Mr. Netanyahu - Why we should not have elections now

Weekly Commentary: Mr. Netanyahu - Why we should not have elections now Dr. Aaron Lerner The talk in the Knesset is that a general understanding had already been reached between the ultra-Orthodox parties and Yisrael Beiteinu regarding the principles of the law for national service that was to take the place of the Tal Law. Barring some incredible secret, the reason that we may find ourselves in elections next week is a cascading misunderstanding between PM Netanyahu and Minister Lieberman. I am advised by some that it is too late to stop the election train. But – again barring some incredible secret – this move is such a profound mistake that I feel I must not be silent. This is a mistake on several counts: #1. If the Tal Law can be replaced with a law approved by the ultra-Orthodox parties that means in turn that the law is sanction by their rabbis. Anyone interested in preserving the unity of the nation and respect for the law should have this as a top priority. The compromise possible before the elections may not necessarily be obtainable after a fiery elections. #2. There is no guaranty that the coalition Mr. Netanyahu forms after the elections will be any more stable than the one he has today. As his Defense Minister can attest to, a government in a parliamentary democracy can break apart after months rather than years. With the Tal Law replacement unresolved we could find ourselves with a ruling coalition without Shas and Yahadut Hatorah. And with those two out there’s no knowing what will happen on other issues. Issues that could ultimately leave National Union/Bayit Yehudi outside. Yes, Mr. Netanyahu will have other potential partners available for a coalition. Both Yair Lapid and Labor head Shelley Yichimovitz are handicapped by their lacking of ministerial experience. Their standing could be considerably enhanced after serving some months both as ministers and as members of the various inner security forums. And once they have filled that “gap” in their records, they will both be tempted to force new elections on some matter of principle, confident that they will garner even more seats and advance their parties. Simply put: Netanyahu may make history twice: with the longest ruling coalition and the shortest one. And that's assuming that a coalition of media and domestic and foreign interests doesn’t come up with something in the coming months that derails Netanyahu's campaign altogether. (And they are most certainly already burning the midnight oil searching for that "something").  It doesn’t have to be this way. The ruling coalition has indeed achieved much. But it can have many more achievements to be proud of when it goes to elections in 2013.  It isn’t too late. Prime Minister Netanyahu can announce on Sunday that he is giving his attorney 48 hours to engage in intensive consultations with the coalition partners to hammer out the details of a new national service law. And considering that polls show that the Israeli public doesn’t even want elections, one can argue that barring the existence of some incredible secret explanation for the move, the public would welcome that Binyamin Netanyahu makes a good faith effort to resolve the Tal Law issue before plunging us into elections. Dr. Aaron Lerner, Director IMRA (Independent Media Review & Analysis) (Mail POB 982 Kfar Sava) Tel 972-9-7604719/Fax 972-3-7255730 INTERNET ADDRESS: imra@netvision.net.il Website: http://www.imra.org.il http://imra.org.il/story.php3?id=56676