A nostalgic event attended by President Reuven Rivlin convened Monday to honor the memories of Yoske Kremerman, Yigal Gripel, Mickey Mendelblit, Michael "Mikha" Reisser, and Aryeh Kremer. All five were prominent members of the Likud and Herut parties and Beitar movement back in the days when public service and politics were esteemed endeavors. The speakers at the event praised those fundamental values of comradeship and adherence to an ideal loftier than any personal or partisan interests. An ideal in whose name they were willing to be ostracized, insulted and marginalized.
In the old Mapai days, when the Right's hopes of ascending to power were more a pipe dream, they believed in the vision of Revisionist Zionist leader Ze'ev Jabotinsky, who, in his famous poem "It Is All Mine," wrote, "This is the fight, it isn't over yet, between red – and white and blue." The vision has fully materialized. Many decades have passed since the establishment of the state, the bearers of the white and blue have risen to power, the color red has paled, and the leftist parties have assumed other forms of camouflage to conceal their blush.
I have no doubt that the late Yitzhak Ben-Aharon and his leftist cohort, who witnessed the historic "revolution" of 1977 and viewed it as a dark chapter in the country's history, would be wonderstruck and full of praise had they seen Israel's achievements under right-wing rule. It was the dawn of a new day and it continues to light our lives in the homeland. Jerusalem is unified, the land of Israel is being built, the vast majority of Israelis are happy with their lives, and material wealth is benefitting many. Leaders from across the world are flocking to Israel and new doors are opening across every continent.
The upcoming election poses a significant challenge to right-wing governance. The adversaries mustn't be underestimated despite their inexperience and proclivity for reciting recycled public relations texts. This week, the media's coverage of Benny Gantz and his first public political speech gave us a glimpse of what's to come. Listening to the kowtowing press, one might think it was among the three greatest speeches of all time, joining Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech – in no particular order. The media embrace was pathetic, political slogans accepted as gospel. It was all the pundits and news anchors could do to conceal their excitement as if we were witnessing Moses' revelation of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai.
The fake-news pundits immediately informed us that the Right was panicking; hasty online polls awarded Gantz more mandates, and grave-faced experts-in-their-own-minds explained that only former army chiefs have been able to beat the Right. They forgot to mention the immense damage these former chiefs of staff turned prime minister caused the country. Everything is kosher when it comes to toppling the Right, just as long as they get their congratulatory "good job, you did it," pats on the back at their local Tel Aviv bars. Looking at the current polls, it's the same old game of musical chairs on the Left: Gantz is clearly drawing votes away from Yair Lapid, just as Lapid took votes from Labor leader Avi Gabbay, who took votes from Kadima.
The Israeli Right can overcome a hostile press and center-left candidates. It's much more difficult to overcome self-destructive tendencies. The primary fear is that hundreds of thousands of votes will be lost due to the fissures and fantasies of grandeur harbored by some members of the Right. Those who hold dear a unified Jerusalem and Israel must make two things unequivocally clear: They will not vote for right-wing parties struggling to pass the Knesset threshold; and these parties have to unite – immediately.
This coming Tuesday will present an important test for the Right, as the Likud holds its primary election. Particular responsibility falls on the party's central committee members and all eligible party voters: Out of more than 150 candidates, they must select the best ones and transcend their own personal, social, future or religious considerations. Because polls during the previous election projected the Likud to only win 20 mandates, good candidates didn't run. Consequently, dubious lawmakers who have since done little to elevate the movement made the party's Knesset list.
This time, in light of the bitter fight against a hostile media and parties masquerading as right-wing, it is important to choose candidates who will serve the movement's ideals faithfully and honorably and earn a modicum of respect from the general public. British philosopher Bertrand Russell said that elected officials should not be less intelligent than those who elected them. Elected officials are a reflection of the voters, who should try to make sure they like what they see in the public mirror. A respectable Knesset list, a unification of the Right and hard work are the keys to success. As usual, we remind ourselves that we have no other country.
