So, Why are We Heading to Elections Again? Hubris, Bibi and the Men in Black

So, why are we heading for elections again? There are three main reasons, hubris, Bibi and the men in black. Winston Churchill famously observed about democracy, “democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” Israel’s current proportional representation system effectively precludes any single party from gaining a majority of 61 seats in the Knesset.

Let’s start with hubris. Two Zionist centrist parties with similar outlooks on many issues, namely the Likud and the Blue and White party could, in theory, have formed a Zionist national unity government without any of the non-Zionist, religious or extreme left or right parties. They didn’t, mainly because of hubris. The leaders’ egos would not let them do what is good for the country, namely, form a strong centrist Zionist government.

Second: Bibi. Bibi is the “Marmite” of Israeli politics, you either love him or hate him. There is no middle ground. He is a polarising character, but as many acknowledge there seems to be a real difficulty finding an alternative leader. However, no single person is bigger than the state.

Finally, the Ultra-Orthodox, non-Zionist, men in black. The bottom line is that this particular section of society only has two agendas on their “wish list.” The first is that receive vast amounts of state funding for their institutions, and the second is that their youth not bear the burden of any type of national service either military or civilian. Zionism, inclusiveness, or the welfare of all the state’s inhabitants have absolutely no place in their agenda.

Note to all politicians: Please check your egos at the Knesset door and selflessly think about what is good for our beloved country.

I have no other country
Until she renews her glorious days
Until she will open her eyes
I have no other country.