If Eisenkot agrees to govern with Arab parties, he could become Israel's F.W. de Klerk – a leader more courageous and visionary than Yitzhak Rabin
I have a dream: Gadi Eisenkot declares a historic undertaking and a strategic change. Five days before the election – that is, Thursday – he calls a dramatic news conference. A leader of the "change" bloc is born, this time for real. After much thought and consultation, Eisenkot decides that the urgency of the situation requires bringing the two Arab parties into the post-election governing coalition and giving their leaders key cabinet positions.
He explains that he had reached the conclusion that the move is not just a way to ensure a decisive victory for the "change" bloc, but an attempt to bring about a fundamental change in Israeli society's attitude toward its Arab minority as has never been tried before. It is something that could inspire new hope and new ways of thinking and create a different reality with important implications on multiple levels. In two words: A new Israel.
It means turning Israeli Arabs into an integral part of state and society. This is the opportune moment, whose realization will be easier than the doomsayers and the benighted racists imagine.
Never have Israeli Palestinians been more ready for such an undertaking. Over the past three years, as Israel has committed genocide against their brothers in the Gaza Strip, they have behaved with remarkable restraint. Their representatives in the Knesset rank among their most responsible and level-headed leaders. Throughout these years, their loyalty to the state has been forged and tested, time and time again. The ground is ripe for change. Their leaders are simply waiting for the opportunity.
Eisenkot will only benefit by acting. Even before he is tapped to form and to lead the next government, he will go down in history as Israel's F.W. Willem de Klerk, a leader more courageous and visionary than Yitzhak Rabin was in his day.
The Israeli political establishment will be in shock. The right will scream, but the right is no longer relevant to the change bloc is concerned in the election. In the Eisenkot camp, too, it will be utter chaos. Avigdor Lieberman's eyes will bulge from their sockets, foam gathering on his lips; Naftali Bennett will run around like a headless chicken and Yair Lapid will be struck speechless, completely bewildered and having lost his way. What will he say?
The mainstream, ultranationalist media outlets will be no less confused. But, with Election Day approaching, there will be no time to reorganize: Everyone is fated to go into the election together.
Eisenkot will explain his reasoning as follows: Israel has reached a dead end, especially following October 7. Things cannot continue this way any longer. Living from one war to the next, with pogroms in between, will ultimately shatter society from within. Apartheid will lead Israel to the brink of the abyss. None of its beautiful aspects will remain. This chasm can only be crossed only in a single leap that begins with the full integration of Arab citizens into the state.
Arab voters will flock to the polls, this time not because of a threat but because of a promise. A wave of excitement will sweep through Arab society, with its parties capturing perhaps 20 Knesset seats – 20 lawmakers who are dedicated to peace and equality. Lieberman will return to his natural place, to the right of Itamar Ben-Gvir, but the change bloc will not need him.
During the coalition negotiations, the lawmakers representing the Arab parties will be allowed to vote their conscience rather than being bound by party discipline in regard to certain issues. For the first time in the state's history, this will enable them to exert influence over foreign affairs and security, extending their reach well beyond matters like municipal sewage or the appointment of judges.
The Arab world will not know how to digest this. The extremists will say that the Arabs of 1948 sold their souls to the devil, but the moderates will welcome the development and draw closer to Israel. The wider world will be no less confused.
The real test, however, will come in the following months. If the new government withdraws the Israel Defense Forces from Gaza and south Lebanon, and puts an end to the pogroms in the West Bank, Israel will become less and less isolated. Ministers Yousef Jabareen, Mansour Abbas and Ahmad Tibi will tell the world that a new chapter has begun, one that heralds the end of apartheid.
Does this sound too simple? It's simpler than it seems. And what is the alternative? Just more of the same. Haven't we had enough of that?
