The political leadership in the Palestinian Authority followed with great interest the Israeli Labor Party primaries in July. The Palestinian political elite know the intricacies of Israeli politics inside out. They are familiar with the first and last names of members of the Shas Party and Yisrael Beitenu. With the exception of the Joint List of predominantly Arab parties and the left-wing Meretz Party, the Palestinian leadership sees only minor shades of difference amid Israeli politicians. The two last Israeli leaders whom the Palestinians respected were Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and then-Foreign Minister Shimon Peres during the Oslo process.
There were other Israeli politicians with whom the Palestinians maintained positive policy dialogues: former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, former Minister Tzipi Livni and former Minister Amnon Lipkin-Shahak, for instance. Amid the current Israeli Cabinet, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon is considered by the Palestinians as the only pragmatic member. A senior PLO official who follows Israeli politics feverishly on behalf of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas characterizes the Israeli Knesset as “100 shades of occupation.”