With Rosh Hashana approaching, it is surely time for our leaders to take stock of themselves and recognize the terrible damage incurred on the nation by their indefensible, self-promoting, corrupt and anti-democratic behavior.

Prior to the outbreak of the coronavirus six months ago, Israel was in the strongest position since its creation and the prime minister’s standing was at an all-time high. The Trump administration proved to be more supportive of Israel than any previous American government and openly allied itself with Israel, condemned the Palestinians for their intransigency and  committed itself to denying Iran’s ambition to become a nuclear power. Our economy, military and social standing in the world had never been so good and we developed good reciprocal relations with countries as disparate as Russia and India.

But today, despite the recent historic breakthrough with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrein, we face a series of looming confrontations that may endanger our long-term security.

Our prime minister, despite his outstanding achievements, is indisputably destroying his legacy by promoting his personal political and legal interests to the point of endangering the nation.

Amid the worsening medical crisis where the numbers of coronavirus infected are soaring, Netanyahu’s actions seem to be solely motivated towards retaining control even if it involves undermining his coalition and outraging most of his constituents.

The collapse of government also reflects the erosion of the role of the Cabinet – a key feature of a democratic government – with Netanyahu treating his coalition partner with outright contempt.

Netanyahu must now apply himself urgently to the escalating danger of the coronavirus in which has Israel catapulted from being a model of success, to becoming the country with the highest per capita rate of infection in the world.

There has been a total absence of leadership or direction in tackling the coronavirus. Although Netanyahu appointed Professor Ronni Gamzu as coronavirus project coordinator, he has allowed his ministers, including members of the corona cabinet, to consistently undermine him and issue contradictory statements that utterly confuse the public.

Until now, no serious effort has been made to curb the rate of infection within the Haredi and the Arab sectors. His pathetic last-minute surrenders to the demands of the ultra-Orthodox have outraged the nation and escalated societal tensions and hatred. Until now decisions and policies have been floated but invariably delayed by political pressures to which Netanyahu invariably conceded.

Benny Gantz, who only agreed to join Netanyahu in the emergency government to deal with the issue, has performed no better. Together with members of his Blue and White party, his primary focus has been to reject or undermine policies advanced by Netanyahu.

It is still unclear whether Professor Gamzu is the right person to be leading the fight against corona or whether his program of distinguishing between cities was feasible. He may have been overly optimistic in believing we could reduce the numbers without a lockdown which unless there is a last-minute flip flop, is planned to come into effect from Rosh Hashanah.

If Netanyahu is unable to now provide leadership and enable the corona cabinet to act responsibly with clear direction and unity to curb the spread of the coronavirus and deal with the economic disruption, he is endangering the nation and must step down.

There are other critical issues facing us at the international level with the pending U.S elections.  Should former vice-president Democrat Joe Biden be elected, our good fortune in having the most supportive American administration could be dramatically reversed.

The problem is not Biden himself, but that a revolution is taking place in the lower ranks of the Democratic party. This was exemplified by how close the far-left Bernie Sanders came to win the nomination for the Democratic presidential nominee.

The radicalization of the Democratic party includes extending the “big tent” to include outright anti -Semites like Linda Sarsour and others who are open fans of the abhorrent Louis Farrakhan.

Some of Israel’s most loyal Democratic supporters have been defeated in primaries by radicals, many of whom are strongly anti-Israeli and pro BDS. Some of these were also backed by radical Jews. In fact, it is said that today being anti-Israeli is the DNA test for being accepted within the ”progressive” Democratic camp.

Although most Americans still support Israel, the Democratic party is now divided with the anti-Israeli factions gaining influence because of the passivity of many of Israel’s traditional supporters. Even those Democrats “supporting” Israel oppose the current security policies of the present government which are endorsed by most Israelis. Biden has also pledged to reverse the Trump policies and reinstate the disastrous 2015 deal with Iran, whose leader still publicly boasts that Israel’s annihilation remains at the top of his agenda.

But even in the best scenario, Biden will revert to Obama’s “even-handed” policy, where Israel and the terrorists are regarded as morally equivalent and the U.S. reinstates UNWRA and other payments, including funds which incentivize terrorists to kill Israelis.

Should Biden, in his apparent semi-comatose state be elected, he is unlikely to resist pressures from his rapidly expanding radical base. His vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris has supported Israel in the past, but has a track record in the Senate, second only to Sanders, for supporting radical policies.  Should Biden be obliged to step down and Harris assumes the presidency, it is questionable whether she would be willing to alienate her radical supporters who are stridently anti-Israel.

In this environment, the bastion of pro-Israel support of the Christian evangelicals has no political clout. Unfortunately, the Jews – other than the Orthodox – have leaders who no longer even fight against the anti-Semitism directly impacting on them.

Currently, only 5% of American Jews consider Israel a primary voting concern. Despite the fact that ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement includes radical anti-Israeli objectives in its charter and features prominent Jew baiters in its demonstrations, the majority of Jewish leaders support such bodies out of cowardice and out of a sick desperation to earn the affection of progressive groups.

Against this backdrop, it is disgraceful that centrist Israeli leaders who basically share the same security objectives, are unwilling to submerge their personal interests and display unity. Netanyahu must set aside his own personal political interests and in the face of the possible coming storms, start treating Benny Gantz and Blue and White with respect as genuine coalition partners so that we can present a united front to the world.

Gantz, for his part, should realize that he is now part of the government and must not act as leader of the opposition.

On Rosh Hashanah we should pray that the Almighty makes our selfish leaders realize that they must change their behavior and set aside their personal political interests and unite to belatedly deal professionally with the coronavirus. Failing to do that, history will not forgive them.

A united centrist government with a functioning cabinet, with or without Netanyahu, would also have a dramatic positive impact on our relations with whatever American administration is elected. It may even influence some American Jewish leaders to wake up and renew support for the Jewish state which, whether they like it or not, remains the key factor in their identity and political influence.

This column was originally published in the Jerusalem Post and Israel Hayom

On Friday, August 14, The Jerusalem Post Frontlines section featured a massive two-page article by David Brinn about allegations leveled against American lawyer and legal scholar Alan Dershowitz. As I read it, my thoughts reverted to the ordeal endured by US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh when the Me Too movement attempted to smear him over alleged sexual assault without a scintilla of supporting proof.

I was traumatized watching the Senate hearing, which made McCarthyism pale in comparison. Having been a CEO of a major international company and a leader confronting global Jewish challenges, which involved engagement with thousands of women, I realized that in today’s insane climate, it would only take one woman to go to the media and accuse me of sexual misconduct. She would soon be joined by others and Me Too supporters baying for my blood. Although entirely without evidence, their unsubstantiated testimony could transform me overnight into a pariah.

Unfortunately, there are, of course, sexual predators who should have been dealt with long ago, and for that reason, initially I considered the Me Too movement a highly overdue effort to stamp out these abominations.

