Given the heated argument that has arisen in recent days between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's supporters and his critics to the right, the question that arises is: What purpose does this serve?
No longer reeling from a fraudulent crisis invented by someone at home, we are now moments away from off an election campaign. Is this the urgent message we should be sending the public at this time?
It is unclear whether the small fish engaging in this political battle understand what they look like from the outside, but when an expression like "wave of disillusionment" is quickly replaced by a "dissolution," the universe is sending you a clear warning sign. It is not for nothing that many on the Left are rubbing their hands together in glee, begging for more: They know that at a decisive time like this, such exchanges have done left-wing parties major damage in the past.
My fellow right-wingers, take a look at the Left and you will see exactly what the dynamics of a society's collapse look like: A legitimate internal debate easily turns into a polarizing confrontation between two purist camps. The camp that only yesterday declared victory is now torn between the sectarians and the Netanyahu fans. The former are depicted as irresponsible, the latter as incapable of critical thinking. The ideological nuance instantly becomes something of an identity generator, ideological orientation tribal loyalty. Such is the dynamic, and it is always both a one-way street and a dead end. And it always ends with the type of people who would prefer to lose everything than see their rival win; like the communists in France who preferred to see the social democrats lose to the Gaullist Right or the Bernie Sanders supporters who preferred then-Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump to Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
It could be that this is part of the environmental damage caused by the Lieberman effect. The demoralization caused by the Yisrael Beytenu leader's fraudulent trick was enough to set off the smell of defeat, setting off a war of mutual accusations and causing the cohesion the national camp had managed to preserve to disintegrate.
It's not that there is no room to argue; the opposite is true. There should be criticism of Netanyahu from the Right. And it would be a serious mistake to ignore such criticism or question his critics' supposedly ulterior motives. "Natural partners," as we are wont to call them in the political sphere, should feel comfortable expressing dissatisfaction, and they should know that they are being listened to.
The trouble starts when we begin to undermine our partner's legitimacy. And I am intentionally not naming names. But those who are familiar with the debate know that Netanyahu's critics are accused of being arrogant, ungrateful sectarian thinkers, while Netanyahu's supporters are defamed as court jesters and sycophants out to stifle open debate.
These terms carry enormous power. They ascribe legitimate positions as belonging to a narrow interest, but also incentivize the individual to choose a side rather than consolidate an opinion. That is the moment when the practical, fruitful debate ends and the wrangling over "the principle of the matter" begins. From here, the path is short to absurd cracks such as "Maybe it would be better if we lost the election" because that would wean the prime minister's biggest fans off of Netanyahu or alternatively, the "sector" would learn its place and appreciate the hand that feeds it. Such unrealistic and destructive arguments have already been made. It is hard to understand how, a moment after the victory of the nationalist camp and a minute before we enter yet another round of elections, there could be spokespeople who say that losing to the Left would be "effective" in the long term.
How would this contribute to the struggle for the land of Israel and the preparation of the next government for the challenges to come, from U.S. President Donald Trump's forthcoming "deal of the century" to judicial reform, from changes to the Israel Defense Forces and the threat posed by Iran? It is bad enough that Knesset seats were lost in the last election but do we now have to go and throw a rare combination of geopolitical opportunities (see: Trump) to the trash bin of history?
So who exactly is set to gain from the infighting on the Right? Who is rejoicing over the conflict? In their heart of hearts, both sides know that, on the eve of an election, there cannot be a constructive recovery process as a result of the unnecessary provocation and the potential for destruction is immense. Just look to the Left for proof.
