“Do we have anyone better than Netanyahu?” Almost every Israeli has come up against this question about a possible alternative to the prime minister, who has been steering the ship of state for the past decade. There was one potential helmsman, Lt. Gen. (res.) Benny Gantz, but though he had led soldiers on the battlefield for decades, three months were not enough time to win public trust in his ability to navigate. An “anyone but Netanyahu” agenda might have been good enough to pinch votes from Labor and Meretz on the left and even from center-right Kulanu. After joining forces with centrist Yesh Atid and establishing the Blue and White Party, Gantz put up a good fight. However, as the results of the April 9 elections prove, hatred of Netanyahu and dissemination of fear over the demise of Israeli democracy are not enough to wrest power from the right.

If Gantz and his fellow generals in the party leadership want to govern Israel, they should keep in mind Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s inspirational words, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” As the US president said in his 1933 inaugural address, fear “paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” War heroes such as Gantz and his co-leader Lt. Gen. (res.) Gabi Ashkenazi have retreated from the left like chocolate soldiers and uttered the word “peace” only under duress.

True, such was the advice of their campaign managers, who directed them to cull votes from the most obvious places and blur the distinction between left and right. Gantz’ partnership with the leader of the small right-wing Telem Party, Lt. Gen. (res.) Moshe Ya’alon, and former Netanyahu aides Yoaz Hendel and Zvi Hauser also dictated this strategy. But as they take their new seats on the Knesset’s opposition benches, the three will have to take off their masks. When Netanyahu’s new right-wing coalition proposes initiatives to annex the occupied territories, Blue and White lawmakers will have to decide whether they are left or right. Even if they insist on claiming they are political centrists, Netanyahu will tag them as leftists. The election results show how hard it is to deal with Netanyahu’s “leftist” smears. The most effective method is one that turns this mark of shame into a badge of honor. For example, at a 1999 election rally, after actor Tiki Dayan famously labeled Netanyahu supporters “riffraff,” the Likud turned the tables on her and printed stickers saying, “We are proud riffraff.”

When the ballot boxes closed at 22:00, Gantz was told by some pollsters that his party had won more sets than the Likud. Excited, Gantz hurried to deliver a premature victory speech. But instead of starting off his embarrassing victory speech with a “priestly blessing” in a pathetic bid to court the national-religious voters who shunned him, Gantz should have turned to the Israeli and Palestinian peace camps with a battle cry of “follow me,” in the manner of courageous military leaders. He could have referred to the speech by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at a Feb. 6 gathering of Jewish and Arab peace activists in which he said the Palestinian people hope for a new Israeli leadership that will promise the people of the region security and prosperity. The Palestinian leader pledged, “A government that extends its hand in peace will meet our hand extended in peace.” His arm has been left hanging.