Last week I had some extraordinary experiences in Ohio involving Amish country, America’s last remaining Noah’s Ark workshop, and an encounter with the most formidable and unsettling creature I’ve ever met. I’m so excited to write about it!
But on the other hand, we’re right up to the Israeli elections. And much as many people are sick of the topic, and want to hear about anything else aside from Bibi, I feel obligated to make some final points.
Over the past few months I’ve explained several reasons why although I (and many others) used to be an ardent Bibi-supporter and voted for him several times, we now feel differently, because he and the Likud have since changed drastically for the worse. There’s the appalling corruption and lack of professional governance which, but for a miracle, would just recently have led to the worst security disaster since October 7th. There’s the enabling of the charedi freeloading lifestyle which is dead-set on collapsing the economy and the military. There’s the enabling of the far-right and its reckless insanity which even Bibi, astonishingly, just admitted will lead to massively damaging economic sanctions (which he has a very unrealistic plan to avoid).
But, for argument’s sake, let’s put all that aside. Let’s say that you believe that Bibi is nevertheless the best-qualified person to lead the country, or even the only qualified person. He’s certainly an extremely skilled politician, and nobody else comes close to his level of experience. Would it not then follow that you should vote for Likud (or for a party that wants him to lead a coalition)?
And the answer is no, absolutely not. For two reasons.
First is that you’re not voting for a prime minister. You’re not even voting for a party. You’re voting for a coalition.
Voting for Bibi necessarily means empowering the incompetent and corrupt Likud MKs (they don’t even have a platform!), the anti-Zionist charedi freeloading, the lunatic antics of the far-right that causes so much national and international harm, and so on. Whereas voting for one of the non-coalition parties means empowering the opposite of that - people who are Zionists, who are professionals, who place the national interest above sectoral or personal interests.
The second reason not to vote for Bibi is that even the best political leader - davka the best political leader - must take responsibility and face consequences for major failures.
This is a point that Daniel Goldman makes well in a Jerusalem Post op-ed titled “The Buck Stops Nowhere.” As he points out, “We would not accept this behavior anywhere else. We would not accept it from a child, a friend, a colleague, or an employee. We would not accept it from the CEO of the smallest business. A manager whose company suffered its worst disaster on his watch, who refused any independent investigation and blamed everyone but himself, would not survive.”
And it would make no difference if there is no clear better candidate available. If there is zero accountability, if power is assured based on loyalty and cronyism, then there is never any overriding need to perform well. Even an otherwise inferior candidate would make a better choice for CEO, since he actually has an overwhelming incentive not to mess up and be fired like his predecessor.
Yet what if there is no alternative candidate who is at all close to that level of competence? Well, either that is the case in Israel or it’s not. If it’s not - if Eisenkott, Bennett and Lieberman are basically competent, as I believe they are - then there’s nothing to discuss.
But if it is indeed the case - if it is true that Bibi has ensured that there is nobody else remotely qualified to lead the country (because he demolished all his rivals in the Likud and left it staffed by brainless stooges that even he doesn’t respect), then there is no greater demonstration of Bibi’s complete and utter prioritization of himself over the country’s survival. Because one thing we can all agree on is that Bibi won’t be around forever. So is the idea that after he dies, it’s the end of Israel?!
This is similar to Bibi’s claim that the total disaster of October 7th only happened because he wasn’t woken up in time. If you’re a good and responsible leader, you arrange things such that the country does not suffer an enormous national disaster if you’re temporarily unavailable!
Bibi has been in power for sixteen of the last twenty years. Israel has suffered the greatest disaster since the Holocaust, came within a hairsbreadth of the second-worst, along with the greatest civilian disaster in Israel’s history. Most of the people still in his coalition are corrupt cronyists, reckless extremists, and anti-Zionist freeloaders.
It’s essential for there to be a change. You might not be a fan of Eisenkott, Bennett or Lieberman, but they are all competent, they are all Zionists, they are all opposed to empowering anti-Zionists, and they are all surrounded by excellent, dedicated professionals, including religious Jews who understand what Torah is actually about. In my opinion, it is of paramount importance to vote for one of their parties - Yashar, B’Yachad, or Yisrael Beiteinu.
(Yoaz Hendel and Einat Wilf are also superb candidates, but it is unclear if their Reservists Party will cross the threshold. I’m not sure what to think about Ofer Winter’s party, but I fear that ultimately they will simply go along with whatever Bibi wants.)
The only other party that I think an excellent case can be made for supporting is HaTzibur HaCharedi. Even if they don’t cross the threshold, it’s immensely beneficial for them to get as many votes as possible, to at least get the charedi leadership to take notice. HaTzibur HaCharedi are the ones best positioned to start the difficult process of changing a community that weakens the country in all kinds of ways into a community that helps and strengthens it.
I can’t wait to be able to get back to the Amish, arks and ferocious beasts!
This does not understand the Israeli electoral system. A vote for anyone---like perhaps the parties willing to join with Likud to for a Government---serves no purpose and will keep the current Prime Minister in office.