Gantz and Lapid must drop the ego
Opinion: Unless the two men can focus on bringing the center-left bloc together by letting what is good for the country supersede what they perceive as being good for them individually, they will have the honor of confessing their sins on April 10.
There are three working days left for Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid to decide between their egos and the basic will of their electorate – namely, unity in the center-left bloc. Three days in which the words "ideological disagreements" will be frequently heard, while all the while we know that just one thing lies behind these words – ego.
Ego above the welfare of the state, and me, me, me above the future of the country. Sounds familiar, does it not?
For several months now, Lapid and Gantz have been trying to convince the public how dangerous for Benjamin Netanyahu to continue in office. One talks of divisions and incitement and offers another reality of unity and embraces, while the other speaks of government corruption and offers spotless politics.
But the simple truth is that if Ganz and Lapid do not come to an agreement to unite, the message will be clear: the ego won out, defeated any possibility of revolution. And thus will we think of the two petty politicians who had a chance to save Israel from the very "danger" they highlighted.
The true danger to the unity of Israeli society lies in the logic that has recently taken over the center-left discourse. Behind closed doors, they whisper to one another that this is a "mini-election," that Netanyahu will be elected anyway, but then will have to resign because of an indictment – after which Israel will have "a real election campaign."
But Netanyahu must be replaced in democratic elections, and only from there can Israel embark on a new path. Any scenario in which he is ousted on legal grounds will only serve to leave Israeli society fractured and divided.
Netanyahu for his part did an excellent job - as usual - of undermining trust in the judicial system, in the media and in whatever else isn't him. Behind his predicted 30 Knesset seats there are people who know the suspicions against him, but still vote for him. People who believe that all every mechanism of the state set out to personally destroy the prime minister. These are the people who will completely lose their faith in the state should there be a political shakeup due to a criminal trial and not at the ballot box. And if they do not lose that faith, you can bet Netanyahu will do his best to make that happen should he ultimately have to resign.
This is the real weight on Gantz and Lapid's shoulders, and it is one that cannot be lifted with talk of political, security or economic disagreements. The fact is that no one is presenting a real political plan, no one is changing the security outlook, and no one seems to be worrying about the economy.
And if they continue on this ruinous path, the two honorable gentlemen will have to look their voters in the eye on April 10 and confess: "We had a real chance to change the government here, but we gave it up it because of we could not put our egos to one side."
If neither leader appreciates the magnitude of the responsibility they have in the next three days, before parties must finalize their lists of Knesset candidates, the conclusion will be simple: Neither is worthy of leadership, and in fact they will just be more of the same.
