We and others have been urging the government to consolidate the military campaign into a political plan, and warning of the dangers of fighting without such a plan, both for the soldiers and for the State of Israel. Unfortunately, it is becoming increasingly clear that even in this time of crisis there is no government in Israel. We all witnessed the government's continued failure to meet the basic needs of Israel’s citizens and soldiers. This failure led to the impressive mobilization of Israeli civil society, which exhibited its full might and glory and helped those on both the front lines and the rear to confront the crisis. Civic organizations rallied, and rallied the public, to joint action based on mutual responsibility, generosity, and empathy. They have worked on multiple fronts, from gathering and transporting military equipment, helping locate missing persons, to aid for displaced families and for farmers. The government, by contrast, is not functioning. Even two weeks after the shock, it is paralyzed, including in the conduct of the war. Yesterday, for example, we learned on the news that the government is struggling to reach an agreement on key issues related to combat, and that there is a crisis of trust between the IDF and the government, both the war cabinet and the full cabinet.
We all recognize that to run an effective military campaign, you need an effective government.
National resilience and an ability to withstand crises depend not only on military strength but also on robust state institutions and societal resilience. The Day After the War Forum calls on the government of Israel to come to its senses, to stop working for their political survival and concentrating on what will happen to them in the day after the war. Instead, they should devote themselves, like the rest of us do, to the security of the State of Israel.
We call on the public to ask: Do we have a functioning government?
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