More than 20 protest movements against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and five opposition parties have signed a document over the last few weeks committing to advancing a series of key principles after the March 23 election.
The document is called Hozeh Hamedina in Hebrew, which translates into vision, visionary and contract for the state.
“We came to the leaders of all the groups and asked them, ‘What would make you stop demonstrating’?” said a spokesman for the effort. “The answers led to a document with three main articles: strengthening democracy, respectable living and dealing with the coronavirus.”
The document, available in five languages, has been spreading on social media. So far it has been signed by representatives of Yisrael Beytenu, Yesh Atid, Meretz, Labor and the New Economy Party. It was rejected by Yamina. The heads of New Hope and the Joint List are being pressured to sign it by loyal activists.
“The citizens of the State of Israel will support political parties whose platforms are founded on the values of liberty, justice, peace and equality in the spirit of the Declaration of Independence,” the document states.
To earn the public’s trust, the signatories call for legislation limiting a prime minister and heads of local authority to two terms in office and establishing a commission of inquiry into the Submarine Affair.
They recommend establishing a committee to strengthen Israel’s democracy and to discuss a civil constitution, separation of powers, transparency, a limit on the number of government ministers and a ban on anyone indicted serving in a public position.
To ensure a life of dignity for all Israelis, the document calls for legislating an index for what is needed to live with dignity, such as defining the amount of money required for a citizen to live with dignity according to parameters of OECD nations and defining the state budget accordingly.
The signatories also call for establishing a committee to strengthen the welfare policy in Israel, enhance social mobility and lower the cost of living.
They call for establishing an authority to root out violence within the family, toward women and putting an end to police brutality against Arab society. They also urged setting a binding government policy to preserve and protect the environment and natural resources for current and future generations.
To deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, the signatories call for passing a national program to repair its damage, including closing economic gaps, providing for the self-employed and providing rehabilitation and compensation. They urge full transparency and lifting the veil of secrecy over government and cabinet discussions on the pandemic and the economic crisis.
“We, the women and men of the 2020 protest movement who are spearheading a nonpartisan vision for an Israeli society based on humane values, will encourage the public to support political parties that incorporate these principles into their platforms and actions and put the citizens of Israel back at the heart of their priorities while striving for gender and sector equality, ethical behavior, respectful discourse and an end to incitement and division,” the document states.