Instead of scaring us, Netanyahu should tell us what he plans to do
Op-ed: PM was not elected to describe threats and dangers Israel is facing, but to act as a captain navigating the ship to a safe harbor.
"Bibi is the only one who can handle the Arabs," they rule, basically saying that he has no substitute.
If we continue this line, I believe I have found the argument which causes my interlocutor to think twice. After the cab driver tells me that he works from 5 am till the end of the night to support his family, I sneak in a small question: Are you also willing to fund 13,000 shekels worth of grocery store products that the Netanyahu family buys every month, as reported recently?
There is a silence, after which my interlocutor makes some comments which, in order to show some respect for the Netanyahus, I better not repeat here.
And from the grocery store to political issues: The prime minister is scheduled to deliver an important address Sunday evening at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) conference at Tel Aviv University. One can guess what Netanyahu will say, and yet we're entitled to expect the prime minister to answer a series of troubling questions about the future of the Israelis' life here and now.
If I may, I will suggest that the prime minister refrain from describing the threats and dangers we are facing, the near ones and the far ones. After all, he was not elected to serve as a commentator on the situation but as a captain who should be navigating the ship to a safe harbor.
The first issue Netanyahu should address has to do with what happened over the weekend in Umm al-Fahm, when it turned out that Israel's Arabs are raising the flag of Palestine and pointing openly, fearlessly, at their unbreakable bond with the Arabs of the territories. One fate. We will simply ask him what happened to our government systems, which were supposed to prevent such a situation, and where are Israel's Arabs headed?
The kidnapping of the three teens from Gush Etzion presents more questions to the prime minister, most of which have nothing to do with public diplomacy but with outlining a direction for solving the conflict with the Palestinians.
If there is no solution, he should tell us. If he supports the two-state solution, he should say how he intends to implement it. If he believes it's time to annex parts of Judea and Samaria, he should declare it.
And what does he plan to do about the Gaza Strip? The endless drizzle of missiles at Israeli targets obligates the decision makers to make a decision, not just to intercept the missiles with advanced systems like Iron Dome. We did not come to live here under a blanket of anti-missile protection. We came here to live. Period.
There are answers to all these issues. The problem is that Netanyahu prefers not to voice his stance in the meantime, one way or another.
And another small piece of advice for the prime minister ahead of his speech Sunday evening: Drop the habit of pointing an accusing finger at the entire world. We all agree, for the sake of discussion, that we have only ourselves to rely on. But with the absence of our own initiative, others will initiate for us.
We are allowed to expect that you will stop trying to scare us in your address with what is happening around us. We are all media consumers and we know that we live in a violent neighborhood. Talk to us in details, with or without a windbreaker, as long as you outline a direction.
And regardless of that, because this is something there is a national consensus about, it would be nice if you would inform us that you plan to pay your grocery bills yourself in the future.
The rest is our treat.
