By Ayelet Nachmias-Verbin

Among all of the threats facing the State of Israel, internal division and polarization are the most severe. Without internal cohesion, Israel will not be capable of taking on external threats. However, with unity and solidarity, Israel can overcome any challenge.

Like many countries in the world, Israel is currently mired in a quagmire of personalized politics. Unfortunately, this trend has only proved to increase divisions within societies. 

In the modern political environment, it is imperative to understand that it is no longer prudent for public leaders to expect that the merit of their values or ideology will prevail. In the age of social media, with its lightning speed, and ceaseless consumption, the ability of a leader to use his personality to attract and engage the public is more crucial than ever. 

This scenario is clearly evident in the Likud ruling party. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ability to get re-elected rests predominantly on his ability to engage the public through the force of his personality. 

That in itself is not problematic; it is a talent that Netanyahu was born with. The problem is that Netanyahu has used his strength to subvert the Likud's core values, and to sow deep divisions in Israeli society.

Such divisions run contrary to the Likud's traditional values. The fact that Benny Begin, a former prominent Likud member and the son of the late Likud Prime Minister Menachem Begin, has announced that he will no longer vote for Likud, is a testament to Netanyahu's divisive legacy. 

 It appears as if the values-motivated Likud members must now choose between being in the Netanyahu party or the Likud Party. These parties are no longer the same. 

THE CHALLENGE FOR THE CENTER LEFT

This new climate has made it essential for Israel's center-left camp to deliver a leader in high public standing who can play at this level for election success. Some adherents of the center-left, like those in my former party, Labor, have struggled to adapt to this new reality. 

The largest opposition party, Blue and White, has values and ideologies that go beyond 'anti-Netanyahuism,' yet Netanyahu has turned himself into the central political issue, further strengthening the trend of personality-over-party in the Israeli political system.  

Benny Gantz, has become the first opposition figure in many years to challenge Netanyahu in the political arena. Poll responses to questions about suitability for the premiership show equal preference for Netanyahu and Gantz, creating a very close competition. 

Now, a rare opportunity is emerging that would heal rifts in society and preserve domestic Israeli  solidarity, before it eludes our society. Whether one is from Tel Aviv, the Gaza border area, or the settlements, public figures must be committed to all Israelis and establish unity with them. They must not alienate half of the country while pandering only to their chosen political base. 

 For the center-left camp, it is particularly important not to alienate right-wing voters. This can be achieved by focusing on democratic national values, which are shared by mainstream Zionist parties across the political spectrum. 

We must not fault anyone for being left-wing or right-wing. We must only fault those who: disregard democratic norms, favor racism against minorities, or hold destructive attitudes towards the State of Israel. 

Ze'ev Jabotinsky, the founder of the Revisionist movement, was no racist. Neither was Menachem Begin. They shared the values of a democratic, Jewish Israel. 

The center-left camp, for its part, must also avoid veering too far to the left, a mistake unfortunately  made by the Labor Party. Only a center-left inclusive force, not a left-wing divisive force, has any chance of being elected in Israel.

OUTLINING THE ISRAELI BASIS FOR UNITY

Just as New Right Knesset Member, Naftali Bennet, refused to join forces with the far-right activist, Itamar Ben Gvir, of the Otzma Party, it is also important for those of us in the center-left camp to make sure that a radical figure like Hebza Yazbak (the Arab Israeli Joint List Party member who has made extreme statements against Israel) does not run in the next elections. 

In the age of personality politics, it is incumbent upon all sides to find leaders adept at flourishing in the new environment, who espouse the dominant core values, even if they do not embody all of the desired political values. Only this balance can move the country forward towards unity.  

A unity government made up of Blue and White and Likud, which does not include Netanyahu, has the potential to move Israel towards a new and brighter national era. 

Today, in the Israel of 2020, unity is the single most important issue, more important than both the conflict with the Palestinians and the Iranian threat. 

A unity government, that does not include Netanyahu, can create a new dynamic, and represent a more mainstream Israeli perspective. We need to eliminate the destructive rhetoric and divisions that have torn Israelis apart, and which damage the democratic fabric of the state in a dangerous manner. 

The time for a new era of democratic national solidarity is now.  

Edited By Natalie Stone