Some things are better late than never. The creation of the United Right is good news for many of Israel's citizens, who expected and hoped it would come to pass. This union is still more of a technicality though, as Habayit Hayehudi and National Union parties still hold differing worldviews from those of the New Right party. But the prospect of victory for the Right in the upcoming election dwarfs the parties' ideological differences. Habayit Hayehudi leader Rabbi Rafi Peretz and New Right co-leader Naftali Bennett were wise to sacrifice their own spots on the joint Knesset ticket, in favor of Ayelet Shaked, to help foster the union.
This unnecessary election was forced on us by Avigdor Lieberman, who grossly manipulated the right-wing votes he received. I have no doubt that his hidden agenda, and who his actions were intended to serve, will quickly be revealed. In any case, the upcoming election will be crucial for the country's future, and for maintaining the tremendous heights the state has reached under the helm of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing governments. Contrary to Blue and White's popular battle cry that Netanyahu only cares about himself, seasoned citizens unclouded by hateful "Bibiphobia" can appreciate the country's lofty achievements.
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In the last election, hundreds of thousands of right-wing votes were wasted because of parties which failed to pass the electoral threshold. The United Right assures this mistake won't be repeated. The Right doesn't have the luxury of flushing votes down the drain. We can only hope that Otzma Yehudit and Zehut eventually join the United Right bloc. It's okay to occasionally take a page out the of the Left's playbook to overcome divisions and increase the odds of winning an election. When I read the piece by author David Grossman, the Left's moral compass, giving his seal of approval for Meretz's union with Ehud Barak, I'll admit to feeling somewhat envious. The Left is fully capable of forgiving friendship with a pedophile and accepting an apology for killing Arabs, while the Right has a hard time simply bridging ideological gaps for the sake of ensuring the integrity of the Land of Israel.
With that, we mustn't celebrate too soon. One condition for the United Right's success is the cessation of all friendly fire. The ink has yet to dry on the unity deal and the Likud has already taken unnecessary shots at it, in response to problematic comments made by Shaked and Bennett before its finalization. This is not how elections are won. If the mutual attacks persist, the union won't help and the ultimate goal won't be met. After the election, they will lament and have only themselves to blame.
Politics is not a game for the naïve. One needn't be a political expert to understand that hard feelings, interests and personal considerations exist. Shaked and Bennett fear the Likud will enter a unity government with Blue and White and leave them on the outside looking in. The Likud is worried that Shaked and Bennett will agree to join the highest bidder – after all, we've already witnessed such a partnership with Yair Lapid. The resounding counterargument, however, lies in the fact that if the Right wins the election and is able to form a government – these fears will have been unfounded; and if the Right loses, they won't matter anyway.
The time has come to join hands and approach the public in unison, one large and powerful right-wing bloc, to continue leading the country onward and upwards to new heights.
