{"id":183881,"date":"2026-06-30T03:49:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T03:49:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/183881\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T03:49:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T03:49:09","slug":"netanyahus-national-unity-government-proposal-must-be-made-concrete","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/183881\/","title":{"rendered":"Netanyahu’s national unity government proposal must be made concrete"},"content":{"rendered":"

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s declaration on Saturday night that he intends to form a broad national government after October\u2019s election is, in principle, exactly what Israel needs. In fact, it is what The Jerusalem Post has repeatedly argued since the October 7 massacre<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Israel faces enormous security, economic, and societal challenges that demand a broad Zionist consensus rather than narrow political majorities.<\/p>\n

\u201cI intend to establish a broad national government,\u201d he said. \u201cNot a narrow government, not a left-wing government that would be dependent on Arab parties, but a broad national government. Because only in that way, I believe, can we reach agreements among ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

The problem is not Netanyahu\u2019s idea, but rather his timing.<\/p>\n

Why many Israelis remain skeptical<\/p>\n

For three years, Israel has lived through one of the most divisive periods in its history. The judicial-reform<\/a> battle split Israeli society, reservists threatened to stop reporting for duty, protests filled the streets week after week, and political discourse deteriorated into mutual suspicion. Then came the October 7 massacre, forcing Israelis back together through tragedy rather than leadership.<\/p>\n

\"AA woman is seen walking her dog amid the judicial reform protests in Tel Aviv, March 1, 2023. (credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI\/FLASH90)<\/p>\n

Even after Hamas\u2019s massacre, opportunities existed to reshape Israeli politics around national unity. Instead, temporary wartime partnerships gave way to familiar coalition calculations, renewed political confrontation, and legislative battles that again placed domestic divisions at the center of public life. Throughout that period, there was little sign of an effort to build the broad political consensus Netanyahu now says is his goal.<\/p>\n

That is why many Israelis greeted Saturday\u2019s remarks with skepticism.<\/p>\n

Netanyahu spoke about ending boycotts between political camps. He warned against deepening divisions and spoke about the need to avoid internal conflict. He said Israelis agree on far more than their politicians suggest and promised a government built around broad Zionist principles rather than narrow political interests.<\/p>\n

Those are sentiments few could reasonably oppose, and they should have guided Israeli politics from the outset. Calls for dialogue carry greater weight when they accompany difficult decisions \u2013 not when they so obviously arrive on the eve of an election campaign. But that does not mean Netanyahu\u2019s proposal should simply be dismissed.<\/p>\n

A broad coalition could face national challenges<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s next government, whoever leads it, will inherit challenges that cannot realistically be addressed through razor-thin coalitions dependent on every parliamentary vote. The war in Gaza continues to demand difficult strategic decisions. The confrontation with Iran has entered a new phase, and Hezbollah<\/a> remains a long-term threat.<\/p>\n

The haredi (ultra-Orthodox) enlistment issue also remains unresolved, and Netanyahu has repeatedly failed to provide an answer.<\/p>\n

Again and again, he also has found himself relying on the same bedfellows that have sustained him politically for much of the past decade: a narrow coalition built around Likud, the haredi parties, and the right-wing National-Religious.<\/p>\n

That model has repeatedly delivered Netanyahu the premiership, but it has also left successive governments vulnerable to the demands of small coalition partners whose priorities do not reflect those of the broader Israeli public.<\/p>\n

The repeated crises surrounding haredi military service have now reached a turning point. Saturday\u2019s remarks could be viewed as Netanyahu\u2019s attempt to rid himself of his dependency on the haredi parties, because he knows the toll the war has taken on the majority of Israeli society, which will no longer stand for the status quo to continue.<\/p>\n

Turning rhetoric into reality<\/p>\n

A government representing a broad Zionist majority would be better placed to make difficult national decisions with greater public legitimacy. Such a coalition would also send an important message abroad that Israel\u2019s democratic system remains capable of finding common ground.<\/p>\n

Personal rivalries and campaign promises should not automatically prevent serious discussions if election results create an opportunity for a genuinely broad government. Israeli voters deserve leaders prepared to place national interests above political convenience.<\/p>\n

The Post has long argued that Israel functions best when its governments reflect the widest possible Zionist consensus, particularly during periods of war and national crisis. That conviction has not changed.<\/p>\n

Netanyahu<\/a> deserves credit for articulating that aspiration. But aspirations alone cannot erase years of political polarization or convince a skeptical public overnight.<\/p>\n

If he truly believes Israel requires a broad national government, then he should begin laying the foundations for one through his conduct, his rhetoric, and his willingness to pursue genuine consensus rather than simply promise it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s declaration on Saturday night that he intends to form a broad national government after…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":183882,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[33],"tags":[41,37,20353,2742,16705,1413,41440],"class_list":["post-183881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-israel","tag-benjamin-netanyahu","tag-israel","tag-israeli-election","tag-israeli-politics","tag-likud","tag-the-october-7-massacre","tag-unity"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/116837021311055761","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=183881"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183881\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/183882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=183881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=183881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=183881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}