Netanyahu and Kerry: Do Israeli Leaders Lead? or Follow? Does Israeli Public Opinion Push Politics?

Israeli Cabinet 2013 / Are we following leaders? or LEADING them??

News of John Kerry's accomplishment in bringing Netanyahu and Abbas to negotiate again comes dry over the radio. Today it almost sounds like a war breaking out or another suicide attack. Somehow, certain political news sound all the same. You get the feeling, that this news clip will be used over and over again when we look back on today as history. It brings back the coffee house banter I hear on Tel Aviv streets on who is leading and who is following. Netanyahu's first term four years ago seems like a new chapter in Israeli politics. The right wing Netanyahu with Lieberman, the side kick, had the solution for the Palestinian problem: go tough, don't give in, make security the top issue. But the Palestinians didn't play along. They went under, attacked from Gaza, and got world opinion to swing in their direction. That didn't work out so well for Netanyahu. The last elections, Netanyahu did not promise easy solutions. He followed Lapid and Bennette with a different message. The idea is to listen to the people and have them determine what is important in politics. Now Netanyahu is offering a referendum to decide.

So who is leading here? Do we really need a politician who leads? Maybe just listening to the voters is the best policy with important issues. But it seems that there are too many comments about Netanyahu's non-leadership posture when it comes to the Palestinians. Israelis seem to think of Kerry as a Johnny comes lately who is not exactly knowledgeable enough. In general, it seems like most Israelis see outside intervention in the Israeli-Palestinian issue not useful in the long run. There have been many famous hand shakes, speeches, and Nobel prize winners on every side. Yet, the situation today is not much different than it was a decade or two ago. As a matter of fact, it seems like Israelis are simply tired of the situation. They just want to get on with the next big issue of the state, as if the Palestinian problem is unsolvable. So is Kerry fighting the last war? Is Netanyahu right in ignoring the big news highlights and taking a “I'll follow the people” attitude the right approach? for him? and the state as a whole?

Israelis like strong leadership where it counts. It made Itzhak Rabin and Ariel Sharon who they are. Even Menachem Begin was respected for strong leadership decisions at crucial moments in history. So maybe we are not at a crucial moment. Maybe Netanyahu, Bennette, Lieberman and a host of right wing politicians are right. Maybe the Palestinian issue is no longer crucial for the state. Maybe it is the “last war”. Even if the issue can be resolved, maybe the economic, social, and legal issues the state faces today are more useful in directing where leadership should be going. Maybe Netanyahu wants to leave a legacy of what can be solved, even on a smaller scale. Maybe Netanyahu does not want a Nobel prize hanging on the wall, and snickering visitors saying: “he really did solve the Palestinian issue, oh sure he did” two decades from now... when the issue is still festering...