Time for the elections Israel actually needs - opinion

Another round of elections – even though it is possible that very little will change – is the preferred option over the continued tenure of this failure of a government.

By JPOST EDITORIAL
Updated: DECEMBER 22, 2020 22:22
IF IT takes another round of elections to get the Likud to act, let it be. (photo credit: REUTERS)
IF IT takes another round of elections to get the Likud to act, let it be.
(photo credit: REUTERS)
It is rare when a government that disintegrates prematurely is considered to be a good thing and a country is forced into new and unscheduled elections. This is especially true when that country has already been through three elections in less than two years and the thought of another vote is not only astonishing, it smacks of gross irresponsibility.
What is currently happening in Israel is one of those rare cases. The government that was expected to dissolve at midnight on Tuesday, never functioned properly and never fulfilled its declared mission of steering the country responsibly through the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent economic crisis that has roiled and plagued it for months.
Instead, from the outset, the government fought, cabinet meetings were rarely held, and when they did take place, they rarely yielded any decisions. When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu negotiated peace deals with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, he did so behind the backs of his main partners – Defense Minister Benny Gantz, Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi and the rest of the Blue and White Party.
The Coronavirus Cabinet was convened to make the tough decisions required to stop the spread of the virus and the rise in infections but it constantly got stuck in mudslinging and internal debates. Politics consistently came before managing the pandemic, and all Israelis have paid the price. What happened over the last few months at Ben-Gurion Airport is a perfect illustration of this ineptitude. Testing is still not mandated for travelers entering the country. When the tens of thousands of Israelis landed in Dubai in recent weeks, they all took a test but when they returned home – nothing.  
Schools opened and closed like a revolving door, but always for only some parts of society. While the ultra-Orthodox returned to school when they wanted, most of the country’s schoolchildren remained at home, stricken by the indecisiveness of its elected government. There was the “reconciliation cabinet” that was supposed to be established with the aim of bridging the divide between different sectors within Israel which were growing farther apart. Not only did it never meet, it was never even set up. Even today, it remains on paper as nothing more than a bright idea.
And then there was the budget. Netanyahu and Gantz had agreed when they signed their coalition agreement eight months ago, to pass a budget within 90 days of the swearing in of the government. People were suffering. NGOs were shutting down. The country needed a financial vision and plan. But Netanyahu refused to pass a budget. He was unwilling to lose his one possible exit from this government and the planned rotation with Gantz.
They then agreed to postpone the decision until December 23 but this too did not seem to work, because again – neither side could agree on what was right. They knew what was right for themselves and for their political careers, but not for the country.
When this government was established, Gantz was forced to renege on a promise he made during three election campaigns, not to sit with Netanyahu. We supported his decision then, thinking like many Israelis, that unity was needed and that a government was better than another round of elections.
We no longer think this. Another round of elections – even though it is possible that very little will change – is the preferred option over the continued tenure of this failure of a government. We do not know who will win or who will be the next prime minister, but we can hope that it will be someone who will put the country before his or her own political agenda, and before the political demands of his or her coalition partners.
Israel needs leadership that does what is right, not because it is good for the survival of the politicians, but because it is right for the people.
Sadly, that is not the type of government Netanyahu and Gantz established back in May. Their government was plagued with infighting, mudslinging and a general incapacity to get done what was needed for the nation.
An election will cost the country a lot of money, and it will be ugly. But it is also an opportunity for change and that is something Israel desperately needs.