The recent elections in Israel are an obvious new low point in its prolonged crisis of governance and leadership. This crisis is rooted in an electoral system, which generates constant instability, a fragmented government and Knesset and weak capacity to govern effectively. Its reform should be a top priority of the next government.
The first step is simple: the head of the largest party should be the prime minister without needing to receive a vote of confidence from the Knesset.
The symptoms of Israel’s crisis are evident. In the past decade, approximately ten different people served as ministers in major portfolios such as finance, infrastructure, transportation or communications. These short tenures compromised the ability to design and implement policy as politicians are weaker than the civil service, reforms are announced but not implemented, and long-term policies are often avoided. As General Giora Eiland, former National Security Advisor, frames it: “designing policy in Israel is like writing poetry while standing on a ball”.
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General
Amit Granek
Yuval Holtzmann
Ronit Gudes
Gidi Grinstein
Gaddy Weissman
Calev Ben Dor
Yossi Horesh
Dana Preisler
Omri Dagan
Eran Shayshon
Liran Bainvol
Merav Pick
Noa Ecker
Netaly Ophir
Yariv Mann
Reut Institute
Omri Zegen
Yael Weisz
Toni Hasson
Talia Gorodess
Gil Murciano
Anat Horowitz
Abed Assli
Daphna Kaufman
Shay Gurion
Elad Leshem
Aliza Petrack
Jessica Brandt
Yael Brendel
Martin Ben Moreh
yotamhacohen
Why were these elections so bad? The election results were pretty clear. Netanyahu is clearly leading the largest bloc of parties, and will have no problem getting 61 members, either with the right or with Kadima.
I am not saying that Israel does not have a governance problem. However, stating that “Recent Elections Epitomize Israel’s Crisis of Governance” without a solid argument behind it, hurts your legitimate claim for governance change.
J – the election results were not clear. The largest single party was Kadima, but the party with the best chance – theoretically – of forming a government is the Likud.
Secondly, it is misleading to talk about Netanyahu “leading” a bloc of parties. There are significant differences between Likud on the one hand, and the more extreme right-wing parties on the other. In many practical ways, the pragmatic Likud is closer to Kadima than to Habayit Hayehudi for example.
Paul, there is nothing in the law about the largest single party. For her own reasons, Livni misled others to believe it makes a difference – but it does not. The law only talks about the person with the best chance of forming a government, who is clearly, as you said, Netanyahu. Hence our election system did not fail us this time.
Your political analysis in the second paragraph is sound, but it is not relevant here. What is important is that those right-winged parties are going to say “Bibi” to president Peres. And with them and Lieberman, Bibi will have more than 61 seats and should be chosen to form a government. Whether he chooses to work with Kadima or the extreme right-wind – that’s Netanyahu’s decision.