The worst government in Israeli history took its last breath Tuesday at midnight. Nevertheless, no one rejoiced to go down and none of them have much hope for the one who will come after them.
The 800,000 unemployed Israelis were not there to hear the song. And there were no business owners who had fallen apart and broken dreams, the students left gathering at home, the elderly cut off from their families and the non-profits left behind. social support had to be suspended due to lack of state funding.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset during a failed vote to extend the budget date on Monday
(Photo: The Knesset)
There has never been a greater disconnect between the needs of the public and the agendas of elected officials.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu often praises the Israeli treatment of the coronavirus pandemic compared to other countries. It selects data that aligns with its applications – and when there is nothing, it just backs it up.
But there is one variable that he constantly avoids: Israel is the only country fighting the pandemic without a legitimate state budget.
Israel cannot properly deal with the economic devastation caused by the pandemic or devise a strategy for the day after.
The Knesset is not passing a bill extending the budget deadline Monday
(Photo: The Knesset channel)
The 2020 and 2021 state budgets have been put on ice to give Netanyahu opportunities to avoid a power shift for Blue & White leader Benny Gantz, as explained by the coalition agreement he himself signed.
Instead of serving the public and funding social support, he collected money from supporters to pay for his legal battles.
Netanyahu made some achievements. His relationship with outgoing US President Donald Trump led to normalization agreements with Bahrain, the UAE, Sudan and Morocco. These are important and substantial diplomatic winners.
But personal, legal and political issues outweighed the needs of the public when it came to treating a coronavirus crisis and how it fell out.
If the governor of the state ever decides to investigate how decisions were made during the pandemic, their work will be cut short for them.
Israel is not a monarchy. His ruling comes from multi-party political coalitions elected by his citizens, sharing power and working on the basis of mutual trust.
But governments cannot work when the personal affairs of one person govern national policies.
Israelis have already gone to the polls three times over the Netanyahu corruption lawsuit, and are now making a fourth for the same reason.
Prime Minister Netanyahu and his legal team were in court at the start of his corruption trial
(Photo: Amit Shabi)
This position is not only absurd and perverse but threatens the fundamental public confidence in the democratic system.
Israelis must live with the failure of this government for years to come.
The lies, incitement and breach of signed agreements, coupled with the violent speech on social media – including from the Knesset’s own spokesperson – did not start with this outgoing government. But when it was created, the coalition said it would stop the strong tone – and that was just one more broken promise.
With the dissolution of the 23rd Knesset, the troubled partnership between Likud and Blue & White came to an end.
The latter is unlikely to win enough votes to return to the Knesset for another term. The Labor Party is not expected to do either and both parties will go to great lengths.
The field is ripe for new alliances. The lines between left and right have fallen. While most Israelis consider themselves right-wing, many do not know what that means, and they are not worried. They follow brand and not ideology.
Opponents of Netanyahu, director Yamina Naftali Bennett and former Likud MK Gideon Sa’ar prefer to campaign on the failures of Netanyahu’s leadership and on the proper management of the pandemic, not on the ideology or future of the Bank the West.
Gideon Sa’ar names his new political party to challenge Prime Minister Netanyahu’s leadership
(Photo: Amit Shabi)
And after the elections they will be up against the same legacy that others have had before. Netanyahu will block the brilliant bids that lie ahead, if they agree to enter his government. After all, they all represent the same ideological camp, right?
But Bennett and Sa’ar are likely to be smarter than their predecessors. They know that agreements with Netanyahu will not be honored and promises will be broken.
But with whom do they associate themselves? Left to die? The frequently reviewed Arab groups?
There is no way to a government that does not include Benjamin Netanyahu or Arab parties.
If you believe any campaign that says otherwise, I have a bridge for your sale.