A Government without a People for a People without a Government

The most noteworthy statement to come out of the "The People of Israel Will Not Surrender" rally, that was held at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv on January 12th, 2004, did not come from any of the many Knesset members who graced the podium to speak out against the Prime Minister's and other Likud leaders' latest obsession over unilateral withdrawal. Rather it emanated from the man who was single handedly responsible for the scheduling of the rally in the first place, namely, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

In a statement issued to the media after the rally, the Prime Minister unequivocally stated that, "Israel is a democracy, and decisions are made not by protesters, but by the government - my government." It is ironic that Sharon claims to be the defender of Israel's democracy, when he himself serves as one of the prime obstacles to Israel being able to function in a truly democratic manner.

Demonstrations, like the "The People of Israel Will Not Surrender" rally, are the backbone of a vibrant democracy, falling under the individual's Right to Assemble and Freedom of Speech. Once a government is elected, a citizen has little recourse when displeased by the policy of his elected officials, short of waiting until the next set of elections roll around. One of the few methods that a citizen has at his disposal is through demonstrations.

Prime Minister Sharon, through his comments, effectively disenfranchised an entire segment of the population, comprising hundreds of thousands of individuals. He essentially told them that there are two things that they could do about their disapproval with his policies, nothing and like it. That is not exactly the type of expression that one would expect to hear coming out of the mouth of the Prime Minister of Israel, a country which prides itself on being the only true democracy in the Middle East, but it does put Sharon in the company of every Arab dictator in the Middle East. After all, if Israel is to be just like all the nations....

The problem is further exacerbated. When an individual votes in Israel's national elections, in order to determine who will serve in the Knesset as well as Prime Minister, he is not able to vote for a particular candidate, rather he must vote for a party. The number of votes each party receives determines how many seats each party will receive in the next Knesset. In that sense, each voter is voting not for a particular candidate that one feels is qualified or worthy of leadership, rather for an ideological platform.

This system serves as a threat to Israel's democratic system, as can be seen from the current state of the Likud. The official Likud platform is staunchly against the creation of a Palestinian State west of the Jordan River. Yet, Prime Minister Sharon and the members of his Likud led government are in fact calling for the establishment of that very thing. What is the voter in Israel to do when the only criteria by which he is able to determine who he wishes to elect is by voting for a party's ideological platform, only to find that the elected officials are not bound to adhere to it? Can there be a greater mockery of Israel's democratic system than this?

Consider the following as one of the many possible reforms that could be made the current electoral system in Israel, which would serve to improve its current state of affairs. Short of the ideal reform, where all members of the Knesset would be elected through direct elections, Israel will be divided into 12 electoral districts (consistent with the theme of the twelve tribes of Israel). From each district, ten representatives will be elected to serve in the Knesset, for a total of 120 seats. Each party would then form a list of the ten candidates that would be running for election within a particular district, and who, upon their election, would be directly responsible for and answerable to their specific constituency.

Only when terms such as accountability (for which there is currently no word for in the entire Hebrew lexicon) and constituency become commonplace in Israeli society will the elected leaders be forced to both hear and listen to the will of the citizens of Israel... Only when the citizens of Israel are able to truly elect leaders that will represent them and be held accountable for their actions, and not as the current system has it, where 120 kings are elected to the Knesset, answerable only to themselves. Only then will Israel's citizens truly have a voice through which they can be heard and help shape the future of their country, and that of the Jewish People.