A Win for Bibi – a Disaster for Israel

Rabbi Shammai Engelmayer contributed to this article.

Another political victory for Benjamin Netanyahu would be a strategic defeat for Israel. By preserving his coalition with secular and religious parties on the far-right, Netanyahu risks further weakening Israeli democracy, undermining national security, encouraging extremist violence, deepening international isolation, and closing off opportunities for regional peace. His political survival should not come at the expense of Israel’s future.

Israel faces serious threats from Iran and its regional allies, mounting international criticism, and growing internal divisions. It needs leadership that strengthens democratic institutions, shares national responsibilities fairly, and pursues diplomatic opportunities.

There should be a State Commission of Inquiry to investigate all matters relating to October 7th, especially in light of a growing list of frightening revelations about what Netanyahu and those around him knew and when they knew it. Israel needs to know what went wrong in order to be better prepared to repel a new attack that may be on some terrorist organization’s to-do list. But Netanyahu refuses to create such a commission, most likely because he cannot control it and he fears what it would find.

In addition, another victory for Netanyahu would likely entrench policies that leave Israel weaker, less secure, and more isolated. What follows are five areas in which a victory for Netanyahu would almost certainly be a defeat for the Israel that needs to be.

First, Israel’s democratic safeguards would face further erosion. Netanyahu and his allies have sought to weaken the judiciary’s independence and diminish the authority of the attorney general. Further efforts in this direction would undermine the checks and balances essential to preventing abuses of governmental power. An independent judiciary and an Attorney General’s Office free from improper political interference are not obstacles to effective government; they are pillars of democracy and equality before the law.

Israel must not become a country in which political loyalty takes precedence over accountability and those in power can increasingly evade scrutiny. Weakening these institutions would damage public trust and further alienate democratic allies.

Second, continued Haredi draft exemptions would undermine both security and social solidarity. October 7 and the ensuing make it very clear that Israel’s need for military personnel is especially acute. Broad exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men place an unfair burden on those who serve, including reservists whose families, careers, and livelihoods suffer from repeated call-ups.

Considering the number of Orthodox youth who do serve, often with distinction, it is obvious that religious needs can be accommodated without perpetuating a system in which large segments of the population avoid obligations borne by others. A government that protects coalition arrangements at the expense of military readiness and fairness is failing its citizens.

Third, tolerating violence by Jewish extremists against Palestinians in Judea and Samaria would further damage Israel’s security and international standing. Attacks, intimidation, and property destruction are indefensible. When perpetrators are not effectively investigated and prosecuted, the government undermines the principle that everyone is equal before the law.

That Netanyahu’s two extremist allies, Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, openly encourage the growing settler violence is obvious from their statements and actions. Recently, Ben Gvir reportedly rushed to the scene to support a group of settlers who had surrounded a police car in order to allow two men suspected of committing acts of terrorist violence to escape.

Israel must protect innocent Palestinians and hold offenders accountable, regardless of their political or religious affiliations. Failure to do so fuels resentment, complicates security cooperation, undermines prospects for peace, and strengthens international perceptions that Israel applies different standards to different populations.

Antisemitism is never justified by Israeli policy, and responsibility for antisemitic prejudice rests with antisemites. Nevertheless, government actions can influence international attitudes and give those seeking to demonize Israel additional ammunition. Israel’s leaders should combat antisemitism while ensuring that their own policies reflect the Jewish values of justice, compassion, and human dignity.

Fourth, Netanyahu’s continued leadership can worsen Israel’s migration deficit and its growing international isolation. Regarding the latter, the Jewish People Policy Institute reports that 110 sanctions have already been imposed on Israel by 54 countries, and at least nine more sanctions are being proposed. To understand how widespread Israel’s isolation is becoming, the newspaper Haaretz noted that “the only continent not currently imposing sanctions on Israel is Antarctica.” Israel’s long-term security depends on maintaining strong, positive relationships with the world’s nations, but it has become a pariah instead, and Netanyahu and his extremist ministers are responsible for that.

Regarding the migration deficit, Israel’s strength depends on retaining talented citizens, not losing them. It depends, as well, on attracting immigrants, encouraging investment, and maintaining strong relationships with democratic allies. Political instability, weakening democratic institutions, and the toleration of extremism can undermine confidence in the country’s future.

Israel cannot afford to lose more of its human capital because citizens believe that their country is moving in the wrong direction. It needs to be a nation thatJews want to be a contributing part to, but only if they can envision a secure and prosperous future for themselves and their nation.

Fifth, another Netanyahu victory could further diminish the prospects for normalization with Saudi Arabia and other Muslim nations. Agreements with them could bring enormous diplomatic, economic, and security benefits, strengthen regional cooperation against shared threats, and expand Israel’s acceptance in the Middle East.

Achieving this goal will be difficult if Israel continues expanding settlements, tolerating violence against Palestinians, and avoiding a credible path toward resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Saudi Arabia and other potential partners have their own strategic considerations, but meaningful progress toward a negotiated two-state solution would improve the prospects for normalization and strengthen Israel’s relationships with the United States, Europe, and moderate Arab states.

Israel should not sacrifice these historic opportunities to satisfy far-right coalition partners who oppose meaningful compromise. A sustainable peace with the Palestinians and stronger regional partnerships are strategic necessities, not acts of weakness.

The choice facing Israel is ultimately larger than Netanyahu. It is a choice between entrenching policies that weaken democracy, burden the military, tolerate extremism, and deepen isolation—or pursuing a course that strengthens Israel’s institutions, security, international standing, and prospects for peace.

Israelis should demand leaders who put national interests above personal and political survival, enforce the law equally, share the burdens of citizenship fairly, and pursue a negotiated two-state resolution that protects Israel’s future as a secure, democratic Jewish state.

Netanyahu might emerge from another election with greater political power. But if that victory perpetuates these destructive trends, it will be a victory for one politician at the expense of the nation he leads.

Israel does not need another victory for Bibi. It needs a victory for Israel.