The establishment of the Knesset Arrangements Committee as per a proposal from the bloc seeking to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu still isn't leading directly to a replacement government, but it is pointing the way toward one. The Right is saying that a government like this would be such a mash of such very different opinions that it won't be able to function, and there is no alternative but yet another election. Perhaps, but not necessarily. It won't be easy, but it could work out to our advantage.
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A patriotic government that understands that patriotism does not man trampling others, minorities, those who are different, but actually giving others rights and taking care of them could use the partnership to find desperately needed solutions. At age 73, the country is suffering from various ills that are the result of vital yet problematic decisions made when it was young, and we are having a very difficult time handling them because we are afraid that any way we handle them will wind up opening a Pandora's Box and causing us even more harm. A government of partners, led by a younger generation that is free from some of the old commitments and able to make practical decisions, free from personal or criminal considerations, could offer surprises on a number of matters:
Constitution: The Proclamation of Independence promised that Israel would have a constitution by Oct. 1, 1948. The main reason that promise wasn't kept was the opposition of the Haredi parties to deciding on any non-religious norms that would take precedence over regular laws. A coalition without Haredi parties (or possibly with them, if they can be convinced to change their minds) must revisit this issue and agree to write a constitution without twisting anyone's arms. Many serious efforts have been made toward this goal, and they are available to anyone who wants to take the lead now and thereby put an end to the unacceptable ease with which Basic Laws are changed to answer passing political needs.
Changing the Nation-State Law: Even if the new government doesn't want to cancel this unnecessary and offensive law, it could amend it along the lines of what Benny Begin proposed, removing its provocative aspects while adding the principle of equality and restoring Arabic to its status as one of two official languages in the state of Israel.
Conscription for yeshiva students: This could be solved not by financial sanctions on yeshivas who fail to meet the draft quota, but by making men's status equal to that of women under the law, meaning that anyone (including Haredim and Arabs) who can prove that "reasons of conscience or reasons of relations and family" prevent them from serving in the security forces will be exempt from doing so. This would also contribute to equality between men and women, because women already enjoy this option.
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Civil partnerships: If a coalition for change is unable to make civil marriage in Israel legal, this would be a chance to legalize civil partnerships in the Knesset, meaning that anyone who cannot or does not want to marry in a religious ceremony can enjoy the status of a married couple as far as the government is concerned. The past 21 years have seen various propositions for civil partnerships proposed, and the next government can look at them and bring to the Knesset a proposal that will honor the family institution without forcing couples to undergoing a religious proceeding.
Confederation: Despite the differences in the political views of those who might make up the next government, the coalition could seriously evaluate the possibility of an Israeli-Palestinian confederation. This would be a framework that would allow Israel to avoid evacuating West Bank settlements. Most of them would find themselves, for the first time, outside Israeli sovereignty, and anyone to the east of the new border that would be established in the West Bank could remain in their home as an Israeli citizen and a permanent resident of a Palestinian state. As long as the security and defense situation allows it, border crossings in both directions could be eased, giving both sides the sense that their lands are whole without forgoing a clear sovereign border that will ensure that Israel remains a Jewish, democratic state and the Palestinians can implement their right to self-determination.
