New green party seeks more than just eco-friendly voters

Israel is set to get a second environmentalist political party, joining the decade-old Greens. The party has yet to be declared officially, but its members - including several well-known green activists - have already formulated their vision and begun recruiting members and backers.

Prominent figures in the new movement include Professor Alon Tal, founder of the non-profit group Adam Teva V'Din (the Israel Union for Environmental Defense) and formerly head of the environmental umbrella group Haim V'Sviva (Life and Environment).

Another key player is Eran Ben Yemini, who was among the founders of the environmental student group Megama Yeruka (Green Course).

The new movement's founders had considered joining forces with the Greens, led by Tel Aviv deputy mayor Peer Visner, but could not agree on leaders or the management of party institutions.

Over the past few weeks, the new party held a series of discussions that culminated in a foundational document entitled "Green Movement Vision."

The document says a "green movement" does more than preserve the landscape; it has a broader political and social agenda.

According to the document, the new party will focus on building an economy that takes into account environmental and ecological needs.

It will work for tougher legislation to deter polluters, expand local authorities' power to intervene in environmental matters, and initiate a national project to make Israel energy-independent by 2050 by utilizing solar energy.

On the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the party supports a resolution based on the two-state principle, with security guarantees for Israel.

The party advocates preserving Shabbat as a day of rest free of business or commercial activity, but allowing public transportation to operate and entertainment venues to be open .

As for the character of the State of Israel, the movement states that the Hebrew language and the Jewish identity are the country's essence.

However, it adds that Israel's Arab citizens suffer from discrimination, and that they must be allowed to fulfill their right to develop their cultural heritage.

"The Arab school system is entitled to teach and promote Palestinian and Arab culture and history," according to the document, "alongside a shared core curriculum that reflects values common to every citizen in the country," it states.