Time for introspection

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has essentially secured his hold on the premiership. After a very tough fight, the election is behind us. This would be a good time for some people to take stock.

The Zionist Union can take the easy way out and fall into despair. To paraphrase what one left-wing leader said following an unsuccessful race, perhaps the people should be replaced. The fact that the Zionist Union tried to make it out as though the Likud-led Israel was a disaster area indicates just how little they understand the public, which re-elected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and parties that are allied with him. But the Zionist Union should not misinterpret the results and conclude that if it had only expended a little more effort, just a little bit more of the same, it would have achieved the coveted goal. Instead, it must take the more difficult road and engage in introspection. The slanderous campaign against Netanyahu, where Israel was portrayed as the worst place on earth, may have helped like-minded voters. But it alienated the undecided ones. As a result, the Zionist Union lost an opportunity to unseat Netanyahu.

The socio-economic record of the outgoing government -- very troubling poverty rates, a high cost of living and staggering housing prices -- should have paved the way for an upset. But the Zionist Union failed to articulate an appealing foreign policy. Its conduct was deplorable. First, it chose to stay on the sidelines while Netanyahu actively took on the emerging deal with Iran -- a deal that could cement Iran's status as a nuclear threshold state and grant it full legitimacy. Second, it torpedoed the Jewish state bill, casting it as racist and nationalist rather than as the expression of core Zionist principles championed by Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion; it turned its back on its own values. If Labor wants to regain power it must first return to its former old self; it must embrace its values and vision.

Netanyahu should also do some soul-searching. He may be tempted to rest on his laurels for having defied the polls and successfully swinging the pendulum in his direction. But he must not bask in the glory of his electoral success, despite his magician-like performance. When the state comptroller issued a damning housing report several weeks ago, he appeared out of touch, taking to social media to warn Israelis that the threat posed by Iran on "life itself" should concern them more than the cost of living. Netanyahu may not champion social justice, solidarity and egalitarianism but he cannot shed his responsibility for the welfare of Israel's citizens, their ability to make ends meet, provide for their families and secure their future. Netanyahu needs to understand that alongside the security threats facing Israel, the daily lives of the Israeli citizens are in fact "life itself."

Netanyahu engaged in a media blitz over the past several days. He seemed to own up to his mistakes and said he would personally make sure that his government effected change, should he win reelection. He would have lost had he not communicated that message. Now he must deliver on that pledge. Together with Kulanu leader and finance minister-designate Moshe Kahlon (whom I voted for), he must now embark on a new socio-economic path and transform Israeli society.

Habayit Hayehudi leader Naftali Bennett also has some soul-searching to do. The thought that his charisma alone would serve as the glue that holds radical ultra-Orthodox nationalists, religious Zionists and even secular constituents was just wishful thinking on his part. To expand his base beyond religious Zionist voters -- and win double-digit Knesset seats -- he must break with the nationalist ultra-Orthodox wing of his party and adopt a more courageous and moderate posture. He must feel comfortable in his own skin.

The Israeli media must also do some soul-searching. The academic study I am currently conducting has had me perusing the print media of the 1950s and 1960s, when newspapers were essentially mouthpieces for specific parties. To my astonishment, the papers on our newsstand today are much more politically biased. In 2015, the media was in bed with the opposition, big time. It rallied against Netanyahu with unprecedented vitriol and shamelessness. The degree to which it blurred the lines between news and opinion, between information and propaganda, was just grotesque. Just look at how the "Anyone but Bibi" headquarters conducted itself over the past several months (I am talking about a specific news outlet).

The media campaign did not produce the expected results. It was also largely self-destructive, because it impeached the media's own credibility. It will now have to work overtime to win back the trust of the public.

Israelis on the whole need to do some soul-searching. This was the ugliest, most contrarian and radical election campaign Israel has seen in decades. Both sides are equally at fault. Now we just have to lick our wounds and wait to heal.

The opposition plays a very important role in a democracy by scrutinizing the government and offering an alternative. But our fragmented society needs a national unity government that will bring us together. The exit poll results did not bode well for such a scenario. I hope I will be proven wrong.