I admit: when it comes to Blue and White, I can hardly be described as indifferent. My attitude toward Israel’s largest political party is heartfelt and warm. For 20 years, I waited for the founding of a centrist Zionist movement. For 10 years, I spoke to anyone who would listen about the imperative of paving an Israeli third way. Long before there was an actual organizing framework by this name – I thought blue-and-white, wrote blue-and-white, and advocated blue-and-white. So when the towering former general, Benny Gantz, embarked on his political journey, I followed it with great excitement.
I remember exactly where I was when Gantz gave his inaugural – and seminal – political speech (which promptly turned him into a leading contender for the premiership). And I remember exactly what I was doing when Gantz, Yair Lapid, Gabi Ashkenazi, and Moshe Ya’alon united forces (launching their winning political alliance). For me, Blue and White represents hope – perhaps Israel’s best hope for a bright future.
Given my enthusiasm, I am more than dismayed by Blue and White’s conduct over the last month. The party that was supposed to inspire unity, is instead stirring tribalism. The movement that was supposed to be rational and realistic, is mired in delusions. It is endangering itself – and the vision that it championed.
Let’s start from the beginning: Blue and White’s achievement at the ballot box is historic. Wondrous, almost miraculous. But it is not an incisive victory. There was no knockout, and therefore Blue and White does not have a solid majority. The truth is that Israelis sent two very different coalitions to the Knesset. One is an anti-Netanyahu coalition (with 65 mandates). The other is a rightist coalition (with 63 mandates). And what we are now witnessing is the the struggle between these two contradictory coalitions. As of this writing, we still do not know which of the two is the stronger coalition.
Then the following happened: Blue and White misread the political map. It acted as if its hard-fought, but modest win was a triumph on the scale of the Six-Day War. Done and dusted. In reality, the September 2019 election was a political Yom Kippur War. It resulted in a complicated, even confounding stalemate. It created a situation which calls for the cunning creativity of a 21st century Henry Kissinger: how to turn a bitter rivalry into a productive partnership.
Israel’s president, Reuven Rivlin, set forth the guidelines for just such a political compact. It certainly needs some substantial adjustments, but as things stand now, it is the only viable solution. One that would accomplish exactly what Blue and White promised to do: foster unity and renew solidarity.
Sadly, some of the young movement’s leaders refuse to understand this. They are enthralled by the idea of anyone-but-Netanyahu, and are fanning the flames of anyone-but-Netanyahu. As such, they have fallen under the spell of some fantastical scenarios: a minority government; a government with the outside support of the ultra-nationalist Avigdor Liberman and the Joint List Arab party; a rebellion in the Likud party, which would topple Netanyahu. None of these scenarios will come to pass. And adhering to them has produced a dangerous political paralysis. It may even bring to the formation of a Netanyahu-Lieberman-Bennet government.
At the heart of this impasse is Blue and White’s reluctance to set up house with Netanyahu, even for a short time. The reason for this is seemingly a moral one: Netanyahu is suspected of criminal wrongdoing, and Blue and White has proclaimed itself the party of the rule of law. But if Netanyahu is corrupt, and the justice system is sound – in a few months’ time, he will be gone. If Netanyahu is not corrupt, and the justice system is sound – he will be exonerated. (The insinuation that the justice system is not sound, and may convict Netanyahu wether he is guilty, or not – voiced recently by Justice Minister Amir Ohana – is something Blue and White’s leaders consider beyond the pale).
So why is Netanyahu so frightening? Do the three courageous former chiefs-of-staff (Gantz, Ashkenazi and Ya’alon) and their charismatic colleague (Lapid) really lack sufficient self confidence to work with Netanyahu for six months?
As the political deadlock continues, Israel must contend with significant challenges. The Iranian nuclear threat is back. Dozens of years of political and social division have weakened Israeli society. Precision weapons have made Haifa, Tel Aviv and ben Gurion airport vulnerable. Grave mistakes vis-a-vis the national budget, the United States, and world Jewry may soon exact a high price. There is no national planning – and no sense of the state taking care of its citizens. In the face of all this, can Blue and White truly narrow its agenda to anyone-but-Netanyahu? The outgoing prime minister may deserve this punishment. Not so Israel’s citizens.
Gantz, Lapid, Ashkenazi and Yaalon are thoughtful, principled leaders. They have done the unimaginable: rekindled hope. It is high time they find a way out of the imbroglio and focus on their most important mission: unity, reconciliation and progress.
