The nightmare of Knesset list registration came to a close on Thursday night. Calm will now descend on all those hyperactive politicians who have been jumping around from party to party, to the point where the responsible adult in Israeli politics, Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin (Likud), reproached Amir Peretz, asking him to abide by the accepted rules of conduct. On Thursday, Peretz could be seen still dithering during stoppage time, past the 11th hour. Such behavior has never before been witnessed in the annals of the Knesset. There is nothing wrong with politicians switching parties. Nor is there any need to conceal one's ego. Ego has a role to play in some political decisions. The problem is that in 2013, ego has exceeded all bounds of what is reasonable, and has taken over where principle and rules of conduct used to hold sway. Ego has thrown shame out the window. In addition, it's impossible not to compare Peretz' behavior with that of Likud ministers Benny Begin and Dan Meridor. Begin and Meridor experienced even greater disappointment than Peretz, who merely came in third place in the Labor primaries. Begin and Meridor suffered much greater setbacks within the Likud list due to their resolute defense of the rule of law. It's sad, and a pity, not just for the two men in question. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was disappointed himself and summoned the two men to a meeting, where he raised the possibility of appointing them as extra-factional ministers. Since then, a number of proposals have gone back and forth. I personally suggested that the Likud invoke an option from the distant past, encouraging the two men to run within a satellite party. (The Labor party as Mapai and the liberals as General Zionists had satellite parties for Mizrahim headed by Bechor-Shalom Sheetrit and Benjamin Zalah Sassoon respectively.) Meridor received two tempting offers, including a spot at the top of another party's list. But both he and Begin declined. They already ran in the Likud primaries and wouldn't think of switching allegiances just because their hopes of winning a top spot were dashed. Just look at their behavior and compare it with that of politicians who go from party to party shopping for the best offer. The government will lose three ministers of distinction: Begin, Meridor and Ehud Barak, perhaps others as well. Not that no other ministers can compare, but the overall quality will be diminished. This is also a generational shift. What remains are several destructive parties that take their marching orders from a single autocratic leader, as well as a monolithic rabbinic family that controls a medium-sized but crucial party like Shas, which is delaying necessary reforms in education, the economy and Israel's defense. Then there are transitory players like the now-collapsing Kadima and the one-man show that is Yesh Atid. Not only does our political arena contain many flaws, but they show no signs of diminishing in number or impact. Last night marked the end of the first stage of Knesset elections and the formation of a government. All signs indicate that the main battle, which commences today, will take place within the rightist bloc and the Center-Left bloc. The Likud is currently threatened from the Right by the Jewish Home and Strong Israel parties, leaving it almost no time for a serious, frank and incisive debate with the Labor party. Soon, however, even this discussion will descend willy nilly into verbal sparring with Livni and Lapid and perhaps even with those two smoldering stubs of firewood from Kadima. Honor can be restored to our political system if, starting today, our politicians manage to discuss the substantive differences between the sides, perhaps even discovering in the process that they are not so great. What we need during this election campaign is a real debate, not mere fireworks.
