I really had no intention of “going there,” but it’s gotten to a point where I can’t not go there. I also fully recognize that I will be angering—and even losing—a lot of “friends”—but with friends like that… One last thing before I get into it. I actually haven’t decided who I’m voting for yet. I’m torn between two parties, so this has nothing to do with my own vote. A few days ago, the five leaders trying to defeat Netanyahu got together and signed a coordination agreement. The agreement makes replacing the current government their shared highest priority. They also agreed not to attack one another during the campaign and established teams to coordinate their efforts. If they were being completely honest about what actually unites them, I think that document could have had one sentence on it: “We will do anything—and we mean anything—to bring Bibi down.” After all, that’s about the only thing these five politicians have in common: the desire to bring Bibi down. Yair Golan, Lapid, Eisenkot, Bennett, and Lieberman? Are you kidding me?! These five would practically be each other’s biggest political enemies if their opposition to Bibi didn’t unite them. I watched a satire video this morning that made me laugh, mostly because it’s pretty close to reality. An Israeli was interviewed and asked, “Bibi or Eisenkot?” He immediately started singing Eisenkot’s praises and explaining why he’s so perfect for the job. The interviewer then responded, “OK, Bibi steps down. Now who would you vote for, Eisenkot or a refrigerator?” The man responded, “Now that’s a hard decision…” It’s funny because it rings true. I have a hard time imagining a man who speaks English like a fourth grader representing this country on the world stage. Can you imagine Eisenkot addressing the UN? Can you picture Lapid addressing Congress? I cringe at the thought. In my view, a huge part of the support these politicians receive is based on one thing: “Just not Bibi.” Well, since they signed this document declaring, essentially, one for all and all for one, let’s examine what you get when you vote for any of these politicians. I guess let’s just jump right in. Yair Golan This is the man who went on record saying, “A sane country does not kill babies as a hobby.” Now, to be completely fair, Golan later clarified that he was criticizing the government, not the IDF, and explicitly said that he did not actually believe Israel was killing babies “as a hobby.” I still find the original statement absolutely outrageous. Golan is also a war hero who sacrificed tremendously for this country. For that, he deserves recognition. But military heroism does not automatically make someone the right political leader or diplomat. And forget his potential coalition partners for a moment. You should know who is actually on Golan’s party list. His number two is Naama Lazimi. She has called Bibi a “tyrant,” accused him of endangering Israel’s security, referred to alleged “Qatari influence” surrounding his office, and used extraordinarily harsh language against the government. She was one of the most prominent figures in the Kaplan protest movement, and she has supported a two-state solution. She was also sued by Yair Netanyahu after claiming that he had been sent abroad after physically assaulting his father—an allegation the Netanyahu family vehemently denied. From the Knesset podium, she told MK Simcha Rothman, “You murdered and also inherited,” during a debate surrounding commemorations of Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination, after which she was removed from the session. Want her in your government? Then you should know who you’re getting when you vote for Golan. His number three is Gilad Kariv. This guy bothers me perhaps more than anyone. He has gone on record saying, “Netanyahu lies the way he breathes.” He has also accused Netanyahu of helping build Hamas’s capabilities before October 7 in order to avoid dealing politically with the Palestinian Authority. He has said: “Netanyahu financed Hamas with hundreds of millions of dollars… Netanyahu failed. Netanyahu abandoned. Netanyahu is unfit.” In the Knesset, he told Netanyahu that he had “forgotten what it means to be a bereaved family,” later accusing Netanyahu of cynically using his status as a bereaved brother. Now you know why his rhetoric bothers me so much. He has also opposed legislation imposing the death penalty on terrorists. Does he represent your views? Then there are Efrat Rayten and Yair “Yaya” Fink. Rayten called for pushing the anti-Bibi protests “to the limit,” invoking parliamentary immunity. And then there’s Yair Fink. After the 2023 settler riot in Huwara, Fink launched a crowdfunding campaign for Palestinian victims that ultimately raised hundreds of thousands of dollars. Fink has also used extremely harsh language against extremist settlers and right-wing politicians. He called them terrorists. Does this person represent your views? Then remember the larger point: these five party leaders have now explicitly agreed to coordinate, avoid attacking one another, and work together toward replacing the current government. And now back to the politicians themselves. We’ve seen Golan’s positions and some of the people on his list. What about the others? Gadi Eisenkot I simply cannot picture this man leading the country on the world stage. Nothing about his public persona strikes me as prime-ministerial. I’d be uncomfortable with him representing Israel in meetings with world leaders. But forget presentation. What are his positions? He opposes Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria. Lost me right there. He has historically supported political separation from the Palestinians and preventing a binational reality. Lost me again. Now, to be fair, Eisenkot has recently drawn a clear line regarding Arab parties. He has said that Ra’am and the Joint List, in their current forms, would not be coalition partners in a government he leads. He has also laid out criteria that would exclude parties that do not recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization that