Everybody knows the solution to Israel's political woes - the immediate dispatch of the proportional representation system. The only way Israel could ever have a government powerful enough to make the necessary but difficult decisions, would be if they had the kind of majority currently enjoyed by Britain's Tony Blair, or by Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s.
One issue is that minority parties would have to disappear if this was ever to happen, their interests assigned to lobby groups or something similar. The real job of government would be left to broad consensus parties that express the will of the majority. You've got to agree it makes sense. Consider this: If a majority of Israelis believe a Palestinian state should be set up in the West Bank and Gaza, why hasn't it happened yet? If a majority of Israelis have clear views on the laws relating to the army draft, why hasn't the necessary legislation been passed? If the majority of Israelis want a political system that isn't controlled by minority parties, why has a suitable political system not evolved?
You know the answer. It's because small parties are not concerned with the big picture; they are concerned - rightly - with the wishes of their voters. It's what gives them the five or 10 seats they have. This leads to the creation of unstable governments that are incapable of dealing with the issues that concern the country as a whole. So, like so many before me, I urge Israel to embrace political reform: To embrace a system that will ensure the election of a majority government that will be able to deal decisively with the issues of the day.
Unlike other armchair commentators, I have a concrete plan, which will make Israel a proud bastion of democracy in the midst of countries that wouldn't know the meaning of the word. The Jews in Israel and in the Diaspora will feel able to shout from the rooftops "the actions of Israel represent the will of the majority of its voters."
So what is this magical plan? Simple:
Political activists should start a new party that is a one-time, one-task political entity. Its agenda will be divided into four stages: get into power by receiving a majority mandate; immediately change the system legislatively; disband parliament and call new elections; and disband itself as a party before those elections take place. That's it.
It's not rocket science, but it needs the cooperation of the Israeli electorate. Yes, I'm talking to you! You have got to put aside political aspirations and ideological differences and vote objectively. I know you've never done it before, but never before has it been so necessary. Your vote will count like never before, because unless this party gets 61 seats or more, the plan is scuppered until the next election.
The system I recommend as the new Israeli electoral system is the one that works so well in the United Kingdom. We call it "first past the post." The country should be divided into 120 different constituencies of more-or-less similar voter numbers. Each constituency should have a list of candidates from various parties for election on polling day. The candidate with the most number of votes in each constituency is the person who takes the seat in parliament on behalf of that constituency.
What it means is that only mainstream parties that speak for the majority get elected. Small interest groups can choose a party they feel will best represent their interests and root for them, but there is no horse-trading because it is not a foregone conclusion that supporters of their special interest will vote en masse based on the recommendation.
The political climate will become calm, the politics will be less divisive, and - most importantly - the government will be able to deal with real issues without having to please a plethora of minority groups. Wake up, Israel. The time has come. Like a diet or stopping smoking, it's not accepting you need to do it that's the most difficult thing; it's finding the way of doing it and executing it blindly. Don't delay, though. The `Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East' mantra is wearing thinner every day.
The writer is rabbi of the Saatchi Synagogue in central Londo
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