Window on Israel: Politicians' families

Family pictures featured in Democratic and Republican campaigns, and the great concern with the Palins, contrast mightily with the style of Israeli politics.

Tzipi Livni is the leading candidate to take over Ehud Olmert's position as prime minister. It was only last week, when I used Google to clarify when she was first appointed to a major position, that I learned there was a husband, Naftali Spitzer, and two children. Livni was appointed to head a government office in 1996, elected to the Knesset in 1999, and has held positions as minister heading one or another government department since 2001.

I have never seen a picture of her family.

Nor do I know anything about the families associated with Livni's competitors for Olmert's position (Shaul Mofaz, Avram Dicter, and Meir Sheetrit).

Shimon Peres has held prominent appointed and elected positions for 56 years. I have lived here for 33 years, and doubt  that I have seen a total of 10 media minutes devoted to his family. When selected as Israel's president last year, his wife decided not to move into the official residence in Jerusalem. She preferred to stay in the family apartment in Tel Aviv. That barely merited a minute of prime time.

There are some politicians who have chosen to highlight family members. Perhaps the effort was to see how the American emphasis would play here.

For the most part, it has not played well.

Ehud Barak's photogenic first wife appeared alongside of him on numerous occasions. Their divorce received little attention. Second wife also accompanies him at public occasions, and has cost him support. The attention has concerned her public relations company, said to have sold opportunities to meet with government people who would have some role in buying the goods or services of the companies shelling out the money. After a few days of attention, the second Mrs. Barak disbanded her company.

Binyamin Netanyahu emphasized his wife, Sarah, and their two children during his term as prime minister from 1996 to 1999. He may have suffered even more than Barak from the exposure. The media emphasized an extravagant lifestyle, occasionally paid for in ways that appear improper. The police investigated, and there was a civil suit by a supplier who claimed that he was not paid. There were also stories about problems at home. The BBC reported that an employer with 30 years' service at the Prime Minister's house found herself under a barrage of shoes when Sarah did not like the way they had been cleaned.

Binyamin seems to have kept his wife out of the public eye in his most recent roles as leader of the parliamentary opposition and occasional front runner as potential prime minister. Nonetheless, there have been uncomplimentary stories about the couple's overseas trips and plush hotels. Key aides have fallen out with Netanyahu and left his entourage. Reports are that they had problems working with Sarah, who insists on a role in political decisions.

Netanyahu's father, Benzion, remains active into his 90s, and had his own career as university professor and political activist. He has not appeared in the coverage devoted to the family. Speculation is that views to the right of even Binyamin have led him or his son to keep their relationship out of the public eye.

Aliza Olmert is a writer and artist, and occasionally appears in the media hosting events at the prime minister's residence. Her politics, somewhat to the left of Ehud's, have garnered both praise and criticism. There has been praise for the tolerance of different paths chosen by husband and wife, and criticism by those who assert that Ehud's leftward drift reflects Aliza's influence.

Some will argue that detailed knowledge of politicians' families provides insight as to how they are likely to behave in the public sphere.

On the other hand, selecting a candidate to support is difficult enough without factoring in the beauty or activity of spouses, or the lives chosen by offspring or parents.