The new Zionist center (AKA the Blue and White party) has clear national goals: to secure Israel’s future as a strong, thriving and just Jewish democratic state. To unite Israeli society. To restore the Israeli republic. To welcome minorities into the fold, and to empower individuals. To improve education, and rejuvenate healthcare. To define a border. To create an exemplary nation of moral principle, excellence, equality and fraternity.
But the Zionist center (and its supporter on the Left) also has a fervent desire: anyone but Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu. To eject the stalwart Right-wing leader. To remove the black prince who has turned the people against the hegemony of the Tel Aviv elite. To run out of town the false prophet who incited, divided and succeeded. To get rid of the demon. To burn the sorcerer at the stake.
Over the last few months the temptation of anyone-but-Bibi has overcome the dedication to national goals. It has given rise to the formula of a secular-unity government. It has led to the elevation of the ultra-nationalist Avigdor Lieberman. And it has given birth to the belief that it is possible to form a coalition government without Netanyahu and without the Haredim. This farfetched belief is based on three assumptions: the Likud party will rise up against its leader (Netanyahu); the Likud’s new leader will team up with Blue and White; and this leader will agree to share the premiership with (the leader of Blue and White) Benny Gantz.
The problem is that none of these assumptions hold water. In fact, they are all illusions.
The first illusion: there is no shortage of condescension, sanctimony and self-righteousness in Blue and White’s demand that Likud behead its elected chairperson. And Likudniks abhor condescension, sanctimony and self-righteousness. Indeed, the middle name of their party is loyalty. A tight-knit if stormy family, the Likud is (almost) always loyal to its patriarch. The chances that the Likud central committee will obey the command of a rival party of former commanders-in-chief — and lead a revolt — are slim. This is not a reasonable working plan. It is wishful thinking. A chimera. A mid-autumn’s-night dream.
The second illusion: assuming the highly improbable happens — the younger challenger Gideon Sa’ar ousts Netanyahu. Champagne bottle are opened. The upper deciles of affluent Israelis celebrate. The editorial boards of most newspapers rejoice. Tel Aviv makes merry into the night. And then what? Is there any real chance that Sa’ar would agree to a secular-unity government? No, nada. Sa’ar is no idiot. He wants to occupy the prime minister’s residence on Balfour Street in Jerusalem, for at least a decade. He know that the key to such a long lease is in the hands of the ultra-Orthodox and ultra-Nationalist parties. He would not conceive of trading a robust alliance with these parties for a fleeting adventure with Blue and White. So when the sun rises and the hangover passes, the center-Left will discover that its working plan was nothing but wishful thinking. A chimera. A mid-autumn’s-night dream.
The third illusion: Benny Gantz is a strange bird in Israeli politics: decent, honest, pure-of-heart. It’s the reason the public loves him, and it’s the reason politicians and journalists are suspicious of him. So why do a string of sophisticated players support him? Because he is the anti-Bibi. He is the secret weapon with which to eliminate Netanyahu. But the minute Netanyahu is gone, so will the need for Gantz. From Right to Left, from front to back, he will be hounded. And when that happens, Sa’ar will place a call to Lieberman, and the two will work out a deal. They will then close ranks with Rabbi Aryeh (Deri) of Shas, Rabbi Rafi (Peretz) of the Jewish Home party, and Rabbi Ya’acov (Litzman) of the United Torah party. And when this new coalition government, of Sa’ar, Lieberman, Haredim and nationalists, is sworn in, Benny Gantz will be history. Blue and White will become a party of useful fools. What befell the old Zionist center (Dash) and the previous Zionist center (Kadima) will now befall to the new Zionist center.
The irony is profound: because of the strange political stalemate brought about by the September 2019 elections, the realization of half of Blue and White’s dream is dependent on a temporary co-existence with its arch-enemy.
So the choice Blue and White must make is clear and cruel. Either it fosters a strong, thriving and just Jewish democratic states, or it adheres to the anyone-but-Bibi credo. Either it unites Israeli society and re-energizes the body politic, or it brings to the formation of a Rightist-ultra-Orthodox-ultra-nationalist government. While it may be tempting to hate Netanyahu, and to want nothing more than to spurn him, the price will be high: the disintegration of the Israeli republic. The loss of all political hope.
