The Current Knesset Is (Over)due For An Upgrade

With the prospect of Ehud Barak fulfilling his promise to bring down the current government, David Hazony reflects that while the issue of corruption is the key reason given for new elections--

Yet it is only part of the picture. At this stage, anything short of general elections is problematic from a democratic standpoint. The current Knesset reflects the opinions of Israelis as of March 2006. At the time, voters gave Kadima the mandate on the strength of their appreciation for Ariel Sharon, whose legacy the party was meant to represent. Yet much has happened since then: The failure of Sharon’s disengagement from Gaza, resulting in the rise of a Hamas mini-state bearing a creepy resemblance to Hizbollah-land; the botched Lebanon war; the endless bombardment of Israel’s southern towns; recent talk about ceding the Golan Heights in a negotiated deal with Syria, which is far from popular; the conviction and imprisonment of Omri Sharon, the former Prime Minister’s son and heir-apparent; and the indictment of Sharon’s finance minister Avraham Hirschson. All of these have caused Israelis to sour on Kadima as a whole. In current polls, Kadima would lose an election regardless of who is at their helm. (Thanks to Noah Pollak for that link.)

For all its flaws, parliamentary democracy is supposed to work by causing governments to collapse the moment they lose the public’s faith. There is nothing representative about the Knesset today. It’s time for elections.

Some list--and that is after only 2 years! But will Israel end up with nothing more than a band-aid named Livni...and is there anyone in the wings who is any better?

Technorati Tag: Israel.