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Israel's Left Wing Revives the Meretz Party

How is it that a party that practically disappeared from the Israeli political map for years has become a hot commodity among left-wing voters, and what does it say about the Israeli public?
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (R) meets Israeli lawmaker Zahava Gal-On, leader of the left-wing Meretz party, in the West Bank city of Ramallah August 26, 2012. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3753Y
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Until eight months ago, politicians and commentators speculated that Meretz, the leading left-wing party in the local Zionist political camp, would most likely cease to exist. Its condition was so fragile that even major figures in the party expressed pessimism about its prospects for survival in the last election campaign. Meretz Knesset member Nitzan Horowitz openly suggested at the time that Meretz should merge into a left-leaning political body to save itself from extinction. Meretz was considered a failed brand, an aging party that was passé. Its budget deficit heavily weighed on its continued activity and led to the closing of all branches of the party — those very branches that had once let out multitudes of young people on their way to peace demonstrations.

The transformation that Meretz has undergone since the election [January 2013], and even more intensively in the last couple of months, is nothing less than amazing — it is virtual resurrection, politically speaking. Meretz has been going through a recovery that started following the election, when the party doubled its power in parliament, from three to six Knesset seats. But it does not stop there.

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