After two long years of war, which exacted a high cost to all of us in Israel, both in terms of blood and treasure, it is clear that there is a significant need for healing to repair the chasm that has virtually split the country in half.
To heal that breach and unify the country once again, someone has to figuratively pick up the cudgel, rise to the challenge, and say what needs to be said publicly to jump-start the recovery process.
For better or for worse, it would seem that the only person who can actually accomplish this critical goal is the person in the leadership of the country who is, as most will admit, the most controversial individual, yet one who has the charisma to get the job done, as well as even the reluctant admiration of his critics. That person is Benjamin Netanyahu, the longest-serving prime minister of the State of Israel.
The words Israel is missing
If I were in his shoes, the following is what I would say to the people of Israel as we now begin our attempt at healing the wounds, physical and mental, from two years of war that created tens of thousands of mourners:
My fellow citizens, it has been an incredible privilege and honor to have been the longest-serving prime minister in the country’s history. I am grateful for the opportunity you gave me to serve, and want to share with you some personal thoughts that perhaps, just perhaps, will put us back on the road to unity as a nation and as a people.
First of all, in the tradition of our people, I want to ask for pardon and forgiveness if you felt that during these last two years, I made decisions that you disagreed with and may have even caused you great personal pain. My intention was always to do what was best for the country, and I am sorry that the resultant decisions were of worrisome concern or even disappointment to many of you.
Secondly, given my position as prime minister of Israel on October 7, 2023, I take full responsibility for the failure of our government and our military in both not having anticipated the Hamas invasion and not having been prepared to properly defend ourselves once it began. Regarding the issue of culpability, I will shortly recommend to the cabinet that we impanel a state commission of inquiry to determine what errors were made, who was responsible, and how we can ensure that this never happens again.
Third, as far as my political ambitions are concerned, I have decided that when the next round of national elections takes place a year from now, I will not seek reelection and will retire from political activity. At that point, I will, God willing, be 76 years old, and the country needs younger leadership with new visions for Israel’s continued growth and success. I do not doubt that we have many people here who can rise to that challenge.
Personally, I have been fortunate to have been able to serve this country in three critical roles. First, from 1984 to 1988, I represented Israel at the United Nations. It was a period of intense condemnation of Israel in that body, and it was my job to stand up to the accusations and defend our position.
Second, from 2003 to 2005, I served as finance minister and put the requisite foundations in place so that when the world banking crisis hit in the fall of 2008, Israel was one of the only democracies that came through the crisis virtually unscathed.
And third, I was honored to serve as your prime minister for more than 18 years in three different time periods during which the governments I headed successfully negotiated several short wars, the recent long war with Hamas, and a pandemic that threatened the lives of so many of our people.
During this long period of national service, I probably made some mistakes, as well as how I handled my personal life, that might have caused some people to question whether my actions had breached the public trust. Our judicial system has chosen to look closely at this and has been dealing with this issue for over five years. Experienced lawyers will tell you that white collar cases like this that are adjudicated for so long a period of time are probably worthy of dismissal. I very much regret any action that may have appeared to be such a breach and hope that the judiciary will give serious consideration to dismissing these charges as well.
Citizens of Israel, we have all suffered greatly over these past two years. Too many of our best and brightest have lost their lives; too many of our citizens will be reciting the Yizkor memorial prayer for the rest of their lives for relatives that have made the ultimate sacrifice; too much of our economy has been crippled from this experience; and the war became the excuse for the rise in worldwide antisemitism that had been in hibernation since the end of World War II, which resurfaced once again, with a vengeance not seen since the darkest days of that terrible period.
Each of us needs to do our part to help heal the country. With these actions on my part, I am hoping that I will have done my part to assist healing of the fracture in our body politic and let us fully realize, once again, the promise of our national anthem: “To be a free people in our land. The land of Zion and of Jerusalem.”
I hope you will join me in that effort. Thank you very much, and bless the State of Israel.
The writer, an international business development consultant, is the founder and chair of the American State Offices Association, a former national president of the Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel, and a past chairperson of the board of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies.