Israel’s Grand Unification Theory

Israel has once again demonstrated that it is much better at holding elections than forming governments.

The election resolved one question but created another: how do we turn an electorate divided into mutually incompatible political blocs into a government capable of confronting Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, Turkey, domestic crime, the Haredi military-service question and the continuing dispute over the role and powers of Israel’s judiciary.

I have a modest proposal.

Well, perhaps not so modest.

I call it the Israel’s Grand Unification Theory.

In physics, Grand Unification Theory attempts to explain how three of nature’s fundamental forces, the electromagnetic, weak and strong forces, were once unified as a single force. Add gravity to the equation and physicists get even more ambitious: a proposed “Theory of Everything.”

Israel’s political universe has plenty of forces too: the Likud-led right, Religious Zionism, the Haredi parties, Eisenkot’s Yashar and the center, the liberal left, and the Arab parties.

They disagree about almost everything. Some cannot even contemplate sitting together. In physics terminology, the repulsive force is working extremely well. What we’re missing is a force powerful enough to bind the system together.

So, I propose the following model for the Israel’s Grand Unification Theory.

1. UNITY – Create a Unity Government led by Likud and Yashar, the others will be invited to join.
2. ROTATION – Netanyahu will serve as Prime Minister for the duration of President Trump’s term (or until 2028 elections in the US – this can be negotiated)
3. TRANSITION – At the agreed rotation date, Netanyahu will step down as Prime Minister and Eisenkot will automatically assume the office. Netanyahu may retire from political life or remain as a regular MK, as agreed by the parties.
4. LEGAL – A mutually acceptable legal mechanism will be found to bring Netanyahu’s criminal proceedings to a definitive conclusion, without an admission of guilt and without political intervention in a judicial verdict.
5. STABILITY – In the past, it can be claimed that the unity governments were brought down prematurely. The coalition agreement would contain binding political and parliamentary mechanisms designed to prevent either side from engineering the premature collapse of the government before the agreed rotation.

No participant in such a government would get everything it wants. That is not a flaw in the theory; it is the theory.

What does Israel get in return?

A government capable of dealing with:

• • • Iran
    • Hamas
    • Hezbollah
    • the Houthis
    • Turkey
    • relations with Washington
    • Normalization and regional diplomacy
    • military/national service
    • judicial reform
    • Arab-community crime
    • economic reconstruction
    • Israel’s international standing
    • election reform
    • constitution

Israel’s problem is no longer a shortage of political forces. We have plenty of them. The problem is that those forces spend most of their energy pushing against one another.

The threats facing Israel do not care whether we are Likud, Yashar, religious, secular, Haredi, right, center or left. Iran does not care. Hamas does not care. Hezbollah does not care. The Houthis do not care.

Perhaps it is time that, on the most important questions, we cared a little less too.

Physics has spent a century searching for a force powerful enough to unite the others.

Israel could use one now.