Elections 2013 — the best reality show in town

If you like Master Chef, one of Israeli television's most popular shows, then you'll love "Master MK." The election campaign for the 19th Knesset has become the best reality show around, as long as you hold your nose. Every day a dose of disgusting political putrefaction is delivered straight into our living rooms. For instance, former Labor party Chairman Amram Mitzna appeared on a TV program Thursday night and it took me several minutes to recall whose deputy he had been in the past.

Former Kadima Chairwoman Tzipi Livni left the Knesset after losing to current Kadima Chairman Shaul Mofaz in the party's primaries. Remember that? And when she beat him in 2008, it was by the narrowest of margins. But Livni has now created a new party, stealing seven seats from Kadima in the upcoming elections and some campaign money as well. She is washing her hands first though, because it's important to enter the elections with clean hands.

Former Labor Chairman Amir Peretz ran in the Labor primaries, but suddenly resigned from the party and attached himself to Livni's Hatnua ("The Movement") party instead, because how can he sleep at night while there is no progress in the peace process with the Palestinians? How many Iron Domes can the man promote-

Mitzna, who promised to stay in Labor even if the party loses in the elections, has also suddenly joined Livni (apparently) out of the excitement of building a new home, even if he doesn't really know its address yet. But Tzipi, of course, kept her word: Yes, we do finally have a different kind of politics in Israel.

How low these elections have brought us. We have sunk to the bottom of the abyss. There is no ideology, no loyalty, no consistency. Still, Meir Shitrit, Maj. Gen. (res.) Elazar Stern and Mitzna could all end up with Knesset seats, which is what is important these days.

The bottom line is that all these candidates are spitting in the public's face. We have always known that politics is a dirty business and there are very few political gambits that can be described as squeaky clean. But no one was proud of dirty politics back in the day. It was carried out in the dark of night, not on prime time TV. Where have the days gone when switching political allegiance was considered bad form in Israel?

In the 1950s, when Rahamim Kalnatar, a member of the Jerusalem municipality council and the Poel-Mizrahi party jumped from one faction to another, he instantly became a persona non grata and almost sought political asylum in Syria. Today, every such move is fair game.

Israeli politics has also managed to inflate candidates' egos to monstrous proportions. The Knesset building may not be big enough to contain all those egos. Even 75 percent of the building will not be enough for the Hatnua candidates, no matter how many seats Livni, Peretz and Mitzna are able to win. This will be an opposition with a fighting spirit.

We all yearn for a clear choice between two blocs, such as between the Likud and Labor. We may disagree with them but it is hard not to admire the candidates of the New National Religious Party or Meretz. Voters know exactly where those candidates stand on the issues. The same is true for the religious and Arab parties. Political parties that are worthy of the name do still exist.

And what of the rest? They may or may not win Knesset seats. But to paraphrase former Prime Minister Ben-Gurion, every Jewish mother must be aware that she is placing the fate of her children in the hands of Knesset members who are not worthy.

And my apologies for the analogy to the participants in Master Chef. They, at least, occasionally produce something worthwhile in the kitchen.

טעינו? נתקן! אם מצאתם טעות בכתבה, נשמח שתשתפו אותנו