opinion
BY ARIEL KAHANA
The Israeli Government Has
Lasted a Year; Was it Worth it?
L ike a terminally ill patient who has defi ed a
doctor’s predictions, the government led by
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and Prime Minister
Naftali Bennett is rounding out a year in offi ce. From
the prime minister on down, the sense is that the
end could come at any time. Meanwhile, willpower
and miracles are keeping the patient alive, for who
knows how long.

Despite these diffi cult political circumstances, the
government is seeing not inconsiderable success.

Much of it rests on former Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu’s time in offi ce, like the quiet in the Gaza
Strip since “Operation Guardian of the Walls,” the
improved economic situation, low energy prices,
Israel’s freedom of action in Syria and — according to
foreign reports — Iran and, of course, the Abraham
Accords. Lapid and Bennett have managed not to
completely ruin any of these things. Here and there,
they even managed to make improvements.

The enormous advantage they enjoy is a
very supportive American administration. U.S.

President Joe Biden, like other Western lead-
ers — insofar as they have time for us while the
war in Ukraine is going on — was and is afraid
Netanyahu could come back. Popular wisdom has
it that the right can make peace and the left can
make war.

As a result, it’s relatively easy for Bennett and
Lapid to build in Judea and Samaria, approve the
Jerusalem Day Flag March, stop the opening of a
U.S. consulate for the Palestinians in Jerusalem,
hook settlement outposts up to the electric grid
and so on. With a record like that, this is no left-
wing government.

But, of course, we aren’t talking about a right-
wing government either. Bennett, Lapid, Defense
Minister Benny Gantz and President Isaac Herzog
all visited with the leaders of Egypt, Jordan, the
Palestinian Authority, the UAE and others ear-
lier this year, hoping to prevent an outbreak of
violence. Maybe they naively thought this would
work, but their ineff ectuality led to the opposite
result — a wave of horrifi c terrorist attacks. The
roots of this wave lie in the even more serious
malady of this government — its members.

When the coalition includes fi gures from the
Muslim Brotherhood who support terrorism and “the
Palestinian struggle,” reject our right to exist in Israel
and oppose visits by Jews to the Temple Mount, as
well as when the government allocates billions to a
sector most of whose leaders don’t even see them-
selves as Israeli, it’s no wonder that the genie of ter-
rorism escaped the bottle. Jewish weakness causes
Arab terrorism. That’s the way it’s always been.

On the other hand, in light of this fundamental
fl aw, the current government is the fi rst one to
recognize how serious a problem the country has
with Israeli-Arab governability. Glossing over the
problem, which was neglected for years, is no
longer an option, and that’s good. The steps taken
thus far are the fi rst ones, but they are important,
for both the Jews and the Arabs.

There are other hints of positive action: raising the
retirement age for women, integrating haredim into
the workforce, easing regulation and imports, rais-
ing soldiers’ salaries, laying optic fi bers, addressing
the issue of religion and state and more.

However, many reforms have stalled, and some
will do harm in the long term. The cost of real
estate and food is sky-high. The education minis-
ter is contributing to future generations’ illiteracy.

The transportation minister is busy with politics
and gender and not in command of the fi eld.

These things are causing damage we will only feel
years from now.

In terms of how the government is functioning,
its report card isn’t too bad. Still, there is nothing
in it to redeem this government’s original sin —
the lie on which it is based.

Bennett duped his voters and his partners. He
still isn’t able to look them in the eye, and he won’t
be redeemed. Lapid broke the promises he made
for years. All simply to oust Bibi.

Was it worth it? It doesn’t look that way. The
public, according to polls, is unenthusiastic, the
political crisis is still here and the country is in
chaos. We can’t go on like this. But a year into
this government, the opposition should learn the
lesson that it apparently won’t be able to form a
diff erent government, with or without elections.

The outrage at losing power is understandable.

But anger, as we know, isn’t a working plan. JE
Ariel Kahana is Israel Hayom’s senior diplomatic
commentator. This article was originally published
by Israel Hayom.

The knesset (Israeli parliament)
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