On Dec. 14, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened an unusual gathering in the situation room, where rescue activities were being coordinated during a snowstorm that hit Israel. One by one, various officials stood in front of the cameras: the mayor of Jerusalem, the chief of police, the chairman of the national power company, the head of the city’s welfare services and many others who will forgive me for not having room to include their names. The prime minister listened patiently to their reports about efforts to reach sick people, to renew the power supply and to reopen roads. He asked questions, sought advice and then gave instructions and orders. It was all broadcast live so that the public could see up close the challenges faced by the Israeli leader and feel that they were sharing in the crucial decisions he made.
In his current and previous terms, Netanyahu has delivered two historic speeches: the Bar-Ilan speech of June 2009 and the “Speech of His Life” (before the two houses of the US Congress in May 2011). Netanyahu is now facing a historic decision, which is undoubtedly also the decision of his life. Why shouldn't the prime minister adopt the impressive drill that brought together the various echelons of the emergency and rescue services for a public debate on the weather damage to conduct an open debate on other crucial issues, as well?
Let the public hear briefings by experts on issues of diplomacy and defense, international relations and economics and Israel’s emergency conditions. Let it follow from up close the prime minister’s decision-making process regarding the Israeli-Arab conflict. The storm damage is nothing compared with the damage Israelis will be confronted with if negotiations with the Palestinians collapse. They deserve to hear how the prime minister plans to defend them from the danger of a violent confrontation, under conditions of international isolation and a crisis of confidence in the US administration.
If the prime minister were to ask the heads of the National Security Council to share with the public the implications of a decision to reject a plan presented by Secretary of State John Kerry, they would basically have the following to say:
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