But the Kavanaugh episode demonstrated that unless the rule of law was accompanied by a presumption of innocence, the solution to misogyny propagated by the Me Too movement, if left unchecked, would result in innocent lives being shamelessly defamed and ruined.

Unfortunately, the media has always been selective in whom they investigate. Contrary to the unrelenting attacks on Kavanagh, when Joe Biden was faced with accusations of harassment, the media rightly refused to blindly accept the allegations.

Dershowitz is one of the most competent lawyers in the United States and renowned as a liberal and civil libertarian. His is a prominent Democrat who, until last year, was a darling of the media.

He is one of the most effective defenders of Israel, promoting the case for Israel in books, articles and innumerable addresses to frequently hostile campus audiences and has not been afraid in recent years to castigate the anti-Semitism of the radical progressive elements of the Democratic Party. Over the past year, however, he committed the cardinal sin of defending some of US President Donald Trump’s policies and went so far as to argue during Trump’s impeachment trial that there were no legal grounds to remove the president from office. This outraged his former liberal supporters and turned the liberal media against him.

He is regarded to be among the world’s best criminal lawyers and has successfully defended some of the allegedly worst and most disgusting suspects. He takes pride in providing the best defense possible to all, which he considers a hallmark of democracy.

Having successfully negotiated a plea deal for the now deceased, convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in the first criminal case against him, Dershowitz is now undergoing a Cavanaugh-type witch hunt and, without any evidence, is being accused of having sex with a minor who was allegedly trafficked by Epstein.

The accusation against Dershowitz is so obviously suspect that he deserves the presumption of innocence. If the media is to report on the allegations, they should at the very least be investigating the veracity of the claims of his accusers, rather than shoddily implying that “where there is smoke there is fire.”

As Dershowitz has pointed out, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who raised the allegations against him, has a long history of fabricating stories about prominent people, including Al and Tipper Gore, Bill Clinton and Leslie Wexner. Her own lawyer has even admitted that Giuffre falsely accused Wexner and other prominent individuals. Another of her lawyers has said that she was “wrong … simply wrong” in accusing Dershowitz because his travel records conclusively prove that he could not have been in the places where she claimed to have met with him. Her own emails and book manuscript even admit that she never met Dershowitz. She tried to suppress these documents because they prove the falsity of her claims but eventually they came to light. Yet the media has not focused on this evidence.

Another woman who falsely accused Dershowitz of having sex with her when she was a 22-year-old had sent The New York Post a series of emails in the runup to the 2016 election in which she claimed to have sex tapes of Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and Richard Branson. She also claimed that Hillary Clinton has arranged for the CIA to kill her and she was now working with the KGB. Ultimately, she admitted that she had invented the whole story – just as she invented the story about Dershowitz.

A third one who claimed to have seen Dershowitz in Epstein’s presence with young women, has now been exposed as a virulent anti-Semite who has accused all Jews of being pedophiles and racists under the domination of the Rothschild family.

Not coincidently, all three of these false accusers have the same lawyer, with a long history of ethical violations. Dershowitz is suing the lawyer as well as his accusers.

Dershowitz is not entitled to any special treatment by the media because of his history of good deeds. But if anyone deserves the presumption of innocence in the Jewish media – indeed in any media – it is Dershowitz, who is well known for telling the truth about Israel and matters of law and civil liberties.

The tragedy is that these lawsuits, necessitated by false accusations against him, have diverted Dershowitz from his major task of defending Israel and human rights. As a result, he is persona non grata and no longer invited to speak in defense of Israel on college campuses and other major platforms.

All of us who consider that Dershowitz is being denied natural justice and smeared by word of mouth, in the absence of any genuine evidence against him, should speak up and show him the support that his lifetime of good works has earned him. That applies, in particular, to Israel supporters for his courageous defense of the Jewish state.

This column was originally published in the Jerusalem Post and Israel Hayom

Civilization is currently facing the greatest threats since the rise of Nazism. Coronavirus and its social and economic byproducts have resulted in global waves of populism, accompanied by violent demonstrations initiated from elements of the extreme left and right.

These elements, in particular the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement in America, are exploiting racial issues to host radical anti-Semitic groups and oppose Israel in their platform.

They systematically riot, torch and loot buildings, beat up innocent civilians, attack police, and destroy monuments. They have demanded defunding, reduction and in some cases, abolition of police forces.

Many “progressives” either endorse or stand aside from this madness, with a number of Democratic mayors going so far as to justify the violent riots and destruction of property as legitimate expressions of protest. In what has awesome parallels to Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution, some also seek to repudiate history and substitute it with their crazy, false narratives, which amount to a rejection of Western civilization Many of those involved were incubated in American university campuses where they were brainwashed with this nonsense by anarchistic, radical professors.

The dominant liberal media has downplayed the hatred being disseminated and encouraged “legitimate protests against racism” on the grounds of “undisputed moral authority.”

While purportedly combating racism, these demonstrations have intensified the already prevalent anti-Semitism from vociferous anti-Zionists and Jew-baiters. The platform of the Movement for Black Lives accuses Israel of engaging in genocide and calls on the US to deny support for Israel. Its leaders include the most vicious anti-Semites who vociferously promote the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. The same applies in the United Kingdom, where London Mayor Sadiq Khan has allied himself with those seeking to reject the “slave culture” upon which, he alleges, Britain history was based.

What is astonishing is that the vast majority of Jews regard it as incumbent on them to be seen supporting the BLM movement despite its anti-Semitic components. The only organization consistently and vigorously protesting the anti-Semitic aspects of BLM is the Zionist Organization of America. This is an extension of the cowardly failure of Jews to speak out against US President Barack Obama’s anti-Israeli policies. It is also a reflection of the appalling global decline of Diaspora Jewish education other than in Orthodox enclaves.

Many young people today are no longer able to visualize the powerlessness of Jews before the Jewish state was created. They have come to believe that it is inconsistent to be liberal and support what they view as a “reactionary” nationalistic Jewish state. Sadly, Jews in the United States and other parts of the Diaspora do not consider support of Israel to be a priority in their political agenda and rather seek to blend into the progressive camp even if that entails abandoning or turning against Israel. This explains the deafening silence of major Jewish organizations in the face of anti-Semites in the BLM and other “progressive” movements.

A decade ago, it would have been inconceivable to have traditional Jewish-dominated constituencies abandoning support for long-standing pro-Israel congressmen and electing anti-Israel and even openly anti-Semitic candidates. One of these, Rep. Ilhan Omar (who in a recent primary defeated Antone Melton-Meaux, a well-funded pro-Israel candidate), was nominated with the support of House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the influential Foreign Affairs Committee. For an open anti-Semite to be approved for membership on such an important congressional committee without a protest from the major Jewish organizations (other than the ZOA) reflects not merely cowardliness but the abject collapse of American Jewry’s political influence.

