It’s not about you

It’s about us! Am Yisrael!

I usually stay away from politics when I’m writing, but everyone has his/her limits.

When I hear about politicians who will not join a unity government unless they receive a specific portfolio, I just want to slap them.

It’s not about you, it’s about us!

This country has been without a functioning government for the past two years due to sinat chinam, baseless hatred. Even though his hands were tied, Netanyahu still managed to overcome the corona crisis and to stick it to the Iranians more than once. He even succeeded in getting Jonathan Pollard to Israel. And he “made peace” with the Saudis. But during this time, we were also involved in a war- with enemies from inside the country and out. Hospitals and schools are going bankcrupt, old age pensioners, many of them Holocaust survivors, live on a pittance, and often have to choose whether to buy medications or food; and the handicapped are still demonstrating. Where were you, Bibi?

Now don’t get me wrong, I love this country and I really like Benyamin Netanyahu — I voted for him many, many times. Except for the last time. Because you disappeared on us, Bibi. You just vanished. Maybe you were tied up with your legal problems, or your children or your wife, or your residences. But you stopped acting like our Prime Minister. You spent more time at the airport waiting for a photo-op with the deliveries of the vaccine than you did in the Knesset.

You forgot that it’s not about you—it’s about us. You even chose a date for the fifth election! Did you think it would turn out differently than the last one? You know the definition of insanity is that you keep doing the same thing over and over and expect a different result. Well, if no one else was going to budge, I decided to be the first one. And I voted for someone else.

It was not an easy decision. I come from an old-time Zionist Revisionist family. I remember my late father telling us how he attended the funeral of Ze’ev Jabotinsky in New York in 1940. That was over 80 years ago. And we never forgot. When we got to Israel we voted Likud. We never forgot, but you did, Bibi. You forgot that your responsibility is to your people, not yourself. You forgot that your responsibility is to your country, all of it, including the periphery, the development towns, and the settlements on the Gaza border. Worst of all, you forgot that we are not stupid. We may not be as smart as you, but we are tired of having a ghost as a prime minister, we are tired of going to elections, and if you can’t form a government, then graciously step down and make room for someone else. Because then I would have voted Liklud again.

You couldn’t form a government, Bibi, so someone else had to do it. And he did.

And then it started all over again, the game of “cry baby”. If I can’t be the minister of this or that portfolio, then I won’t play. Even if they offered you to be a minister of the Knesset cafeteria, step up and take it. Because it’s not about you, Ayelet. It’s about us

We want a government. We deserve a government. We need a government.

We finally have a government without extremists. We have a little bit of right-wing, a little left-wing, some kipot, some Russians, Ethiopians, Arabs—maybe they can make it work this time. Give them a chance. They deserve a chance. And kol hakavod to Naftali, the only one who made the effort to form a government. Running back and forth between party leaders, holding all-night meetings making deals, breaking deals, until he was finally able to get a majority. Well done, Naftali. I didn’t vote for you this time, but maybe I will in another four years.