The Elections in Israel – and the Reaction to the Elections

Over the past few months, Israel has been suffering a rise in terrorist attacks against its civilians, leaving several civilian and military casualties. The attacks were perpetrated mainly by Palestinian terrorists, who abuse working permits in Israel to kill innocent people. 

Last week a sixteen-year-old Yeshiva Student was murdered while waiting for a bus in Jerusalem. The week before, three Israeli civilians were stabbed and rammed to death in the city of Ariel. The events highlight the need for a stable government in Israel, which will meet the security challenges head on and reinstate the power of deterrence.  

On October 30th, the president of Israel, Isaac Herzog, assigned the task of forming a government to MK Benjamin Netanyahu. While many columnists analyzed the elections in Israel, most of them remarkably overlooked the domestic issues at the core of the elections.

The will of the people is decisive. Very few states in the Middle East have such a political system by which the will of the people can topple a Prime Minister and then reinstate him according to the popular vote.

The election process is first and foremost a demonstration of the vibrant democracy in Israel. The will of the people determined in the previous elections to prevent a majority to Netanyahu, and in the most recent elections resolved to return that majority to Netanyahu. The will of the people is decisive. Very few states in the Middle East have such a political system by which the will of the people can topple a Prime Minister and then reinstate him according to the popular vote. 

The chanting at the political party conventions was “Meshilut” meaning “Governance.” It was a clear reference to the issues of security and domestic reforms in the judicial system. They will most probably be the highest priority items on the agenda of the next government. 

In addition to the terrorist attacks, in the Southern district of the Negev, farmers find themselves under constant attacks from Arab neighbors. Farmers spend the night in their tractors in order to protect their equipment and produce, their livelihood. The Zionist Religious party identified this issue as one of grave concern, and addressed it forcefully. This political stand was one of the foremost reasons for the rise of that party, under the leadership of Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir.

Internal judicial reforms were also an important element. Many feel that the criminal justice system has been weaponized for political reasons. There is a growing lack of confidence in the impartiality of the prosecution in Israel, especially since the case of the murder of the young school girl Tair Rada, the indictments against Netanyahu and the sidelining of the judicial monitoring body. There is a call for additional accountability in the Israeli criminal justice system and increased clarity in indictment clauses. Regardless of where one sits politically, all are legitimate issues for public discourse and debate. Most of the reforms called for are already part of democratic systems, including in the United States of America. 

Even before the government has been set up, and before policy has been established, numerous articles have been authored, maliciously defaming and delegitimizing the elected government, some even calling it an appalling “coalition of racists.” It is felt in Israel that what is appalling is the rush to cast premature accusations against a legitimate democratically elected government. Most of the discrediting articles ignore Palestinian terrorism and overlook the achievements of previous Netanyahu governments, among them normalization of relations with additional Arab countries and establishing Israel as a global leader in innovation.  

Those critics even extract outdated accusations against Israel for the lack of peace with the Palestinians, ignoring the fact that Israel, also under Netanyahu, relinquished territories for peace while receiving no peace, that the Palestinians rejected every peace deal offered, that the Palestinian authority continues to cultivate an environment of hatred and incitement and that Hamas, a central element in Palestinian society, opposes peace in any borders.

In contrast to several columnists airing concern regarding a shift in Israeli politics to the far right, the truth is that a deeper understanding of the situation in Israel does not lead to that conclusion. Already in the previous government there was a sturdy block of conservative members of Knesset, more than 70 strong. Naftali Bennet, the former Prime Minister, ran on a conservative platform, stating that he is “more right than Bibi.”    

Much of the accusations are on the basis of one elected official, namely Itamar Ben Gvir. He has a problematic past. He did belong to the outlawed Kahane party, was indicted for radical rightwing activity and did issue in the past radical statements. Yet, since then, he publicly rescinded his past, expressed regrets for his past actions and stated publicly that he no longer adheres to his past platforms. For these reasons, he was approved for candidacy by the Supreme Court of Israel.

If one relied on the system when it acted against extremism and even arrested Itamar Ben Gvir in the past, one must rely on the system when it approves him.  

Those who criticize forget that under the previous Lapid and Bennet government, the Arab Ra’am party was part of the coalition. This party has been accused by many in Israel of having a history of affiliation with the extreme Muslim Brotherhood. The concerned voices of today did not raise their concern then. They relied on the fact that despite their problematic history the Supreme Court approved the party’s running for elections. The same should hold true for Itamar Ben Gvir. If one relied on the system when it acted against extremism and even arrested Itamar Ben Gvir in the past, one must rely on the system when it approves him. It is no offense to be right wing. It is an offense to defame Israel and the elected PM of Israel with reckless accusations. 

We need to bolster true democratic tolerance in the political discourse. Respecting the vote of the people, even if it empowers the party that one does not support, is part of that tolerance. We do hope that the relative stability will deliver the security the people of Israel deserve, enhance Israel’s role as a global leader in innovation and facilitate an enhancing of normalization of relations in the Middle East.

Hillel Newman is the Consul General of The Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles.