And in the conduct of the war, it has been President Biden, not Netanyahu, who has spoken most empathetically and reached out to families of hostages. Netanyahu only Sunday met with representatives of the families of people believed to be held hostage by Hamas. His failures combine the weakness of Neville Chamberlain, the radicalism of four-times-indicted former president Donald Trump and the ineptitude of Liz Truss.
But don’t take my word for it. “Where is the feeling that you are ashamed, truly ashamed, burying yourself in shame and humiliation for such a terrible failure?” Israeli columnist Nadav Eyal asked. “The incredible heroism of the citizens of Israel, of all shades, is inspiring. Our problem, simply put, is the political leadership. I have been a journalist for more than 25 years. A nightmare as it unfolded, it was impossible to imagine.” As Israelis come to terms with this failure of leadership, they have ceased to look to the government for solace, comfort, protection or aid. Instead, they’ve turned to one another.
In place of a competent government, ordinary people are stepping up. “Israelis are in the midst of a nation-wide effort to support those in need — families evacuated from the south, soldiers called up for duty, families who have lost or are still missing loved ones, and small businesses that are struggling,” wrote Nimrod Goren, senior fellow for Israeli affairs at the Middle East Institute. “Almost every town now has a hub for donating, cooking, collecting, and hosting. The sense of civic empowerment that many Israelis developed during the struggle to safeguard their country’s democracy is now spilling over to a new arena.” He added, “The same networks set up throughout 2023 for pro-democracy community organizing are now being used to collect and distribute aid.” In other words, the sense of collective responsibility stirred in opposition to the Netanyahu government’s “judicial reform” push is now manifesting itself as collective care for one another. In a democracy, it is ultimately the people who must take responsibility for themselves; passive dependency on government is a recipe for disaster.
Meanwhile, House Republicans show themselves abjectly incapable of picking a leader — forget legislating! Their incompetence should confirm for Americans the peril of substituting performance politics for public service, conspiracy-mongering for careful governance and zealotry for collaborative leadership. Trump, as he often does, praises evil actors for guile and cleverness (“very smart,” he called Hezbollah, as he did another brutal invader, Russian President Vladimir Putin) and makes the tragedy of millions all about him. In the House, Republicans remain paralyzed, unable for now to come up with an aid package for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan. Their dysfunction reminds voters that elections must be more than a primal scream.
When the next election comes around, voters must remember the perils of entrusting a MAGA Republican Party with power. Beyond any doubt, Trump’s minions have proved themselves incapable of governance.
Politics is serious business, often a matter of life and death. If citizens use the ballot to express resentment, anger, bigotry and cultish reverence for an authoritarian, they leave themselves — and the world — vulnerable. Israelis and Americans, as never before, might have come to appreciate that the strength of democracy is and always will be the people, in whom authority, power and responsibility for their country rest. It is up to them to keep irresponsible novices and ideological extremists far from power, to choose sober leaders and to seize the initiative when government falters. Now, both Americans and Israelis must exercise the awesome responsibilities of citizenship in a democracy.
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