In less than three months, elections will take place in the United States. Should the most pro-Israel administration be displaced by a radicalized Biden administration, it would portend a great danger to Israel.

Joe Biden, having already displayed a willingness to succumb to pressure by the radicals, is not young and seems to be suffering from dementia. Should he win the election, he may not even see out his term in office. His nominated vice president, Senator Kamala Harris, a woman of color, boasts a radical voting record in the Senate. If Biden steps down or is incapacitated, she would automatically become president.

However, in relative terms, from an Israeli standpoint Harris was nevertheless by far the preferred candidate on his vice presidential short list. In the past, she has condemned BDS, spoken at two earlier AIPAC meetings and professed support for Israel. However, when campaigning in the Democratic primaries, she refused to attend the 2019 AIPAC conference and chose to hold private meetings with AIPAC’s leadership to avoid a backlash from the progressive elements of the Democratic Party.

She endorses Biden’s determination to reinstate America’s support for the 2015 Iran nuclear arms deal and renew support and funding for the Palestinian Authority. It is very disconcerting that she recently appointed pro-BDS far-leftist Karine Jean-Pierre as her chief of staff.

Like Biden, she will also be under pressure from anti-Israel radicals, whose influence is dramatically expanding, and will wish to reinstate Obama administration political appointees who promote an “even handed” policy that regards Israelis and terrorists as moral equivalents. Chief among these is Susan Rice, former national security adviser, one of many key former Obama advisers who are negative toward Israel. They are the leading contenders for secretary of state and other key positions in a Biden administration.

A politically dysfunctional Israel and a hostile US administration could pose a daunting threat.

But once again, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pulled a rabbit out of his hat. With the help of US President Donald Trump, he brought about the peace treaty with the United Arab Emirates, postponing any moves to annex territories.

One cannot underestimate the importance of this achievement and what is likely to follow. It sets the foundations for Israel’s peace policy goals and demonstrates to the Palestinians that the Sunni Arab world today does not support their intransigency. It creates a new economic, social and security pact that will benefit the entire region and isolate Iran. Additional Muslim countries, outside the Iranian-Turkish bloc and its surrogates, will forge diplomatic relations with Israel. The Palestinians will then hopefully realize that there is no alternative to direct negotiations with Israel to bring about an end of conflict and peace.

Should Trump be re-elected, those seeking to undo Western civilization and promote anti-Semitism will be neutralized and the wide Arab-Israeli peace process is likely to expand across the region.

However, should Biden win, the situation may quickly deteriorate. Despite the advances reflected by the peace treaty with the UAE, a radical Democratic administration, bolstered by the Europeans, will continue seeking to pressure Israel to revert to the 1967 boundaries as a starting point for any negotiations and undermine any prospects to forge full relations between Israel and other Sunni states.

But if now we have a united Israel dominated by a centrist government, this will largely neutralize the “progressives” and Europeans who will no longer be able to claim that Israel is run by an extremist right-wing government. It may also encourage American Jewish leaders to speak out in our favor.

We desperately need to capitalize on this achievement and unite.

If that happens, setting aside corona, we have grounds for greater optimism in the regional arena than ever before.

This column was originally published in the Jerusalem Post and Israel Hayom

Virtually overnight, the coronavirus pandemic descended upon us, inflicting sickness and death. Not surprisingly, this depressed us and made us angst-ridden, as it did to others around the world. An unprecedented economic crisis, with massive unemployment, social dislocation and suffering, compounded our health concerns.

There is no complete solution in the short term although there is optimism that a vaccine will be created within a year. But even the most pessimistic doomsday prophets concede that, despite impending further tragic loss of life, humanity will overcome this challenge, especially as it is rarely lethal for younger people.

While understandably the coronavirus now dominates everyday life, we must continue to face our ongoing domestic and global security issues.

For the government, this includes not foregoing the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of progressing toward applying sovereignty to the major settlement blocs and ensuring our security and borders.

For months, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeatedly proclaimed that, in line with the Trump peace plan, he would apply Israeli sovereignty to all settlements and the Jordan Valley.

Although Netanyahu’s coalition partner, Blue and White, has expressed its desire to ensure that other international parties be consulted in the framework of the Trump plan, it has not reneged on its commitment to adopt it. Had Netanyahu sought to launch the plan, Blue and White would have been obliged to approve, even if subject to minor modifications. However, even before the second wave of the coronavirus swept the country, Netanyahu failed to advance its implementation.

The radical right’s rejection of the Trump plan is irrelevant. The plan provides for a demilitarized Palestinian state in which the Palestinians would be required to agree to an end of conflict, discard all claims against Israel, reject terrorism, dismantle the Hamas and terrorist infrastructures, cease all incitement against Israel, forego the so-called Palestinian right of return, and unconditionally recognize Israel as a Jewish state.

It is inconceivable that the Palestinians would ever accept such terms. But if in the far distant future they did, such a Palestinian state would not be a threat to Israel and would certainly be a massive improvement on the current state of affairs under the corrupt Palestinian Authority.

By refusing to contemplate even the remotest possibility of compromise, the far right sacrifices not only Israel’s long-term national security interests but also the continued viability of their own communities. There could be no greater example of self-destructive madness blinded by an uncompromising, irrational messianic zeal.

Most Israelis would not approve a solution in which all of Judea and Samaria, including large Arab populations, is annexed. The absorption of such a mass of hostile Arabs into the state with full civil rights would achieve the Palestinian objective of a binational state and the erosion of the Jewish state.

Despite the coronavirus, should Netanyahu proceed now with the Trump plan, the parameters of the national unity government would ensure his success. Even more importantly, subject to minor concessions, he would be able to obtain consensus with Blue and White, setting a long-term precedent of applying Israeli sovereignty to Judea and Samaria with international recognition led by the US. The US administration has indicated that it will provide full support to annexation of major settlement blocs and the Jordan Valley if supported by the Israeli consensus and within the framework of the Trump plan.

But Netanyahu appears to be prioritizing a short-term political need, compounded by the impending trial he faces, to freeze this issue. Indeed, he has hinted that if he does not achieve agreement with his coalition partner over the budget, this would trigger a fourth national election in November. In the meantime, he would continue leading a caretaker government.

This would be scandalous and intensify the current outrage over his behavior. It would impact on our battle against the coronavirus and would close the narrow window of opportunity that might never recur, to apply Israeli sovereignty over the major settlement blocs and enhance our security. The primary blame would rest with Netanyahu for pursuing his own interests rather than the national interest.

US President Donald Trump is currently concentrating on his re-election campaign and the coronavirus crisis. Israel may not be his major priority  but if our government reflects the national consensus and speaks in a unified voice, Trump would in all probability still actively support the implementation of his plan and formally recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Jordan valley and settlements in Judea and Samaria .

