The past week's drama was very much like the haggling you would see at a Turkish bazaar. Proposals were floated and withdrawn, some thoughtful, some devoid of substance. Everyone knows what is at stake and how things might unfold. The media has not been able to paint a clear picture. This attests to the snafu among party leaders. The various protagonists are experiencing wild mood swings. At times the situation sends shivers down their spines because they fear an uncertain future; at other times, they feel they have enough strength to plough through and avert early elections. They know all too well that poll numbers can be misleading. I believe the latest iteration of the Jewish state bill -- the one that was drafted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after he received MK Yariv Levin's and MK Zeev Elkin's drafts -- is effectively dead. It was dealt a crushing blow on Thursday when politicians converged on Sde Boker to attend Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion's annual memorial ceremony. President Reuven Rivlin took a courageous stand, which was echoed by his predecessor, former President Shimon Peres. Many took note of what those two men said, especially those who want to assert Israel's Jewish identity but don't want to see the coalition unravel. Coalition leaders no longer trust one another -- in fact, there is zero trust all around -- but they should make one last effort to put each other to the test. They should shelve the Jewish state bill and make sure the Knesset forgoes next week's preliminary vote on the bill. Meanwhile, the party leaders should move up the negotiations about the bills' provisions. Discussions should center only on hot-button issues -- meaning, they should abide by the often-flouted rule of reaching a consensus before things are debated in the Knesset plenum. It is time to make decisions. It is time to decide on the next chief of general staff. Everyone knows who will be promoted to the top job, but for some reason this decision has been put off endlessly. Has the government forgotten how things unfolded the last time around? Have they forgotten the toxic atmosphere that dominated the screening process? They should also figure a out a way to finalize other agenda items: the value-added tax exemption on new apartments, the new health-care reform and the so-called "Zoabi bill" that would punish lawmakers who identified with terrorists. If Netanyahu, Finance Minister Yair Lapid, Economy and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett and Justice Minister Tzipi Livni manage to reach an understanding, we would be able to say, like in the Bible, that the waters have abated. Meaning, if they resolve to keep the coalition intact, the Jewish state bill crisis will immediately become a thing of the past. If they fail to reach such an understanding, they should spare themselves the hassle of redrafting the bill. Instead, they should motion to dissolve the Knesset and call early elections. There is no point in wasting time. Why get on the public's nerves-
