ISRAEL: We Are Marching to the Wrong Destination

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The fight over democracy is important. But without a unifying vision that provides hope, democracy, often filled with exaggerated mutual accusations—will only prolong and deepen the despair the nation is already experiencing.

For a democratic system to be constructive, it must rest on a foundation of common vision and shared values. This is usually embedded in a constitution or, as in the case of England, in a value system shaped by long-standing tradition.

Israel does not have a constitution, but it once had a unifying vision: the Zionist dream. That dream became reality with the establishment of the State of Israel. Now, we need a constitution—and a renewed vision—that clearly defines our stance regarding Israeli Arabs and Palestinians and articulates what it means to be a democratic Jewish state.

It is difficult to develop such a unifying vision or a constitution by when in power. In a democracy, political parties are locked in a constant battle to govern, and the daily crises prevent leaders from lifting their gaze to analyze the broader horizon. That vision must be developed now, to give hope to a people who currently see no light at the end of the tunnel.

There is no chance that the current government, composed of Orthodox Jews, will allow a constitution to be written. For them, the Torah is the only constitution. And as long as messianic Jews are in power, there is no chance of a peace-seeking solution to the Palestinian problem. And the opposition is useless, it continues to fight among itself rather than work together to save the sinking ship.

So, who will do what needs to be done?

If the kidney doesn’t work and cannot be replaced, we need a bypass system. The constitution and the vision should be developed by a team of legal scholars and social leaders—not necessarily politicians—but to be effective, they must represent the full political spectrum of Israel and have the self-discipline not to be distracted by the daily crises Netanyahu creates. His strategy is to divert public attention from the fact that he is building illegal settlements in the West Bank and further devastating Gaza, even if that means risking the lives of the abducted. His goal is to settle the entire land God "granted" us—at any cost. And to achieve that, he clings to power, even if it means sinking the ship.

Once a draft constitution is completed and a new vision formulated, a shadow government should emerge—one that signs on to the constitution and the vision, with the goal of gaining power to be elected and implementing them.

Until they get elected, we should not march to Balfour Street. It is useless. Calling for civil disobedience won’t move those that hold to power at any cost—it will only hurt us more.

The only viable solution I can imagine is for America to impose the constitution and a solution to the Palestinian problem on all parties. It has the power to do so—and it is in its own interest. Israel is an ally in a hostile region.

That means instead of marching to Jerusalem, we should be marching to the American Embassy, calling on the United States to live up to its role as a global protector of democracy.

We must also convince the Jewish community worldwide to do the same—to help stop the destruction of a two-thousand-year-old dream.