The new coalition should also focus on governance—and start by closing the loophole that lets a person under indictment serve as prime minister
“King Bibi” has overseen a flourishing high-tech economy and one of the world’s best covid-19 vaccination campaigns. He has made peace with several Arab states and kept Israel safe, notwithstanding a recent war in Gaza. Many of his policies are now generally accepted, even by the politicians pushing him out.
If Mr Netanyahu stays, it will drag a weary electorate to the polls for a fifth time since 2019. If he goes, it may help heal Israeli politics. True, his Likud party is still the largest in the Knesset, and his nationalist and religious base remains an electoral force. But he has been a uniquely talented demagogue, eloquent and ruthless in equal measure. Though he will remain on the scene , his removal from the top job makes the political mood in Israel a little less toxic.
Other steps might include depoliticising the police, whose aggressive tactics helped spark riots inside Israel that culminated in Palestinians firing rockets into Israel from Gaza. Splitting the job of attorney-general, so that one person is not both chief prosecutor and legal counsel to the government, is another good idea. At some point a conversation should be had about the Supreme Court, which has great power and little accountability.
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