A crisis for Zionism?

The recent elections in Israel exposed a new low point in its prolonged crisis of governance and leadership - a crisis rooted in an electoral system which generates constant instability, a fragmented Knesset and ineffective governance.

Reforming the electoral system should be a top priority for the next government. The first step is simple: the head of the largest party should be the prime minister without needing a vote of confidence from the Knesset.

The symptoms of Israel's crisis are evident. In the past decade, approximately ten different people served as ministers with major portfolios such as finance, infrastructure, transportation or communications. These short tenures compromised the ability to design and implement policy. As General Giora Eiland, former national security adviser, frames it: "designing policy in Israel is like writing poetry while standing on a ball".

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The decline of Jerusalem

The most significant transfer of power in Israeli history is unfolding. Political institutions and elite are being overshadowed by mayors, philanthropists, business leaders, nonprofits and civil servants. This transformation allows us to become a healthier society of closely networked communities.

Olmert's downfall is just the most recent milestone of a process that has been going on for thirty years.

During the first twenty five years of its existence, Israeli society and economy was mostly centralized, state-owned and controlled. There was one powerful party, MAPAI, and an all-powerful government that ran the country in a top-down fashion. As late as the early eighties, the government controlled more than eighty percent (80%) of the economy, provided all public services and controlled most media outlets.

Closing the gap

There are several differences between Reut and other traditional think tanks. Most think tanks operate on the assumption that the central problem is connected to the collection and processing of information. So they deal with research. We say that the central problem lies with the cognitive, conceptual understanding of the problem. We don't provide answers, we ask questions.

People in think tanks are experts with knowledge and experience. Our team is young - the average age is 29 and there isn't one PhD among us. That means that we can ask questions, that we can apply ourselves to think about problems in a fresh way.

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Israel's economic problem is politics

Last week, the Jerusalem Post reported on Yechezkel Dror's comments about the problems of the parliamentary system. And while I don't necessarily agree with the solution he suggests, his prognosis is spot on. Without strengthening the capacity to govern, Israel will not be able to carry out an economic leapfrog, something essential to achieve Reut's Top 15 Vision.

Israel's macroeconomic policy has received many compliments from the International Monetary Fund and foreign governments. In recent years, Israel has experienced low deficit and inflation as well as decreased unemployment and national debt. Yet despite this, Israel's problem remains in the weakness of its government system.

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Reforming the electroral system

A recent article reported that the Knesset Constitution Committee will soon begin discussing a shift from straight proportional representation to a mixed system in which some Knesset members are elected via districts. This legislation is designed to reform Israel's electoral system so as to improve the Government's capacity to govern.

In previous posts on my personal blog, I've written that the weakness of the Israeli Government and its inability to govern is the most pressing issue on Israel's agenda today. This reform may turn out to be the most important legislation introduced during the term of this Knesset, and possibly since the establishment of the State. In this post, I will write about the System of Government I believe is required for the State of Israel.