A boon for Likud, the rule of law
Benny Begin's decision to return to public life will benefit not only the Likud party, but also the rule of law in Israel.
When Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon suggested that Begin vie for a place on the Likud's Knesset list, Begin reminded him that party members had voted him off the list in the 2013 primaries. Ya'alon told him that those who opposed him in 2013 -- the supporters of MK Moshe Feiglin, who opposed Ya'alon himself during December's Likud primaries -- have followed Feiglin and have all but left the party.
That was the point from which the negotiations for Begin's return began, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The successful end saw Begin placed 11th on Likud's list for the coming elections.
Begin's close friend, former minister Dan Meridor, has always claimed that it was not Begin's compromising political positions that undercut him during the 2013 primaries, but his statements in defense of the High Court of Justice. Begin's return to politics can only bode well for the court.
True to the legacies of iconic Likud leader Zeev Jabotinsky and his own father, former Prime Minister Menachem Begin, Benny Begin has always refused to sideline the rule of law for the sake of promoting his own agenda, to see the Land of Israel settled by Jews. The son of the leader who coined the phrase "there are judges in Jerusalem," has spared no effort to sustain settlements in Judea and Samaria, but only up the point where his efforts clashed with the rule of law.
In both of Netanyahu's previous governments, a prominent group of ministers, from different parties, protected the position of the High Court, offsetting the pressure Netanyahu found himself under from the Right -- from Habayit Hayehudi, Yisrael Beytenu and Likud hardliners. In the next government, however, Begin may find himself as the only defender of the court, and the only one trying to prevent legislation seeking to undermine the court's position -- a very unique role.
Begin is a welcome addition to any political, diplomatic, and security debate, as he stands by his convictions. His integrity and modesty are rare assets in an age where corruption and ostentatious practices seem to be the order of the day. To put is simply, he comes from good stock.
