denounce the lawmaker and disqualify his party as a possible political partner. The blows traded within the camp opposed to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will now make it even harder to construct a viable Netanyahu-less government after election day.