We cannot rely on the backing of American Jews because, aside from the Orthodox, most have shown that their hatred for Trump far exceeds their support of Israel, which has now become a marginal issue. But the Christian evangelicals who back the Trump plan have tremendous influence on the current administration. They will have no political clout should Joe Biden win the presidency.

Indeed, should Trump lose the election, we are likely to be confronted with a radicalized Biden-led Democratic administration that would be far more hostile to us than was the Obama White House. The Democrats for the first time include a number of highly influential outright anti-Israel and even anti-Semitic elements.

Backed by the Europeans, they would see moral equivalence between us and the terrorists, and call for negotiations that take the 1967 boundaries as their starting point. They would accept at face value fake Palestinian peace statements made simultaneously with open calls to their people to intensify terrorism until the Jewish state is destroyed.

Biden has also pledged that he would seek to resurrect the infamous Iran nuclear deal, which would make Israel more susceptible than ever to pressure.

Until the US elections, we are in a unique position, with an American administration that is more supportive of us than any administration has ever been and that confronts the Palestinians on terror and their ongoing obscene financial rewards for Jew-killers.

We now have a so-called national unity government in which all parties pledged to accept the American peace plan. We should not allow Netanyahu to torpedo our chances for long-term security and viability.

Despite the coronavirus, we must take advantage of this United States initiative to accept a plan that enables us to incorporate into Israeli boundaries the large settlement blocs and the Jordan Valley. Failure to proceed will be viewed as a historical act of madness and an unforgivable betrayal by dysfunctional leaders who missed this unique opportunity because of short-term personal and political factors. Netanyahu must not dillydally. Even though Netanyahu deserves credit for the formulation of the Trump Plan, if the government does not act now, it will be recorded in the annals of history as having lost an historic opportunity that may never repeat itself.

This column was originally published in the Jerusalem Post and Israel Hayom

When my last op-ed was published at the end of March, the coronavirus appeared to be under control in Israel and a national unity government was in the process of being formed. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s popularity and approval rating was soaring and there was a widespread sense of relief that sanity had prevailed and we would have a unity government that would work together, putting the national interest above all else in dealing with the crucial issues facing us.

Alas, as soon as the government was formed, contrary to all expectations, this proved to be an illusion. In fact, unless this government changes dramatically, it may become the worst this country has ever endured.

The government is dysfunctional, fractured and incapable of making any decisions. Indeed, in hindsight, from the outset, with its unprecedented bloated number of ministers, making all decisions subject to the consent of two leaders who have absolute contempt for each other was a recipe for disaster.

Those of us naive enough to believe that the coronavirus pandemic would bring out the best in our leaders have been sadly disappointed. Benny Gantz and his Blue and White party have not acted as partners but as an opposition within the government. They have used their right to veto virtually every decision being pushed by Netanyahu. The result has been that total chaos prevails with no effective government.

This could not have happened at a worse time. When leadership is desperately needed, we have a government of national paralysis, which has totally lost control of the situation.

The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated global divisions and unrest all over the world. The United States, whose economy had reached an all-time high, is in total disarray. President Donald Trump’s high ratings have crashed and the polls suggest that Joe Biden, who is far from an attractive candidate, could become the next president.

Internally, chaos prevails with mobs taking to the streets, perpetrating violence and looting while progressives, including some mayors, are calling to defund and, in some cases, eliminate the police. These mobs are mainly led by radicals from the powerful Black Lives Matter movement, whose 2016 Platform (since amended) described Israel as an “apartheid state” that is committing “genocide” against the Palestinian people. Many of them seek to undermine the pillars of civilization and engage in the destruction of statues and monuments of historical and religious personalities. Unless these forces are dealt with and law and order are restored, anarchy will prevail.

In this atmosphere, the pre-selections in the Democratic Party all point to a radicalization that, aside from a potential long-term detrimental domestic impact on the economy and society, do not augur well for Israel.

Though also facing the coronavirus and the threat of terrorism, the countries of Europe and the United Nations, with a few possible exceptions, are still not concentrating on the very real threats from Iran and its proxies, which continue to actively seek the annihilation of Israel.

In this global context, Netanyahu’s commitment to applying sovereignty in parts of Judea and Samaria seems remote as the Americans clearly have their hands full with other issues.

However, more significant is that as a result of his dysfunctional government, Netanyahu’s standing has plummeted.

He generated confidence when addressing the nation so effectively in the first wave of the coronavirus. But the impulsive move to open up the economy too early and now his current inability to execute decisions has resulted in a breakdown of trust and confidence. The government fails to speak with one voice as every ministry releases contradictory statements with no one focusing on the bigger picture, only their own partisan constituent interests.

The public is confused and has lost confidence, and even members of Netanyahu’s own party are rebelling against him, as reflected by the Knesset corona committee overturning government lockdown decisions to curb the pandemic. No longer in control over the decision-making process, Netanyahu is hamstrung by his own government and unable to address the nation freely.

His coalition “partner,” Gantz, does not appear to have any coherent policy other than to oppose Netanyahu’s decisions.

Before the last election, we felt that the political system had reached its lowest level. We were wrong. This “national” government has led to utter disunity.

This is a catastrophic situation for a nation that only a few months ago prided itself as a world leader in dealing effectively with the coronavirus. That position has reversed with Israel now registering among the highest daily infections per capita in the world. All we hear from the various government spokesmen are tentative and conflicting decisions to implement new rules – which are often then reversed. One day, restaurants and beaches are open; the next day, they are closed.

It is unbelievable that I am writing this, but unless this government gets its act together, I would today welcome elections if they were to result in the appointment of a capable leader able to form a disciplined cabinet that would work in unity for the best interest of the nation.

We have among us the best medical professionals in the world. Public health expert Professor Gabi Barbash, former Health Ministry director-general has now been appointed as head of the national campaign to manage the crisis and make the crucial decisions needed. He must be allowed to do so, unimpeded by political motivations or interference.

As for the prime minister, it is sad for me to admit that, despite his outstanding achievements, domestically and internationally, today he is not leading the country effectively. And this is prior to the grueling court cases he is about to face. Unless he can turn the tide rapidly and discipline his partners and achieve a genuine governing arrangement with his coalition, the majority of whom are currently engaging in petty power politics instead of urgently acting to confront the coronavirus, there is no moral justification for this government retaining office.

Israel also needs to have a strong government to handle the possible defeat of Trump and the emergence of a Democratic administration far less supportive to us than its predecessor.

One way or another, we can overcome our challenges on both the international and domestic fronts. But we need a leader supported by a capable and disciplined cabinet. Failure to achieve this will lead to catastrophe.

This column was originally published in the Jerusalem Post and Israel Hayom

We are experiencing a global nightmare that could result in millions of deaths. No one could have anticipated the extent of the coronavirus impact. The tragic images emerging from Italy, where patients over 60 are unable to obtain medical aid from the limited available medical services, are now being replicated in Spain and France. They could become a global pattern. They send shudders through all of us. We are still trying to comprehend and learn how to navigate through this nightmare.

