JERUSALEM — Israelis may have to go again to the polls next March, the third time within less than a year. Neither the center-right of Benny Gantz nor the right-right of Binyamin Netanyahu were able to cobble together a coalition. The result is continued political instability in the land in the face of growing belligerence by Iran’s stooges on Israel’s northern and southern borders. There’s also considerable expense involved in holding an election. The money could be spent better on more worthy causes.
Prejudices determine whom of the politicians we wish to blame for the failure to agree to work together in a coalition for the good of the country. My prejudice points at the sitting prime minister. His sometimes near-hysterical outbursts, like those against the Arab party in the Knesset, suggest that he wants to remain prime minister not only because of his craving for power but also as a protection against being prosecuted for the abuse of his power.
There’s, therefore, a case for dropping charges against him on the understanding that, having just celebrated his 70th birthday, it’s time for him to retire and make money on the American lecture circuit. His friend Professor Alan Dershowitz, the distinguished jurist famous for having defended dubious characters in the United States, has argued that, from a legal point of view, Netanyahu hasn’t done anything wrong, implying that the prime minister’s contention that the police and the judiciary are after him may be justified.
As I’ve suggested before, sending another prime minister to prison is bad for the country. Therefore, any legal way out of the situation should be welcomed by the public. I surmise that the attorney general could find a way out if he wanted to. But perhaps, like so many others who have worked for Netanyahu in the past, he also has unfinished business with him.
If Netanyahu goes free on conditions that that he leaves office, there’s a good chance that even at this late stage a stable unity government can be formed by the Knesset. It would serve the country well. The question is whether serving the country well matters enough to power grabbing politicians of whom there’re seems to be many in this country.
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Rabbi Dow Marmur is spiritual leader emeritus of Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto, Canada. Now a resident citizen of Israel, he may be contacted via dow.marmur@sdjewishworld.com