"Save the country": Israel warned of approaching catastrophe

Brigadier General (res.) Oded Tira warned in a Maariv op-ed that the next election campaign could lead to violence and even civil war due to the critical level of hatred between political camps. He called on Netanyahu and Eisenkot to agree in advance on forming a national unity government.

Brigadier General (res.) and former President of the Manufacturers Association Oded Tira published an op-ed in Maariv warning that Israel is approaching a dangerous threshold of internal strife. In his assessment, the level of hatred between political and social camps has reached a critical point, affecting families, friends, the military, business, healthcare, and education. He considers the upcoming election campaign and the first months after the elections to be particularly dangerous, not ruling out street violence or even civil war. Tira describes a hypothetical split within the IDF between different units. He attributes the crisis not only to the confrontation surrounding Netanyahu but also to fundamental disagreements over religion, Shabbat, military service, liberal and conservative values, and the Palestinian issue. Tira sees a way out in a prior agreement between Netanyahu and Eisenkot, who should meet with President Herzog before the elections and sign a commitment to form a national unity government. The prime minister's post should go to the leader of the party that wins the most Knesset seats. Tira suggests that the agreement does not necessarily have to be made public immediately to avoid affecting the campaign.