In this context, the efforts of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Health Ministry officials deserve the highest praise. While it is unfortunately unlikely that Israel will be able to prevent the spread of the virus, the Netanyahu government has nevertheless been leading the Western world in imposing strict measures to slow the pace.

Netanyahu has carefully explained the severity of the crisis to the country without creating panic and has done his utmost to create the optimal balance between maintaining essential services and introducing regulations to achieve social distancing and probably an ultimate total lockdown of the country. Without minimizing the extent of the possible emerging disaster, he has inspired confidence in the people that, under his mature leadership, our government will be able to make difficult decisions and navigate this crisis in the best possible manner. Ultimately, the outcome may depend on the compliance of civilians with all guidelines and restrictions.

As of now, most Israelis, including many who voted against him, are relieved that Netanyahu is currently in control. They shudder at the thought of inexperienced opposition leaders like Benny Gantz, Moshe Ya’alon or Yair Lapid governing the nation and making life-and-death decisions over how to manage the coronavirus.

One would assume that in face of such an unprecedented global health crisis, it would be obvious that a national unity government would be formed. But not so in this country where the hatred of Bibi has apparently driven some people insane and caused them to lose any sense of national responsibility.

If ever there was a time for a national unity government, it is now. There is a consensus across the entire population that it is imperative so why can’t our politicians get their act together? Are they so detached from the urgency of the situation that they do not see what everyone else sees?

It is beyond belief when one reads columnists in Haaretz pontificating that Bibi is a far greater threat than the coronavirus. They argue that first we need to get rid of Bibi, and only then can we direct our efforts to curbing the coronavirus. Have they lost their senses?

It is scandalous that while the majority of the nation are isolated in their homes, Blue and White leaders are still playing petty, inciting politics. Netanyahu appeared on the main TV channels on Saturday night and set out the terms of his offer for a national unity government. He offered the Blue and White party equal government representation with the right-wing bloc (even though they hold 33 seats to the 58 held by the right-wing bloc), with the key ministries of defense and foreign affairs and undertook that he would resign as prime minister after 18 months. An extremely generous offer, given the election results.

Hearing Netanyahu outline the offer and confirming that the terms of a national unity government have essentially been formulated, most Israelis were hugely relieved.

But within minutes, Lapid tweeted that Bibi is a liar and that Blue and White will persist in their efforts in the Knesset to oust him. Ya’alon proclaimed on TV that it really doesn’t matter what Netanyahu says or offers – he cannot be trusted and he must resign.

I have always respected Ya’alon as a man of integrity who placed the nation above all. But his bitter hatred has blinded him. In the midst of an unprecedented crisis of major proportions, he wants the only experienced leader with the ability to reassure the nation to step down in favor of an inexperienced politician lacking any governmental expertise. Does he really believe Gantz is capable of leading Israel in this crisis? And even if we set aside all reservations about him, is now the time to replace a leader who has demonstrated that he was ahead of the rest of the world in tackling this crisis?

Gantz has been offered the opportunity to become prime minister in 18 months, when hopefully the coronavirus will be behind us. Now is the time for Gantz to demonstrate true leadership qualities and to reject those who, because of their obsessive hatred of Netanyahu, are pressuring him to lead the county into disaster and reject a unity government.

For the sake of the country, we urge opposition leaders to set aside their hatred and focus solely on the welfare of this nation. There is no alternative but to form a national unity government at this time of emergency. Those who oppose this are literally putting our lives at risk. History will not forgive them.

This column was originally published in the Jerusalem Post and Israel Hayom

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confounded his adversaries and proved that he may be the world’s most consummate politician. Despite an ongoing media campaign of demonization and facing serious indictments, the third election in less than a year and which had the highest voter turnout since 2015, gave his right-wing bloc 58 seats. The left-wing bloc led by Blue and White under the leadership of Benny Gantz together with Labor–Gesher–Meretz was only able to secure 40 seats, 9% less than in the previous election.

In a fractured Knesset, with the anti-Zionist, Arab-majority Joint List winning an unprecedented 15 seats and Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu essentially moving the support of right-wing voters out of the right-wing bloc, the strong vote in favor of a Netanyahu-led government represents a tremendous achievement.

If Yisrael Beytenu, which purports to be a right-wing party, would agree to join a Netanyahu-led coalition, Netanyahu would be forming a government reflecting the will of the people. Instead, Liberman, motivated solely by obsessive personal hatred of Netanyahu, is pursuing a vendetta and acting out of malice. Unlike in the previous elections, he is now not even pretending that ideology and the welfare of the State of Israel are considerations. All means are justified, no matter the cost, to oust Netanyahu.

The other significant change in this election is the rise of the Joint List. Until this week, it would have been inconceivable that a Zionist party would even contemplate forming a government relying on the support of those identifying with Hamas and Hezbollah or praising heinous acts of terrorism. Only days before the election, Gantz declared the goal of Blue and White was to get a Jewish majority in order to form a government. However, following the collapse of his supporter base in the elections, he has called Netanyahu a racist for referring to a Zionist majority.

This is disingenuous. Gantz’s comments could indeed be conceived to be racist as he negated a whole sector of Israeli society. Unlike Gantz, Netanyahu does not reject the Arabs as a class but merely the Arab members of Knesset who do not recognize Israel as a Jewish state.

To accuse those protesting at the formation of a coalition with the Arab bloc of being racist and undemocratic is nonsensical.

Opposition to the Joint List is not racist but rejects the bloc as a legitimate partner because it comprises four groups that are pledged to transform Israel into a binational state. Hadash, the largest (and most moderate) is a Stalinist communist group. All of them support our adversaries and frequently defend or seek to rationalize acts of terror.

Cooperating with such elements, whose very existence in the Knesset is an expression of Israel’s ultra-democracy, borders on treason. Would any Western country tolerate a group that preached the destruction of the state and justified terrorism?

To his eternal shame, Gantz, in addressing the nation on Saturday night, revealed that the leadership of Blue and White had no qualms about reaching an accommodation with those very Knesset members who would seek the destruction of Israel. It appears that Liberman, in his hatred for Netanyahu, is also prepared to go along with this shameful, cynical ploy. There are no limits to cynicism when Moshe Ya’alon, who members of the Joint List have in the past said should be charged with war crimes, is prepared to canvass their support in order to oust Netanyahu. Is there no shame?

To form a government, 61 seats are required. Under normal circumstances, this would logically require Likud and Blue and White to form a national unity government (which the vast majority of Israelis prefer) or either Liberman or Labor–Gesher to join a Likud-led coalition.

As of now, the deadlock remains with Netanyahu’s opponents continuing to demand that he step down as a precondition to negotiations. They do so despite the fact that Gantz has alienated even many of Netanyahu’s most ardent critics by his mediocre statements and contradictory policies.

The prospect of a fourth election is abhorrent to all and out of the question.

