A time to heal after Israel's third elections

Now that Israel’s third election in a year is finally over, it’s time to put the political acrimony and personal mudslinging aside and consider what’s good for the country. What’s most important now is for President Reuven Rivlin and the leaders of the main political parties to find a way to form a new government (Israel’s 35th) and Knesset (the 23rd) that will act in the interests of all Israelis and promote national unity, after one of the ugliest election campaigns in the country’s history.Prize-winning journalist Amotz Asa-El argues in the latest issue of The Jerusalem Report that this is Rivlin’s moment of truth. It is, in a significant sense, the country’s as well.Although the role of the president is mainly ceremonial, Asa-El writes, “Now, however, with his seven-year term approaching its last year, Rivlin’s position is set to challenge him in a way he has not been challenged yet, nor indeed were any of his predecessors, in this institution’s 72 years.”Asa-El believes the odds that Rivlin will solve the crisis are slim at best. “If he does manage to untie Israeli politics’ Gordian Knot, the president – whose main asset has been affability – may end up being recalled as the surgeon that Israel’s political illness has come to beg,” Asa-El wrote.After the last election in September, Rivlin presented Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz with a presidential proposal that called for two prime ministers serving in “a shared government.” That model was rejected by Gantz, who absolutely refused to sit with a prime minister facing a corruption indictment.This time, Netanyahu is actually set to go on trial on March 17 in Jerusalem District Court on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust – and Gantz has made it clear that he will not back down on his refusal to join a national unity government so long as Netanyahu continues to lead the Likud.If neither Netanyahu nor Gantz can garner the support of a majority of 61 Knesset members to establish a government, then we urge Rivlin to intervene in the national interest and push for national unity. Rivlin has spoken over the years about his four-tribe model, in which he divides Israelis into the secular, religious Zionists, haredim (ultra-Orthodox) and Arabs. In his speeches to foreign audiences, such as during his recent visit to Australia, he dubs “Diaspora Jewry” as a fifth tribe, but insists, “We are all one family.”The president, Netanyahu and Gantz should use these elections as an opportunity to try to bridge the tribes. If Israel is to recover and rally now, after three harmful and costly elections, our leaders – especially the president – should see us as one people with one destiny.Furthermore, the people need to know that we did not waste three elections for no benefit, and that a new government and Knesset will seek to operate on behalf of all the country’s citizens – to make Israel safe and secure, boost the economy and trade, maintain the rule of law, promote equal opportunity and recognize the legitimacy of all streams of Judaism.There are critical budgets to be passed – from health to military. Key legislation awaits Knesset approval in a range of areas, from haredi conscription to civil marriage, and important appointments need to be made, such as a new police commissioner and state attorney. The country must come together to resolve such pressing issues as halting the ongoing terrorist attacks from Gaza, returning the two Israelis and the remains of two soldiers being held by Hamas, confronting Iran’s efforts to expand its regional tentacles and become a nuclear power, making progress on implementing the Trump peace plan, and countering the coronavirus threat.The last thing Israel needs now is another stalemate that could force a fourth election. The country – led by the president and the politicians – must find a way to heal itself from the damage caused by the last three elections and move us all forward toward a brighter future.