I was all in on drafting ultra-Orthodox men into the military! For me, that was the central issue in the election.
It drives me mad that there are fathers, mothers, wives and children who have been living on Lexapro for three years, terrified for their loved ones. I cannot comprehend the gap between mothers who lie awake at night because their children are risking their lives and mothers whose sons evade military service and who can sleep peacefully. Meanwhile, billions keep flowing into a system that enables that avoidance, funded by my taxes and those of Israelis who work, pay taxes and serve.
Avigdor Liberman, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
(Photo: Yoav Dudkevitch, Alex Kolomoisky)
But after many years alongside the most talented politician I have ever known, I also understand that politics is the art of compromise.
As I understand it, there is no way to form a government without the ultra-Orthodox parties. And we have to work with that reality.
I live in New York. Yesterday, my professor at fashion school greeted me with enormous excitement. “Did you see how we beat them?” he asked, referring to the Democrats’ triumph in the midterm elections. I mumbled something about loving Trump because, as far as I’m concerned, it was thanks to him that the Israeli hostages came home. But he couldn’t have cared less. So I said, “Well done,” and went back to my seat.
Living here, I see how different our story looks from the outside. And we cannot dismiss the hostility toward us by simply saying, “The world is antisemitic.” Antisemitism exists. Of course it does. But in my view, our government’s conduct also bears enormous responsibility for Israel’s standing in the world.
When Arab villages are set on fire, and there is no sense that anyone is being held accountable; when Gaza continues to be pounded without an explanation of where it is leading or what it is achieving; and when ministers compete to make the most outrageous statements, the world sees and hears it all. In Israel, we are not always exposed to the images people abroad are seeing. But the world sees them. And it is horrified.
These ministers must be replaced. I fear that if we continue down this path, our standing in the world will deteriorate in ways that will be very difficult to reverse.
So, dear Lieberman, don’t listen to the noise. I know your word is your bond, and I can imagine how painful it is for you to compromise on an issue that matters so deeply to you and to me.
But replacing this government and forming a stable one must now be the highest priority.
Join a government that will bring about that change. Tackle the most important goals, starting with healing the divisions among us and bringing us together. Find a way to turn your principles into reality, even when it requires painful compromises.
May God bless you and everyone working alongside you.
P.S. On military service, I am convinced you will find a middle ground that brings real change in how the burden is shared. You have what it takes.