This week, Israel was dealt a harsh dose of reality. The targeted airstrike of a senior Islamic Jihad commander in Gaza – and the vicious rocket attacks from Gaza – reminded Israelis that they still live in a jungle. The Israeli villa is surrounded by real enemies. It is not situated anywhere near Europe, but in the old, bellicose Middle East.
In these brutal surroundings, Israel cannot be divided and polarized. Its leaders cannot continue to engage in petty politics and incessant intrigue. To survive and thrive, the Jewish state must conduct itself in a completely different manner than it is currently conducting itself.
Moreover, the harsh dose of reality was only a preview. We have yet to see the full film. The hundreds of rockets that rained down on Ashkelon and Ashdod caused tremendous pain and suffering, but what Israel experienced this week was only a small altercation with a relatively feeble adversary. The Islamic Jihad is the weaker of terror organizations on Israel’s least dangerous front. In the hierarchy of enemies, above Islamic Jihad is Hamas, and above Hamas is Hizbollah, and above Hizbollah are the Quds Force and the Revolutionary Guard Corps. The real perils facing Israel are the old-new existential threat of Iran’s nuclear ambition; the semi-existential threat of precision weapons; and the comprehensive threat of a comprehensive campaign against the regime of the Ayatollahs. Because when Israel’s most bitter enemies acquire the capabilities to target Tel Aviv, Haifa and Ben Gurion airport – Israel finds itself on the cusp of a new era. A decade of strategic stability may soon be replaced by a decade of interminable instability.
Facing these external threats, the internal threat grows even greater. Tribalism becomes dangerous. The leadership crisis becomes an imminent national security problem. Given all this, it is imperative to form a broad national unity government. Clear-eyed and liberal. Staunch and moral. Stable and stabilizing. Powerful and empowering.
In a fine Mandate-era villa on Balfour Street in Jerusalem sits a sad man who understands all this. In a modest cottage in a leafy neighborhood of Rosh Ha’ayin sits a worried man who also understands all this. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue-and-White leader Benny Gantz are still finding it hard to have a frank conversation. To look one another in the eye. To overcome mutual suspicions – and set about forming a new government.
It is important to understand: a photograph of the two Benjamins (Netanyahu and Gantz) working together side-by-side is enough to bring about a political big bang. A duly signed joint declaration of principles can fundamentally alter the mindset of most Israelis. Just as the appointment of Moshe Dayan as Defense Minister prior to the Six-Day War moved Israel from national despondency to national confidence, so can a unity government do now. It will immediately calm Israel – and moderate its more parlous inclinations. After a decade of civil discord, a Two-Benjamin government can begin a true process of Israeli reconciliation.
A decisive majority of Israelis yearn for unity. They understand that the only way to heal Israel’s wounds is to tackle its challenges. But if the leaders of Likud and Blue and White do manage to come together – a minority of Israelis will see red. The far right will accuse Netanyahu of defection, of joining the fifth column. The far left will accuse Gantz of betrayal, of striking a deal with the devil. Extremists on the right and left – and professional rabble rousers – will give these two patriots hell in order to curtail any chance of national unity.
To contend with this intense opposition, Netanyahu and Gantz must first address the corruption charges that have ensnared the outgoing prime minister. They must make clear that theirs will be a government of the rule of law. They must vow that under no circumstances will there be immunity form prosecution. And they must affirm that Netanyahu will hand the premiership to Gantz by the summer of 2020.
But Netanyahu and Gantz must do much more. Their joint government cannot simply divide ministries between its members, and continue a long tradition of bickering and backstabbing. It must propose a big idea, offer a new vision-of-unity.
The first tenet of this vision should be strategic: mobilizing national resources for the anticipated escalation of the struggle against Iran. The second tenet should be diplomatic: utilizing the favorable conditions created by covert alliances with Sunni Arabs to secure a regional stability framework and draft a realistic Israeli-Palestinian roadmap. The third tenet should be structural: raising the electoral threshold for parliament so that Israel’s new political system will have only four powers: A center-right party, a center-left party, a Haredi party and an Arab party. The fourth tenet should be civil: protecting the secular-traditional majority from religious coercion, and protecting the religious minority from secular hate. The fifth tenet should look to the middle of the 21st century: specifically, how to integrate the Haredi and Arab minorities into the Israel of 2048; and how to plan a future Israel that will allow all Israelis to live together in a decent, dignified human environment.
A vision-of-unity is a national necessity. Without it, Israel will find it difficult to face the coming storm. But a vision-of-unity is also an immediate political necessity. It will allow Netanyahu and Gantz to prove that they are not simply looking for an easy workplace arrangement, but are intent on joining forces for the good of the State of Israel. Only such vision will allow Netanyahu and Gantz to do the right thing – and succeed.
