Israel Elections: Unity overrated, difference good for democracy - opinion

• Date: 30 March 2021
• Author: MICAH D. HALPERN
• Published date: 30 March 2021
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

Analysts and commentators and columnists have bemoaned the results just like they did the previous three elections.

Never bemoan elections. Never, ever, bemoan democracy. The ability to vote and through that process, to have your voice heard is a privilege not granted to all. Having your voice heard by selecting political leadership is a great responsibility. These freedoms should not be bemoaned, they should never be downplayed and never degraded or taken for granted.

So, yes. Israelis went to the polls for the fourth time in two years. And for many, this need to repeat the process so many times over is interpreted to be indicative of the fractured nature of Israeli politics, the fractured nature of Israel's voters. It is seen as a negative. And that's, in great part, because this election, like the previous three, failed to bring about the emergence of an easy 61-seat-plus coalition.

The critique is overwhelming. And it goes like this: This election was the same as the past. Israel has not changed. Israel is divided.

Just as overwhelming are the calls for unity and for dramatic change in Israel in order to bring people closer together.

The critique is incorrect. Change would be a massive mistake.

Unity, my friends, is overrated.

Unity is a myth – especially when applying the notion to a nation. And unity, most importantly, is not a useful political tool.

The reasons should be clear. The last four elections serve only to, once again, hammer home the point. Israel cannot unite because there is very little that Israelis agree upon. The differences are not new and should not be surprising. For the past seven decades the same issues have plagued Israeli society. Religious versus secular. Rich versus poor. Immigrants versus veterans. European cultures versus Middle Eastern cultures.

Differences within a country are good for a country. Differences in the make-up of a country create a national fabric that is alive and always changing – never stagnant, not complacent. In this way, Israel is blessed many times over. Those blessings should be counted, not criticized.

Israel is a country of immigrants, it always has been. The nation is composed of people from all over the world, people with various backgrounds, languages, cultures, dress, food, education, traditions. They come from around the world. It is their differences that make Israel a more interesting and better nation. And it...