I am a guest in Israel and hesitate to comment on the Israeli elections. But I do have what to say, and I hope that I won't have a problem getting back into the country.
In education we talk a lot about norms of collaboration. One of those norms is to assume good intentions. For the purpose of this blog post, I am going to assume that the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, has always had good intentions during his tenure as the leader of this complicated country. I believe that there is nothing more that Netanyahu loves than Israel. There is nothing more important to him that the State and its inhabitants. He has two focuses - to ensure that the Jewish people will never suffer another catastrophe like the Holocaust, and that the Jewish state will be a hub for innovation and investment.
Netanyahu 💝Israel.
But as the wise man Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner said, "If you love someone, set them free."
The word free has a double entendre here. Another reelection of Netanyahu is not good for a free society. There is no Israeli law to dictate term limits so Netanyahu must do what's in the best interest of his people and cede power to the number two in Likud, Yuli Edelstein. Then see what the Israeli electorate decides. By continuing to hold power, Netanyahu is becoming an electoral authoritarian leader which is degrading Israel's standing as a democratic state. He is enabling an addiction and capitalizing on fear that no one else can lead. However, he's wrong. They can and they will.
The government, the military, and the people of Israel will keep it safe. You have given enough, Mr. Prime Minister. It's time to give Israel the biggest gift of all, entrusting your country's democracy to a new crop of leaders.