Yet, the willingness to ally with the anti-Zionist Joint List demonstrates the extent to which unmitigated hatred prevails among substantial sectors of Israeli society.

The majority of Israelis, even those consumed by pathological hatred of Netanyahu, recognize that with all his weaknesses, he is by far the best person to guide this nation during the next few months so that we can capitalize on the Trump peace plan.

Following the Israeli election, Senior White House Adviser Jared Kushner urged the Palestinians to return to the negotiating table, failing which, he said, the Trump administration would approve annexation by Israel of delineated areas in Judea and Samaria. Bearing in mind the uncertainty in the US over their forthcoming elections (especially with coronavirus undermining the economy), this is possibly a one-time opportunity for Israel to secure its borders with American support.

With the latest threat of the potentially horrendous social, economic and political ramifications of coronavirus, surely we must have a strong united government to deal with the decisions that lie ahead.

We should also be concerned about the pressures we will face if Trump and the Republicans are defeated. Given Gantz’s performance as leader of the opposition, can we rely on him to be a strong leader and advance the best interests of Israel? Do we even know where he stands on the major policy issues? Initially, he identified with the Likud’s security policies and endorsed the Trump plan, but recently he has become evasive due to pressures from potential coalition partners.

Now we face the horrifying prospect of people on the hard right like Liberman and Ya’alon willing to ally themselves with the anti-Zionist Arab parties to overcome the democratic decision of the Zionist majority to support Netanyahu.

Contrary to his undertaking, Gantz himself has now given formal notice of his intention to form a government relying on the support of the Joint List. Clearly, this will require significant concessions to an anti-Zionist bloc. On the immediate front, it will mean that such a government will not be able to proceed with the Trump peace plan and certainly will not be able to contemplate annexation of the settlement blocs and other strategic areas, even with an apparent green light.

Surely such disgraceful collaboration with an anti-Zionist bloc impinging on Israeli security policies is a betrayal of the Zionist ideology these parties claim to uphold.

We can only hope that there are enough Blue and White Knesset members with a degree of integrity and decency who still believe that the welfare of the nation takes priority over the cynical short-term political goals of their leaders.

Our leaders, including Netanyahu, must negotiate with one another and reach a solution that does not include a government dependent on Hamas supporters. If they fail to do so, we must mourn the fact that our leaders are perpetuating the tradition of sinat chinam, the baseless hatred that led to Israel’s destruction 2,000 years ago.

This column was originally published in the Jerusalem Post and Israel Hayom

When waking in the morning, we need to pinch ourselves to be certain that our current position is not a dream:

• The American administration headed by Donald Trump has emerged as Israel’s greatest ally ever – a stark contrast to its predecessor. For the first time, our narrative is being promoted and Palestinian lies and terror are being exposed. The Trump peace plan tells the Palestinians the truth and rejects the impossible concessions previously demanded, which would have led to the end of Israel as a Jewish state.
• Iran is facing massive global sanctions initiated by the US.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin, the former KGB officer, clearly has a soft spot for Jews and, despite his ties to Syria and Iran, is cooperating with Israel and recognizing its security needs.
• Israel now has and is in the process of developing unprecedented links with India, China, and several other states in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
• Moderate Sunni Arab neighbors including Saudi Arabia have or are developing open or covert relations with Israel.
• As a consequence of its innovations and technology, Israel has evolved from a country short of water and needing to import energy to a major exporter of natural gas and water desalination systems.
• Israel has developed the most powerful defense forces in the region and has the capacity to deter all our adversaries combined.
• Israel has one of the most resilient economies in the world, enjoying historically low unemployment and sustained relative economic growth.

Of course, we still face challenges:

• Genuine peace with the Palestinians is far from the horizon.
• Iran – with or without atomic capabilities – continues to pose an existential threat to Israel.
• Hezbollah in Lebanon continues to threaten Israel’s security.
• The need to integrate haredim into the work force is becoming increasingly crucial to the economy and Israel’s social stability.
• The Chief Rabbinate continues be headed by extremists and means must be found to replace them with moderate rabbis.
• The Palestinian Authority continues to reject Jewish sovereignty and, by continuing to provide financial incentives to terrorists, demonstrates its inability to be a genuine partner to any peace initiative. Hamas, supported by Iran, does not even try to hide its commitment to the destruction of Israel.

And yet, despite the incredible overall position of the country, we are unable to elect a government.  Both Likud and Blue and White claim to have broadly endorsed the Trump plan. If that is so, there is now a desperate need for the party leaders to set aside their personal political aspirations and short-term interests and unite to finalize and implement the Trump peace plan, bearing in mind that the US elections will soon become the primary issue engaging the American leaders.

The possibility that an openly anti-Zionist Jew like Bernie Sanders could become the next American president is a frightening prospect. The potential implications posed by the spread of coronavirus and its impact on the economy combined with the danger of a populist backlash to Trump in the United States cannot be dismissed.

Large swaths of the Democratic Party over the past year have endorsed openly anti-Israel sentiments which have given grist to Sanders’ histrionic anti-Israel remarks. The fact that Democratic candidates have shunned invitations to the AIPAC conference should already be sending shockwaves through the pro-Israel community. Should Sanders be elected president, the danger to Israel would make the possibility of the anti-Semite Jeremy Corbyn being elected UK prime minister pale into insignificance.

For this reason, the Trump peace plan must be implemented immediately after the election. Once an Israeli national unity government, in coordination with the US, has extended sovereignty to the major settlement blocs and the Jordan Valley, it will be very complex even for a hostile US government to reverse the situation.

In the anticipated event of a fourth deadlock, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz will be forced to prioritize the long-term security interests of the nation over their narrow personal and political interests.

No one can deny the chemistry between Trump and Netanyahu and credit must be given to Netanyahu for the formulation of the Trump plan. It is difficult to envisage Gantz maintaining such a close relationship, particularly, when Trump will be focused on his own re-election.

The first six months after the election will be absolutely crucial in determining if we are able to maximize the opportunity presented to us.

After the previous election, Netanyahu offered to step down after six months if Blue and White agreed to a national unity government. In hindsight, had Gantz agreed, he would now about to become our prime minister without the need for further elections. He would also have had the opportunity to work closely with Netanyahu, gain desperately needed experience and benefit from Netanyahu’s unprecedented close ties with all the major world leaders by seamlessly assuming his office.

The truth is that the lackluster Gantz should be relieved not to become prime minister at this time. Against the backdrop of a rejectionist PA refusing to come to the table, Gantz does not inspire confidence that he has either the finesse or leadership to advance the Trump plan. Can we confidently rely on Gantz to navigate such a delicately balanced political minefield in which we will need to engage not only with Trump but also Putin, the UK, Asia, the EU, and moderate Sunni states, in order to ensure de facto, if not express, recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Jordan Valley and major settlement blocs? On the other hand, if Gantz and Netanyahu were to join forces and put the combined weight of the two dominant centrist parties behind the Trump plan, it would consolidate the Israeli consensus and make it clear to those players opposed to Trump that his plan is the only viable option on the table at the moment.

