In Israel’s pre-state years, Yitzhak Sadeh, commander of the Palmach and a founder of the IDF, famously wrote: “In the Land of Israel, the skies are always clear, but the political skies are always overcast.”
This reminds us that then, as now, politics was ugly and did not rise to the magnitude of the moment; then, as now, the gap between people’s awareness and the political reality was inconceivable; and then, as now, along with the ugliness of politics, many things happened that ultimately led the Jewish settlement to establish the State of Israel, to victory in the War of Independence, to the building of institutions and infrastructure critical to the prosperity of the state that was still in formation. Then, as now, the political skies were and continue to be overcast.
I try to convince myself that then, as now, we – the ordinary people from all sectors and fields of activity – will determine the direction in which things will go. We will pave the path forward to life after the war, to growth and prosperity.
Politics may be ugly and cloudy, but it is important. And it is impossible not to relate to the gap between the political reality and the reality of the ordinary person. There is a gap between the expectations of our families, made up of all sectors and opinions yet who still support each other, and the ugly wars being waged in the Knesset – shameful wars with everyone against everyone, sinking ever lower and lower.
The gap between the beautiful people and the ugly politics of their elected officials must be narrowed. After all, they are our elected officials who supposedly represent us. How is it possible that we are like this and they are so different? Israeli society has been revealing its greatness every day for the past 15 months. So how is it possible that our representatives are behaving like this? Are they not ashamed?
There is no need for a specific example, there are too many of them, and each day surpasses the last. Why is the dedication, sweetness, and goodwill of the people who dwell in Zion not expressed by our representatives in the Knesset and the government?
WHETHER WE identify with the coalition or the opposition parties, we must all prepare for the next elections, whenever they will be. They must reflect the change we have undergone since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas War. New parties must emerge, bringing in new faces. Even if some of the current MKs remain, it should be clear to them that things are different now.
Leave outdated politics behind
We want to leave the politics of October 6, 2023 behind. We demand substantive politics. We want politicians who speak and act for the sake of issues, not for the sake of an individual. We demand politics that does not have staged upheavals, along with a minimum of real shocks.
We ask for stability and security so that changes and reforms can be made with broad consensus, in a gradual manner. The agenda of the elected officials should make us all feel that Israel is our home and that there is a place for everyone here: Jews and Arabs, religious and secular, rural and urban dwellers, people of the book and laborers.
In 1920, Alexander Aaronsohn wrote: “At this serious moment, we must forget all the differences of opinion that exist between us. All our newspapers must cease all politics. At this moment, we must not stir up bitterness and opposition within our ranks. We are confident that all our press will know how to rise to the necessary height, and in the coming weeks, our enemies will face a unified front.
“On the one hand, we will stifle the despair that has crept into our hearts, and on the other hand, we will forge a truce between us...”
As then, today we must also call on the press to return to its role as the responsible adult: to be factual, not hysterical, not to stir up unnecessary drama, not to bring people to our screens who stir up strife and conflict, to help us with the internal truce.
Among large swaths of the population, a truce has been made, and more than that, there is a new alliance, a new consciousness that we are here together, for better or worse, and that we will be able to overcome all obstacles and differences of opinion.
How do I want to see Israel’s next leadership? It’s simple. It must give us all the feeling that we are at home, that this is our only place in the world. It must give us stability and security. We will take care of everything else.
The writer is a fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute.