Everyone promised a restart after October 7 – then went back to fighting over seats

Prof. Moshe Cohen-Eliya argues that politicians promised a 'restart' after October 7, but quickly returned to petty politics of seat distribution. He calls for a single liberal right-wing party that starts from an idea, not a seat, and discusses the change of hegemony and the need for a serving elite.

Prof. Moshe Cohen-Eliya, founder of 'Masad Ha'aretz – The Research Institute of the People of Israel', argues in an opinion piece that politicians promised an Israeli 'restart' after October 7, but quickly returned to petty politics of seat distribution. He cites examples such as Gantz, Edelstein, Arad, and Shaked, and criticizes the center bloc for lacking a new idea. The article calls for the establishment of a single liberal right-wing party that starts from the question of the desired state, not from who will be first. He discusses the change of hegemony in Israel, the gap between the changing social structure and institutional power, and the need for a serving elite. He quotes Herzl and 'Altneuland', and concludes with a call to start 'from the beginning'.