Farewell, 19th Knesset. You won't be missed. The good thing about this short-lived Knesset -- the only good thing -- is that it was short-lived. That said, a truncated Knesset term shows that our democracy is not very stable. This should have us all concerned. The root of all evil was the government. The unusual and heterogeneous partnership among coalition parties bred hope that lawmakers would be able to break the impasse on a whole range of issues. But this was contingent on having all parties keep their side of the bargain. This was a false hope. Rather than serve as the legislative chamber, the Knesset became a venue for settling scores. If a certain coalition partner felt wronged -- say, because a bill it drafted was buried in a committee -- it mounted a Knesset insurgency that disrupted legislation on other matters. The actual Opposition's legitimate effort to undermine the government were hardly felt because coalition members did it so well. The homegrown opposition within the coalition was very effective, and this created crises where none were supposed to exist. Very much like a tempest in a teapot. The Knesset could not get its act together because lawmakers cared more about defeating their colleagues' bills than about introducing vital legislation. The incompetence of this Knesset was made all the more apparent by the slew of proposals hastily put on the table this week. The parties had an epiphany, realizing they need to pad their legislative records with accomplishments before Israelis go to the polls. All of a sudden the Knesset committees became overwhelmed with bills and initiatives. On Monday, lawmakers scrambled to pass these half-baked measures, but this effort was largely unsuccessful. The Knesset dispersed and the bills stayed on paper. Here is a sample of the agenda items that came up during Monday's legislative session: 0 percent value-added tax on staple foods (to replace the proposed tax benefits on new apartments); doubling the benefits for discharged soldiers (against the backdrop of a slashed defense budget); 200 million shekels ($51 million) of supplementary funding for the settlements (or was it actually 94 million shekels-). At this point in the game, such measures are nothing but a rhetorical sprint to the finish line. They lack any substance. A day after the members of the 20th Knesset are sworn in, these legislative efforts will become orphaned, their sponsors all but moving on to other issues. The only bright spot in Monday's marathon session was the amendment dealing with illegal immigrants. Its sponsors said it was watered down more than necessary; its detractors said it wouldn't remedy the situation. The new Knesset will need to revisit this matter. Depending on the makeup of the government, it might add more draconian measures, or it might accommodate the infiltrators and their supporters. Anything could happen. Instead of getting things done through a steady stream of legislation, lawmakers instead engaged in verbal attacks. To paraphrase what Jews say on Rosh Hashanah, let us bid farewell to this Knesset and its curses; let us welcome the new Knesset and its blessings.