Even many of Netanyahu’s detractors recognize his brilliant diplomatic role in bringing us to this current juncture. All the polls demonstrate that a substantial majority of Israelis, including those who will not vote for him, agree that on the international stage, he is the best equipped to finalize negotiations with the Americans, reinforce the relationship with the Russians and mature the newly emerging alliance with moderate Sunni states. These three issues are vital to our long-term international and existential well-being and the next few months will be crucial to their progress.

All the polls indicate that neither Likud nor Blue and White will be able to realistically form a government alone. Thus, should Netanyahu again offer to step down after six months, for the sake of the national interest, Gantz would be able to demonstrate true leadership by acting in the best interests of the country (even if it means splitting from Yair Lapid) and working with Netanyahu to ensure that the parameters of the Trump plan be set in place before succeeding him.

Netanyahu should also realize that such a scenario would be in his best interest, enabling him to retire in honor as the longest-serving prime minister with a legacy unmatched by any of his predecessors while available to address his legal troubles unencumbered by the office of prime minister.

Should our leaders fail to come to such an accommodation, they will go down in history as having betrayed and endangered the nation.

This column was originally published in the Jerusalem Post and Israel Hayom

Three months ago, who could have dreamed that we would be in such an extraordinarily good position? The Trump government had already established itself as the most pro-Israel American administration in history and publicly assumed the role of a genuine ally.

For the first time, a US administration has rebutted the false Palestinian narrative and exposed their duplicity at the international level including the rabidly anti-Israel United Nations. It terminated aid that was being channeled as stipends to terrorists and their families and repudiated the nauseous theme of moral equivalence between murderers and their victims. Trump’s policies on Iran, Jerusalem, the Golan and the settlements are a stark reversal of the Obama administration’s policies.

Only last month, amid the internal political turmoil as Israel approaches its third election this year, more than 40 world leaders, including royalty, heads of state, and heads of government, participated in a Holocaust commemoration in Jerusalem. They included Russian President Vladimir Putin, who personally inaugurated a memorial commemorating the citizens and defenders of Leningrad during the Nazi siege of the city. The same week, representatives of Arab states attended the memorial in Auschwitz. And just this last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expanding diplomatic relations with African and Latin American countries, including Arab and Muslim states.

However, the highpoint is surely the release of the momentous Trump Mideast peace plan whose ramifications must not be underestimated. For the first time since the disastrous Oslo Accords, there is an outline of a solution based on reality, supported by the two dominant and centrist parties and the majority of Israelis.

The basic tenets of the plan include:

• Recognition of the legitimate historic rights of Israel to Judea and Samaria.
• Assurance that Israel will have defensible borders (and cessation of referencing the pre-1967 armistice lines as the basis for future borders).
• A united Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
• Extension of Israeli sovereignty to the Jordan Valley and all settlements over the Green Line.
• A demilitarized Palestinian state comprising around 70% of Judea and Samaria with part of eastern Jerusalem as its capital, linked by tunnel or highway to Gaza. This is subject to Palestinian acceptance of coexistence, renunciation of violence and recognition of Israel as a Jewish state. Hamas would be obliged to disarm and also recognize Israel.
• Provision of $50 billion of international aid to build up infrastructure, the economy and welfare of the new Palestinian state.
• Territorial adjustments, taking demographic changes into consideration, to be finalized by a joint US-Israel team.
• A four-year negotiating period during which the Palestinians must comply with the preconditions for statehood.

The plan is probably close to what the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin contemplated when he approved negotiations with the PLO before the Oslo process was hijacked by the far Left.

Netanyahu undoubtedly deserves the credit for this momentous change. History will record his outstanding success as a statesman, having withstood pressure from the Obama administration, which sought to force Israel to make unacceptable concessions. Instead, together with the Trump administration, Netanyahu has managed to achieve what no one thought was possible: a complete reset of the international community’s viewpoint on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is not just the presentation of the plan itself but the fact that the United Kingdom, Europe and many moderate Sunni Arab states, including Egypt and Saudi Arabia, are signaling that they are not opposed.

For the first time since Oslo, there is political consensus in Israel on how to relate to the Palestinian conflict. That is of major significance and hopefully, the forthcoming election results will not tempt the Blue and White party to cynically retract its endorsement of the plan in order to curry favor with the Arab Joint List and Meretz.

It was no surprise that the Palestinians and their global allies were infuriated. Until now, they have rejected every proposal with impunity and then submitted demands for additional concessions, with the full support of the international community. The more concessions Israel agreed to in a desperate effort to achieve an accommodation, the more intransigent and demanding the Palestinians became. History is evidence of the sad reality that there is little likelihood that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas would agree to this or any other proposal that concedes Jewish sovereignty or recognition of Israel as a Jewish state – just as he refused to consider the (unauthorized) offer from then-Prime Minster Ehud Olmert in which Israel would withdraw to the 1967 boundaries, recognize the division of Jerusalem and even accept a symbolic number of refugees.

The plan may not achieve peace but it does at least neutralize the distorted and false Arab narrative while it legitimizes Israeli settlement blocs and affirms a united Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. 

For the first time, the Palestinian leadership is being held accountable, while the plan’s substantial aid package simultaneously provides a genuine opportunity for the Palestinians to reinvent themselves as a leading economic player in the region. We can only hope that a new leadership, prepared to embrace this great opportunity, will emerge. Abbas had intended to bring the plan to a vote at the UN Security Council. But he was forced to withdraw the motion for a vote when he realized, to his great humiliation, that for the first time, he could not muster a majority to support his intransigence.

While most Israelis are delighted with the plan, two groups oppose it. One is the far Left and Arab parties, which argue that peace can only be achieved through direct negotiations with the Palestinians. Israel has tried this on multiple occasions but has been consistently rebuffed.

The other opposition comes from the far-right parties, which reject the plan because it allows for a Palestinian state. This displays their complete lack of understanding. The very nature of the state proposed by the plan would not be essentially different from the autonomy that exists today. 

Despite these dramatic developments, our dysfunctional political system and the personal political ambitions of our leaders, which seem to take priority over the national interest, could lead to a disaster and the foregoing of a unique opportunity for Israel. 

Those demanding immediate annexation without coordination with the US are jeopardizing the entire plan. It is only if such steps are coordinated with the US that Israel will enjoy international recognition and legitimacy. The mere fact that the plan already provides for such steps is already a sea change in policy and has reset the starting point for any future negotiation. Whether implemented now or in several months is immaterial.

Netanyahu himself almost undermined the Trump initiative by announcing his intent to immediately annex the settlements. He had to withdraw his statements and US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman warned, “The application of Israeli law to the territory which the [US peace] plan provides to be part of Israel is subject to the completion [of] a mapping process by a joint Israeli-American committee. …  Any unilateral action in advance of the completion of the committee process endangers the plan and American recognition.”

