Shattering Israel's image

The collapse of the Netanyahu government did not come one day too soon. It is time for Israelis to take stock of the damage he caused to the image of the country, to its moral standing, to its place among the nations, to its future as a Jewish state, to its friends and ties with other nations (especially that of the United States), and to its prospect of living in peace and real security.

The Israeli elections offer a momentous opportunity for all Israelis to change course and rid themselves of the clowns that have been running the country asunder. They must begin by disabusing themselves of the notion that Israel is beleaguered and under a constant Palestinian threat.

The Palestinians will never be in a position to threaten Israel's existence. Israel is threatened from within. It is threatened by its political factionalism and dysfunctional political system, it is threatened by egomaniacal politicians whose thirst for power trumps national interest, it is threatened by the hypocrisy and bigotry of its corrupt, incurable political leaders, and it is threatened by misguided leaders who have no clue what tomorrow has in store.

Will the Israeli center and left look at themselves in the mirror for once and ask: what is our real responsibility to the nation, to its preservation, and to its very existence? After nearly seventy years, hasn't the time come to face the inevitable and seek peace with dignity?

The upcoming elections offer all these splintered parties an opportunity to coalesce around a leader (without the absurdity of rotating the premiership a la Livni and Herzog) and once and for all defeat the chauvinistic and blind ideologues who are leading the country toward the abyss.

Those Israelis who claim that, given the raging turmoil throughout the Middle East, Iran's nuclear threat, and the future uncertainty, Israel should focus on its security than take a risk with the Palestinians, are dead wrong.

Nothing will provide Israel greater security than peace, and there is never, ever a bad time to make peace.