Naftali Bennett has found himself at a crossroads where many prime ministers in Israel have found themselves before. On one hand, there is the desire to survive; on the other, the recognition that the struggle is futile. The conclusion he reached was the necessary one, but he reached it too late. The price he has been forced to pay since the Knesset returned from its recess after Passover was too high and has cast a heavy shadow over his ability to remain a relevant element in the political system.
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Bennett's agreement with Foreign Minister and Prime Minister-designate Yair Lapid prevents him from being a part of the effort to establish a right-wing government under Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu in the current Knesset. There is very little chance of him going back on his word to Lapid, who is set to take on the role of caretaker premier in a transitional government next week. That doesn't mean other elements in the Yamina and New Hope parties will have the same sense of obligation and refrain from acting to establish such a government. Justice Minister and senior Yamina member Ayelet Shaked has already made clear she intends to do just that. Should New Hope party leader and Justice Minister Gideon Sa'ar or other elements in his party join the effort, this may actually happen.
Beyond the actual words that were said, the joint statement from Bennett and Lapid sends the message that even if the two leaders run in different parties in the election, they are now members of the same camp. After violating his central campaign promise not to join a government with Ra'am and Lapid, Bennett explained one year ago that he had been left with no other choice and that his first choice had been a right-wing government. Now, one year later, that same option is now his last. Bennett prefers to crown Lapid premier if doing so means preventing Netanyahu from returning to power. He prefers another election campaign, something he has warned would be a great catastrophe for the state, to seeing Netanyahu return to the Prime Minister's Residence.
This will be Israel's fifth election campaign in three years. It will be held under the same conditions in which the last four elections were held without Knesset members acting to change the method in some way that ensures a different outcome and a clear winner. The outgoing coalition has dragged the political system, which was already deteriorating, as far down as it could go. If up until the current government, it would have been unrealistic for the head of a small party to demand to serve as the head of a major ministry, such a demand for the role of premier no longer seems out of line.
Ideology and values, which have already suffered significant damage, have made way for government jobs. The extortion records broken in this government are nothing compared to what we will from politicians in the next government.
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