Olmert’s attempt to undermine the US peace plan by holding a joint press conference with Abbas in New York coinciding with the UN Security Council debate on the plan is unconscionable. This is a renegade act providing grist to the enemies of Israel.

All of this is taking place during the runup to the third election, which all indicators predict will lead to a third impasse.

In an op-ed after the second election, I pleaded for Netanyahu to step down and enable the Likud to present a new leader or form a unity government with Benny Gantz’s Blue and White party. However, having followed Gantz’s recent statements and interviews, one comes to the sad conclusion that he simply lacks the leadership requirements to finalize this deal.

We should remind Netanyahu and Gantz that with Trump soon facing his own election, there may be only a small window of opportunity to transform this plan into reality. If the forthcoming election results in further deadlock and ongoing domestic political chaos, Trump as well as his evangelical Christian base are likely to become exasperated. If this happens and the plan is scrapped, it will be a self-inflicted disaster that will outrage most Israelis.

The Trump plan can only succeed if there is consensus in Israel endorsing its implementation. After the last election, Netanyahu undertook to stand down after six months. If the upcoming election is again inconclusive and Netanyahu makes a similar offer, six months would give him sufficient time to oversee the parameters of the peace plan and recognition of sovereignty for the settlement blocs – which still must be delineated with the Americans. That would require temporary suspension of the feud between the two major parties. Gantz could demonstrate his leadership by moving in this direction even without the full support of Blue and White Co-chairman Yair Lapid. The historic significance of this plan overrides any political and personal considerations and those vetoing progress will be condemned in history as having betrayed the nation.

This column was originally published in the Jerusalem Post and Israel Hayom

After the electoral impasse, I was one of the first of Prime Netanyahu’s long-term admirers and supporters to suggest that unless he made a deal with Benny Gantz, he would be well advised to retire now, or he would damage his illustrious career.

Only six months ago, he was at the peak of his career and poised to make major progress with President Trump which could have set the foundations for a secure and prosperous Israel incorporating the major settlement blocs.

Sadly, however, he has now been indicted – unjustly in my opinion – on three charges of breach of trust and bribery. The most serious charge of bribery is based on favorable media coverage in Walla web site. Four of America’s leading jurists, Alan Dershowitz, a lifelong Democrat, Nathan Lewin, Richard Heideman and Joseph Tipograph had written earlier to Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit arguing that such charges were unprecedented for a democracy and that Netanyahu’s attempts to influence the press were par for the course and not illegal.

Meanwhile, the hostility of the anti-Netanyahu hysteria in the Israeli media has intensified. There has been a scandalous avalanche of leaks of restricted police interrogations, all aimed at demonizing Netanyahu in anticipation of the indictments. There were also shocking disclosures of witnesses blackmailed into making statements and serious questions as to the actions of the police over the course of the investigations. Thus it would seem that there are certainly grounds for following up Netanyahu’s call to “investigate the investigators”.

It is obvious that Netanyahu must be deemed innocent until convicted and many Israelis would be relieved if the courts acquit him of all allegations. But he will be pushing uphill, and it is likely that many judges will be hostile to him. His recent attack on the State Attorney’s office after the announcement of the indictment would not have endeared him to them.

But having said all the foregoing, he should nevertheless step down as prime minister forthwith. Those encouraging him to remain in office under indictment are not doing him a favor even though the Basic Law does not require that a prime minister resign until there is a final guilty verdict. Allowing for appeals and the amount of testimony expected should this go to court, it could drag on for years.

Questions have been raised as to whether the Basic Law would allow the President to give the mandate to form a new government to a Prime Minister under indictment but hopefully this matter will be resolved without legal intervention. Should Netanyahu be forced out of office on technical grounds, it would cause devastating bitter national disunity and conflict and provide further ammunition to those believing that Netanyahu has been subject to a legal coup. Israel cannot afford to be plunged into such chaos while facing the very real security threats emanating from Iran.

Israel also cannot afford to have a lame duck caretaker government during this period. If we are forced to have new elections, as Netanyahu appears to want, we could possibly be stuck with a caretaker government for another 6 months or even longer and Likud could be the loser.

As long as Netanyahu continues to serve as prime minister under the current circumstances, his motives will be questioned over every major decision.  

This would lead to paralysis with even minor issues being challenged in the courts because a caretaker government is prohibited from making any contentious decisions.  Aside from these considerations, a prime minister in these tense times is surely required to concentrate his full attention on matters of state and not be distracted by or be engaged in endless court proceedings.

The Trump administration at present has been extraordinarily supportive and we can largely thank Evangelical Christians for this because the majority of American Jews hate Trump so intensely that they even oppose policies that are consensually supported by the bulk of Israelis. But there is no question that we will never have a better opportunity than now to resolve our long-term strategic challenges and annex the major settler blocs and the Jordan Valley.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who just announced that the United States does not consider Israeli settlements to be illegal under international law, may well be retiring in the near future to canvas for a seat in the Senate. Likewise, Trump will soon be focusing on his reelection and the Middle East peace plan will not be his priority in the coming year. Besides, if the Democrats win, Israel could well be faced with the most hostile U.S. administration it has ever encountered.

Setting all this aside, unless Netanyahu steps down immediately, we are headed for a third round of elections. With the indictments, Likud could lose a significant number of seats if some of their traditional supporters either abstain or vote against.

On the other hand, if Netanyahu stood down, Likud could elect a new leader in the hopefully forthcoming primaries, and swiftly form a national unity government with Blue & White, the majority of whose members already support their basic policies related to defense and the settler blocs.

Clearly should we fail to get our act together and form a unity government, history will condemn all Israeli political leaders for promoting themselves ahead of the national interest. Aside from political issues we also face military confrontations with Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas. If we are forced into a military confrontation without a government, chaos could emerge and much of the international community, including the United Nations and the Europeans, would pontificate that a non-elected “right -wing” government has brought this upon Israel. The only real support we could have would be the Americans, but in the absence of a real government, this too is likely to be weakened.

For Netanyahu, who has achieved so much for the state, to end his career in such a disgraceful manner is unconscionable. But politics in Israel is a cruel vocation. All good things invariably come to an end even, if as in this case, maybe prematurely. But the security and wellbeing of the nation can never be subordinated for the personal status of an individual. The truth is that Netanyahu remains the best leader we have but no one is irreplaceable, and Likud has a number of people who can assume leadership and swiftly form a unity government.

Prime Minister, the longer you delay, the greater the damage. Whatever will be, you will go down as one of Israel’s great prime ministers who laid down foundations for our long-term security, diplomatic relations and economic prosperity. Retire now for the good of the nation and in your own interest, to save your legacy and concentrate on successfully overcoming all the indictments.

This column was originally published in the Jerusalem Post and Israel Hayom