Netanyahu's Third Term: Last Chance to Make History
After being re-elected and before beginning the task of forming a coalition, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would do well to redefine his goals and his vision for his third term in office, writes Nadav Perry.
So, who will Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu call first right after learning the election results? Evidently no one. Prime ministers who are reelected do not make phone calls; they receive them. Perhaps it would be best for Netanyahu, assuming reasonably that he will be re-elected, to wait a bit before making time for phone calls and other distractions and dedicate a few minutes to himself and his own thoughts.
Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin said, in an interview, that after two terms in the nation’s highest post, during which there were no earthshaking developments, Netanyahu will want to make his mark on history during his third term. After all, if he doesn’t make history now, he never will. And the right time for him to do so is immediately after the elections, before he begins the task of building a coalition. The first step is defining objectives: In this past term, he wanted to renew the freeze on construction in the settlements, but wavered due to pressure from his coalition partners. He was leaning towards apologizing to Turkey for the Marmara events, but didn’t because of his coalition partners. Time and time again, he cast a fearful glance at his “natural partners” whenever he reached a dramatic crossroads. This time, it would be better if he first asks himself what he wants to achieve during this term and only then begin forming a coalition that will enable him to do so.
Only then will he be able to make time for the phone calls. I can think of three people who will make themselves available and will be able to help him define priorities.
The first is the Governor of the Bank of Israel, Stanley Fischer, the man whose suggestions Netanyahu for the most part ignored last year. At the beginning of last year, Fischer warned against expanding national debt. He opposed increasing the deficit target, but the government increased it. He begged for the passage of a new state budget, but instead, Netanyahu moved up the elections. When talking to Fischer, he could talk about ways to reduce the deficit, but also about other issues. Should he adhere to the policy of a biennial budget, which while making life in the Knesset much simpler, also makes responding to changing economic realities difficult? What policy would encourage foreign investors to bet on the Israeli economy and what needs to be done to bring new populations into the labor force?
