The pundits are amazed: Despite the noise about "dramatic developments" in the police investigations involving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, despite the state's witness agreement signed with former Communications Ministry Director General Shlomo Filber, despite former Judge Hila Gerstel's dramatic story about alleged attempts to bribe her, despite everything – the Right's political structure is standing strong.
Moreover, contrary to the expectations voiced in the media and on social media, polls consistently show that stability in the coalition, support for Prime Minister Netanyahu, and suspicion toward the police and the leaks coming from them. Assessments of the situation from right-wing politicians indicate that in the current situation, the public will not forgive anyone who brings down the government, and they are responding accordingly.
So what does the public understand that the elite does not?
The public, in contrast to its elite, puts policy above every other consideration. The public understands that the prime minister's job is first and foremost to provide security, stability, and economic growth and success, and Netanyahu has done all that in spades. The public is demonstrating surprising maturity and remaining loyal to what it sees as the national interest, as expressed in the 2015 election. Which is hard to say for some in the media and in politics.
But things run deeper. The public is currently demonstrating not only support for the right-wing government and Netanyahu's policies but also a noticeable lack of faith in law enforcement. The public isn't stupid, and in the face of the series of scandals surrounding the investigations involving the prime minister, people understand that the police recommendations to indict him or a highly publicized wave of arrests must be taken with a grain of salt.
The public, unlike its elites, remembers one basic truth: Democracy means rule by the people, and anyone the public doesn't vote for is replaced not through police moves but rather at the voting booth. And the public, unlike its elite, is demonstrating healthy skepticism about government officials and the police, and is being very careful not to hand them the power and the authority to pervert democracy and affect a change of government.
And unlike the elite, the public realized that we must not create a precedent that will give the administrative system power to oust the prime minister and dictate the national agenda. It is not a presumption of innocence for Netanyahu that is hanging in the balance, it is the presumption of innocence for the entire democratic process in Israel. And the public, unlike its elite, understands what the battle is about.
Habayit Hayehudi leader Naftali Bennett, Kulanu leader Moshe Kahlon, and the rest of the coalition partners would do well to make the simple announcement that we live in a law-abiding country, and that Basic Law: The Government states that the prime minister is required to resign only after a court rules against him or her. In doing so, they would stop the campaign to bring down the government and finally put administrative activism in its proper place.
