By RAN BAR-YOSHAFATRan Bar-Yoshafat, Attorney, Israeli Activist and a candidate for the New Right party(photo credit: Courtesy)
First and foremost, we must understand that Israel is a parliamentary democracy. It is not a case of 'winner takes all'. The leader of the largest party is not necessarily the one who will form the government. It is about the party that can form a government.Therefore, we are examining which bloc is larger -the right or left bloc. The President will receive recommendations from each party and the person with the most recommendations will be the one who will assemble the next government. Thus, in 2009, the Kadima party headed by Tzipi Livni received more seats than the Likud party, but Netanyahu was elected prime minister. This is because there is no other possibility in terms of forming a government.After clarifying the procedural aspect of our Israeli method, one must understand the axis of thought. In contrast to the United States, where the political axis is based on two questions - how much do you want the government in your pocket and how much you want the government involved with values (what is known as the Nolan chart).Israel has three axis of thought:Security-Diplomacy axis - opposition to another Arab state, the right of Jews to live in Judea and Samaria, the use of military force and a strong hand against terror, or on the other hand, containment, striving for a political agreement and the evacuation of settlements.Socioeconomic axis- more taxes and more social services, or less regulation and more competition and free market.Identity axis - Should Israel be more particularistic with its Jewish identity (and not necessarily in the religious sense, for most citizens, it is in the national, cultural or traditional sense), or should Israel be more universalistic?Every Israeli citizen who is entitled to vote must examine where he or she is standing on these questions, and, in addition, which axis is most important. Of course, there are other issues like environment, but these are not usually determining factors.In addition to these questions, there is another question, which should have been the most important question in these elections. Who determines the fate of the state, elected officials, or official bureaucrats? Is it the Knesset, which is supposed to represent the will of the people, or the Supreme Court, which represents liberal values?Those who want to establish another Arab state in Judea and Samaria, want more regulation and government involvement that will make life more difficult on small businesses or believe that Israel is not the nation state of the Jewish people should not vote for the new right party.
Anyone who wants to preserve the security of the citizens, and to act as Israel can - should want Minister Naftali Bennett as Defense Minister. Anyone who wants a democratic balance between the legislative, executive and judicial branches should support Minister Ayelet Shaked, in the Justice Ministry. Those who want the Negev and the Galilee to flourish like Beersheba has been flourishing in recent years, should have Alona Barkat in a position of power.The New Right dream team, composed of religious and secular, represents people who have solid values, believe in partnership between religious and secular Jews and care for Israel.Right now, according to all the polls, the right-wing bloc will win. This means that Netanyahu will be the next prime minister. The question is whether the Likud will turn first to Benny Gantz’s Blue & White party to form a coalition or will he go with the right-wing parties. Based on history, it seems much more likely for the Likud to turn to the left-center parties first. This was the case with the Hatnuna party of Tzipi Livni in 2013 and the Labor Party of Ehud Barak in 2009 (who later became the Independence Party).Just prior to the elections, when the right-wing bloc stood at 61 seats against 59, Bennett and Shaked decided to leave the Bayit Yehudi party. They understood that their previous party moved more to the "hardal" side of the map that caused other voters to hesitate to vote for them. This led to many votes being wasted. Additionally, many secular and traditional people, as well as religious people who are more open in their approach, felt that the party was not the right place for them. The New Right enabled more people on the right to find a new political home for themselves.For all those who claim that Bennett and Shaked have been in power for the past six years and have not accomplished enough, we should mention that eight seats against Kahlon's 10 were simply not enough to do more.Are the tears of children in the Gaza are not enough for a strong hand against Hamas? Two missiles in Tel Aviv are receiving uninterrupted coverage, but children suffering from trauma in the south are not being answered. Khan al-Ahmar, an illegal outpost built by the European Union on our land to harm Jewish continuity of land, which has already received approval from the court that it should be demolished, but it and other like it will never be evacuated. The Histadrut, a damage to the Israeli economy, has not been dealt with (well, aside from the demand of Ayelet Shaked for transparency – a first ever and most important move), and even the method of appointing judges in Israel, which constitutes a fundamental democratic flaw, was not addressed. Your only chance as voters to break through these boundaries is by voting for a right-wing national party that is right from the Likud. The New Right was established for that. Those who care about the right-wing bloc and ask for a right-wing government should prefer a Likud with 30 seats and a new right with 10 seats, than a Likud with 35 seats and a new right with 5 seats. This is what will keep the Likud from going to the blue and white party to form a coalition, and what will enable the government to act like a right-wing government. Ayelet and Bennet come with receipts. No one is questioning that. Let's keep the momentum and work together for Israel.Ran Bar-Yoshafat, Attorney, Israeli Activist and a candidate for the New Right party. Working for improving Israel's image in the eye of the world for over 15 years. Deputy Director of the Kohelet Policy Forum, hold an MBA from Tel Aviv University and a PhD candidate in history from Haifa University
