We must renew the social contract - opinion

During the first month of the war in Gaza, I would often receive calls from friends in Australia asking how I was coping. My stock answer was that I live in a magnificent country with wonderful people, in spite of our government.

After the monumental shock that the country experienced on October 7, one can take enormous pride in how the populace united. Some 300,000 reservists accepted the call to duty, including many who returned from overseas. Every sector from left to right, religious, Orthodox, secular, Druze, Arabs, and Christians got to work volunteering to serve the needs of our soldiers, whether it was supplies and equipment for soldiers or feeding them.

There is hardly any Israeli who does not have a connection directly or indirectly to a victim of October 7. Virtually every street conversation these last four-plus months commences with a question as to how many of your family are serving. We have all attended funerals and shivas.

There is a feeling of determination throughout the country that we are in a war for our existence and that united we will prevail. 

October 7 was a wake-up call following the divisions within Israel society that were cracked open by the attempts to reform the judiciary. The hatred unleashed was unprecedented. Some have attributed these divisions to motivating the timing of the Hamas attacks. Many felt we were on the precipice of civil war.

I considered the manner in which the judicial reforms was being conducted distasteful. A more appropriate course would have been to form an expert panel to prepare recommendations and submit to a referendum. The hyperbolic language and emotions displayed by all was appalling. The sight of mass demonstrations was depressing. 

The country has also been through five elections in four years, which has led to instability and razor-thin majority governments. To make matters worse, elections were barely fought over real issues. It mainly came down to whether you were for or against the prime minister, Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu.

The most depressing moment I felt following October 7 was four days later, when the local media were reporting on the inability of the major political parties to agree to a national unity government. The majority of Israelis shared the desire to see the country’s leaders unite.

The relief when Benny Gantz and Gabi Ashkenazi joined the government and the war cabinet was palpable. That the likes of Yair Lapid and Avigdor Lieberman failed to do so was a source of great disappointment.

With the country united and mobilized, all recriminations relating to October 7 would await the end of the war, including elections. Israel could never return to how things were on October 6 and the social contract for the country would be reconstituted. 

The new social contract

Social contract theory can be defined as people living together in a society in accordance with an agreement that establishes moral and political rules of behavior. There is an urgent need for the country to remove the divisions in society and introduce greater respect and tolerance between different sectors. 

In the fifth month of the war, I am starting to doubt whether my initial optimism that we are heading for serious change for the better is warranted.

Sections of the media continue to call for Netanyahu to resign and to have elections.  Politicians from the anti-Bibi camp who didn’t join the unity government have joined in these calls, and we have seen the ugly appearances of ex-prime ministers Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert, who shamelessly criticize the war’s progress with the sole motive to denigrate Netanyahu. The anti-Bibi demonstrations have resumed.

Conversely, Netanyahu has often given the perception that his conduct and decision-making are geared to his survival after the war ends. There is constant speculation regarding the dynamics within the war cabinet and when Gantz and company will withdraw from the war cabinet and government. 

The issue of the hostages is being used by many for political purposes to attack one another.

Political posturing by ministers and members of the Knesset is sending vibes that as soon as the fighting ends, Israel will revert to business as usual. There is the populism of Itamar Ben-Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich and company, as evidenced by their irresponsible public statements geared to their constituents to the detriment of the nation. The worst example is their recent gabfest calling for Gaza to be resettled. The shenanigans of Tali Gotlieb and David Amsalem do not inspire confidence.

I pray that my fears are never realized. When we have our brave soldiers fighting and dying as they serve, protect and defend the country, we need to display unity and solidarity. The numerous external challenges the country faces regarding the hostages, defeating Hamas, halting Hezbullah, warding off the Houthis, retaining the support of the Americans, facing the charges of genocide at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, and virulent antisemitism, to name but some, are immense.

Unless we heal our internal rifts, we jeopardize our ability to contend with our external threats. Judicial reform can be considered with the proviso that it is done so wisely. We need to better integrate and engage the haredi sector and address issues such as education, military and national service, and the economy. We need to better value and recognize the contributions of the Druze. The Arab sector needs to be encouraged to feel welcome as citizens of Israel. We need to have social cohesion between secular and religious Jews, based on respect and tolerance. 

Israelis are shedding tears over the devastating losses incurred on and since October 7. To give sense and meaning and to honor the memories of the victims who lost their lives, the soldiers who sacrificed theirs, the hostages, and the families in mourning, it is incumbent on the nation to repair the fissures that exist. The process of healing the nation will not suffice once the war is over. It will only occur when we ensure that our sacrifices were not in vain. We can only emerge united if we succeed in rewriting the social contact.

Romy Leibler is a former prominent business and communal leader in Australia now residing in Jerusalem, Israel.