must be dismantled. That deserves to be stated accurately. But given the enormous ideological differences among the five parties now coordinating with one another, voters are entitled to ask what an eventual coalition would actually look like and which policies would survive coalition negotiations. Oh, and one more thing. Remember Elor Azaria? The Israeli soldier who was charged with manslaughter after killing a terrorist? Yea, guess who led that charge? Your friend, Eisenkot. Nothing you can say will convince me that convicting an IDF hero of manslaughter because he killed a terrorist is ever ok. Naftali Bennett Well, Bennett… you know what happened. Before the 2021 election, Bennett literally signed a pledge saying that he would not establish a government based on the support of Mansour Abbas’s Ra’am and that he would not allow Lapid to become prime minister. A few months later, Bennett formed a government with Ra’am as a coalition member and agreed to a rotation under which Lapid would become prime minister. Those are the facts. Since then, Bennett has defended that decision, arguing that Israel desperately needed a government after four elections and prolonged political paralysis. People can decide for themselves whether that explanation justifies breaking those campaign commitments. For me, it doesn’t. Bennett has traditionally been on the right—at times very much on the right—but in 2021, when political circumstances changed, he made a decision that directly contradicted commitments he had made to his voters. That matters to me. And the fact that he is now coordinating politically with Yair Golan despite their enormous ideological differences raises legitimate questions about what policies a future coalition involving both of them could actually pursue. Avigdor Lieberman I honestly don’t know what Lieberman believes anymore. I’ll remind you: he spent years sitting with Haredi parties and working alongside Netanyahu, including political cooperation surrounding Moshe Lion’s election in Jerusalem. Then he became one of their fiercest opponents. He was once one of Netanyahu’s closest political allies. Later, he became one of his harshest critics. And then there’s the quote I think religious voters should remember. In 2021, when asked whether he could cooperate with the Haredi parties after Netanyahu was gone, Lieberman said he would put “the Haredim together with Bibi” in a wheelbarrow and take them “to a good landfill.” Yes. He actually said that. He resigned as defense minister in 2018 over the Gaza ceasefire and later joined the Bennett-Lapid coalition alongside Labor, Meretz, and Ra’am. To me, his political trajectory makes it very difficult to understand what his ideological red lines actually are. Yair Lapid Oh, Lapid, Lapid. If a day goes by without Lapid contradicting something he previously said, it sometimes feels like a miracle. The biggest example for me is the Palestinian issue. As prime minister in 2022, Lapid stood before the United Nations General Assembly and explicitly endorsed a two-state solution. That’s not speculation. He said it. But after October 7, his position shifted considerably. In 2025, Lapid said there would be no two-state solution “in the next decade,” arguing that October 7 had fundamentally changed the situation and that the burden of proof had shifted to the Palestinians. That evolution deserves to be acknowledged. But it also illustrates the broader problem I have with Lapid: I often find it difficult to determine which of his positions are permanent principles and which are responses to the political moment. He has also repeatedly clashed with the Haredi parties while showing far greater willingness to cooperate politically with Arab parties. Is that something you support? That’s your decision. But here’s the larger point. These five politicians have very different ideologies, histories, constituencies, and policy positions. Yet they have now formally agreed that replacing the current government is their shared highest priority and that they will coordinate rather than attack one another during the campaign. So ask yourself a simple question: Without Googling, name three things each one of them stands for. Name three things Eisenkot stands for without mentioning the word “Bibi.” Name three things Golan stands for without mentioning the word “Bibi.” Name three things Lapid stands for without mentioning the word “Bibi.” Name three things Lieberman stands for without mentioning the word “Bibi.” Name three things Bennett stands for without mentioning the word “Bibi.” That’s the question voters should be asking. And one more thing. Is Bibi perfect? Far from it. I believe he is an extraordinarily talented politician and diplomat. Is Smotrich perfect? Far from it. But he has clearly defined values and positions that he has been willing to defend even when they’re unpopular. Is Ofer Winter perfect? Far from it. I actually knew very little about him until recently, but I’ve been learning more about his positions and worldview. Is Ben-Gvir perfect? Very far from it. I’d never vote for him. He’s too rough around the edges for me. But is he consistent? Absolutely. Maybe too consistent. Is Feiglin perfect? Far from it. But he is highly intelligent, has clearly articulated opinions, and has stuck with many of them even when doing so was politically costly. So vote for whomever you want. But ask yourself whether you’re voting for someone because of what that person actually stands for—or simply because that person isn’t someone else. I had to literally unfriend someone on FB this week because he wrote something to the effect of “The next government ONLY with the Arab parties”. 🤮 Have we lost our freaking minds? When Israelis speak that way and elect leaders who believe that kinda thing, why are we surprised when Israelis go and make a movie that vilifies Israel on the global stage? “Just not Bibi” is not a policy I’d put my vote behind. Would you? The future of the Jewish people in our homeland, every inch of it, with Jewish tradition and Jewish heritage, THAT is something I’ll stand by!