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By Naftali Bennett
Bennett Israel, the thirteenth prime minister.
A year and a half ago, I made a difficult decision: break with my political base and form a government with other people I never imagined running with in my wildest dreams.
Israel in one of its lowest moments, polarized and paralyzed: 4 rounds of elections in two years, major riots in Arab and mixed cities, and murders of Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs, as well as numerous wounded. The Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas had just fired rockets into Jerusalem after the annual flag parade through the Old City.
We had near-record unemployment and an unprecedented deficit. We had not voted on a budget for 3 years. Benjamin Netanyahu had failed to form a government, and we were days away from an election circular and real chaos.
I don’t vividly remember the moment, on a Saturday morning, when I made the decision. I asked my 4 children to point my wife, Gilat, and me in the kitchen. I told my family, “Your abba is about to target something, and I don’t even know if I’m going to succeed. Many other people, adding friends, will say many bad things about your abba. So I need you to know that I’m doing this for the smart guys. of Israel
A relentless propaganda crusade through opposition on social media and the mainstream media tried to break me and my party, Yamina. The tension worked. A few days before the critical vote, a member of my party fled. As a result, we were at the bare minimum necessary to form a new government.
On June 13, 2021, the Knesset voted to install the new government with a majority of 60 votes, with 59 votes against and one abstention. At the time, I was the premier of the most varied government in Israel’s history. Right and left, devout and secular, Jews and Arabs, all running together.
We passed a reform-rich budget, brought thousands of Israelis back to work, and reduced the inflated deficit to almost zero. We provide the quietest year in decades for the southern communities bombarded with rockets near the Gaza Strip. we have blocked a damaging nuclear deal with Iran that we estimate would have invested more than $200 billion in the terrorist regime’s coffers while slightly restricting its nuclear enrichment capabilities. We have accomplished this while maintaining strong bipartisanship in the United States. first country to distribute the third Covid reinforcement, paving the way for the rest of the world.
How did we do that?
I established the 70/70 rule.
About 70% of Israelis agree on 70% of the questions. We all agree that we want better trains and roads, more education, more protection and a lower burden of living. However, we disagree with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, faith and the status and desired nature of our legal system.
So my administration focused on achieving 70 percent, rather than arguing about issues we didn’t agree on. We have all agreed that this government will not insist on Israeli sovereignty over the territories or hand them over to the Palestinians. Similarly, we have made the decision not to legislate on devout or disputed legal issues.
When you neutralized the most politically sensitive issues, ministers on the left and right saw themselves as other people running for the good of Israel and not as the demons we call ourselves.
We call ourselves a government of the will. We prove to ourselves and those outside our coalition that other people with radically different political perspectives can work very well together. The world is more polarized than ever. The style we present is one of cooperation and unity. To go beyond your tribe for the intelligence of your nation.
Take Mansour Abbas, the leader of the Arab party, Raam. The first time I met him was in the weeks leading up to the formation of the government.
Netanyahu had secretly met with Abbas in his attempts to form a coalition. Before I met Mr. Abbas, I had a negative opinion of him. I think he supported terrorism. I heard many other people say that’s not true. I was told that he sincerely sought to create a pragmatic style for Israeli Arabs.
I called him and invited him to a meeting.
“What secret apartment are we in?” M. Abbas. Il used to snuggle up with other people secretly, because they didn’t need their conversations discovered.
“We will gather shamelessly in me in the Knesset,” I replied. You are not first class. I’m not ashamed to meet you. “
I discovered a brave leader my age who turned out to be a kind of mensch. We are men of religion and we temporarily agreed that any theological disagreements that might exist between Judaism and Islam, we will let God take care of them. Paintings in combination here and now to provide more education, better jobs and safer streets for Israelis and Arabs.
After a year of progress, my government has collapsed under the incessant strain of public protests and social media. The Arab parliamentarians who joined my coalition in the long-term socio-economic Israeli Arabs were called traitors in their hometowns, as were Yamina members in their communities.
Organized teams set up tents a few meters from the homes of these Knesset members, relentlessly harassing their families for months, calling them terrorist lovers. A member of my party reported that her husband’s paintings were in danger and that her children were threatened at school.
At the same time, Israel has suffered a series of Palestinian terror attacks in Tel Aviv and other major cities, killing some 20 people. The opposition claimed that this was due to the fact that the government’s hands were tied through the Arab Ra’. I’m part of it. This is not true, given that we have noticed terrorist attacks in the country for over a hundred years and my government has been more difficult than the old one with terrorists.
As a result, Arab Ra’am suspended his club in government. An Arab Knesset member from Meretz also temporarily resigned. Some members of me have also stopped supporting the coalition.
My administration did a bad job of ending the enormous amount of misinformation being spread through Israel and blind intolerance. This crusade succeeded and put an end to my rule.
A new government is being formed in Israel, and I hope its leaders perceive that the biggest challenge for Israel is to keep all parts of Israeli society in combination.
The State of Israel is the third largest example of Jewish political entity in the Holy Land. During the days of the First and Second Temples, we controlled keeping our country in a combined country for only about 80 years, after which internal divisions pushed us aside and we eventually lost our independence. Israel is now in its 75th year. This is our third opportunity, and we are determined to succeed this time.
Although my government has only functioned for a year, we have imprinted on it a unique symbol and style of how a highly polarized society can cooperate.
This beautiful image, once engraved in hearts and minds, will be gently erased.
Naftali Bennett, the thirteenth Prime Minister of Israel.
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