A Fickle Israeli Year

Tishrei: A second election within six months was held. Blue and White garnered 33 seats, Likud 32. Many Israelis assumed that this time, Yisrael Beiteinu would join Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition. It didn’t happen. Nothing happened. The second election was just the prelude to the third. 

Cheshvan: Sirens were heard in the Golan Heights. Israel launched attacks on Syria; Iranian forces reciprocated by firing rockets. These attacks and counterattacks occurred throughout the year. Israel insisted on not allowing Iran to establish a stronghold in Syria. Iran insisted on doing just that. COVID-19 pushed all these conflicts to the sidelines, but nothing was resolved. 

Kislev: Right before the start of the month, Netanyahu was indicted. Everyone knew it was coming, and yet, when it happened, everything changed: political calculations, voters’ perceptions, the tone of public discourse. Suddenly, the battle between Likud and the legal system raged as never before. It continued to rage as the trial date drew closer (evidentiary hearings are slated to begin in January 2021). 

Tevet: “One decision by one administration, whose actions are unpredictable, changed the calculus of the region and made the projections of experts dubious, if not obsolete.” These were my words when the United States killed Iran’s Gen. Qassem Soleimani, head of that nation’s elite Quds Force, in a precision airstrike at Baghdad International Airport. No one knew what to expect when Soleimani was killed. No one knew that within a short period of time, it would seem like old, almost irrelevant news. 

Shevat: President Donald Trump had a new Middle East peace plan. It was revolutionary. The Palestinians could receive a state if they agreed to accept that no Israeli settlement would be evacuated; Jerusalem would remain Israel’s undivided capital under Israeli jurisdiction but a Palestinian capital would be established in East Jerusalem. However, there would be no “right of return” for the Palestinians. Luckily, Israel was never forced to officially accept the plan — not all Israelis agree to Palestinian statehood even under such relatively favorable terms — because the Palestinians hurry to reject it. 

No one knew what to expect when Soleimani was killed. No one knew that within a short period of time, it would seem like old, almost irrelevant news. 

Adar: A third election took place under the growing shadow of a new pandemic. After some haggling, a unity government was formed. Netanyahu committed himself to rotation and agreed to allow Blue and White’s Benny Gantz to become prime minister after 18 months. The public was rightly dubious but pleased there was a break from the constant electioneering. 

Nissan: Israelis spent Pesach in small groups. They observed pandemic regulations. They were proud to see their country was in better shape than most others. This would be a short-lived triumph. Strangely, the interim government, before unity, handled COVID-19 with poise and determination, but when the emergency unity government took command, chaos and petty political infighting gradually took over.

Iyar: The country got used to a new political map. Blue and White split, with half joining the coalition, half staying with Yair Lapid as head of the opposition. The right-wing bloc also split. Yamina wasn’t invited into the coalition, and became an aggressive opposition party. By the end of the year, Yamina’s rise appeared to be the political story to follow. 

Sivan: Annexation was the buzz word in policy circles. Did the government truly intend to annex territory in Judea and Samaria? The answer seemed to be yes — for a while. Then maybe, then probably not. Then no, but there was something else instead. Some thought that an opportunity was lost. Others believed that Israel gained twice: It did not complicate its own situation by initiating annexation and signing a normalization deal with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. 

Tammuz: The protest season began in Tel Aviv and moved to Jerusalem. Tens of thousands of Israelis called for Netanyahu’s ouster, most of whom are his political opponents; there were dozens of arrests. They protested in large gatherings, sometimes with masks, often without, and the prime minister ignored their anger. The protests — currently in their 12th week — are ongoing. The Jerusalem Post reported on Aug. 29 that there were anti-Netanyahu protests in 18 cities around the world including Boston, New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Vancouver, Amsterdam, Paris, Madrid, Oslo and Berlin. For now, the only beneficiaries are ultra-Orthodox politicians who argue that as long as protesters are allowed to gather, there is no reason to prevent worshippers from gathering at synagogues. And so, the pandemic continued to spread. 

Av: Israel was slated to establish official and much closer relations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It would also forgo its plans to annex parts of Judea and Samaria in the West Bank. In a few weeks, Bahrain would join this convoy of Arab nations normalizing relations with Israel, and a ceremony at the White House would mark the achievement. Goodbye annexation, hello normalization. In a year of mostly bad news, this was a sliver of good news. 

Elul: The government almost fell then survived the pandemic’s spread. The government seemed hopeless and confused. Toward the end of the month, it moved to impose a second full closure — the first country in the world to do so. Before doing so, it became the country with the most infected people per capita. Two records not to be proud of. The year ended; the chaos continued. History is never chained by calendars. 

Rosh Hashanah: Proportion is essential. This was a challenging year; bad, but not the worst ever. With luck, when the pandemic is under control and the economy recovers, we might even remember it with bemusement and slight nostalgia: “Remember the year of the pandemic?” For now, the difficulties are too tangible to expand on such thoughts. 

In tractate Megillah of the Talmud, Rabbi Shimon ben Eleazar tells us that Ezra the scribe instructed that Jews read the Torah portion of the curses (in Deuteronomy) before Rosh Hashanah. The Talmud asks: What is the reason for this? The answer, by Abaye, and some say it was Reish Lakish, is so that the year may conclude with its curses, and a new year may begin without them. Tickle Shanah Ve’Killeloteha. May the year end, along with its curses, and a new year begin with its blessings.

Shmuel Rosner is senior political editor.