Yesterday, I was asked why I stormed out of the annual National Conference of the Federation of Local Authorities in Israel at the Tel Aviv Convention Center.
"What's so hard to understand?" I answered.
"The prime minister of Israel, head of the country's public service, was standing there and viciously attacking another government agency, the Israel Police, which is made up of loyal government workers whose job is to enforce the law, and the heads of agencies sitting at the same table are applauding him for that. I don't like this festival, so I got up and left. It shouldn't be happening in a properly run country."
These are sad and difficult days for Israel. As a citizen and a political leader, I'm very sad that the Israel Police is recommending that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be tried in two cases of alleged bribery. The police recommendations portray a tough picture to look at, and it is the attorney general who will make the final decision.
True, the prime minister is entitled to a presumption of innocence and according to the letter of the law is not obligated to resign because of the police recommendations. But publicly, he is in an untenable situation. Public faith in him has been dealt a serious blow and a dark cloud is hanging over his head. There was a good reason why he and his colleagues demanded that former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert resign when he found himself in a similar situation.
"He [Olmert] has no moral or public mandate," Netanyahu declared at the time, adding: "What should have happened is that this government should have gone home, and the mandate returned to the voters."
This is why the Zionist Union has called on Netanyahu to take a leave of absence until the attorney general makes his decision.
From here, the hot potato is being tossed to the State Attorney's Office and the attorney general, whose integrity I respect. They need to realize that the country cannot be dragged into months of uncertainty. The good of the country and the stability of the system, especially in the face of security and diplomatic challenges, demand that the state attorney and attorney general duo drop everything else and make an immediate decision in the cases involving the prime minister. A fast decision is also the right way to balance Netanyahu's presumption of innocence with national responsibility and the public's interests as I mentioned earlier.
Finally, the public must reject Tourism Minister Yariv Levin's hysterical cries about a police "revolution" and put a stop to Likud politicians' attacks on the police.
Their consistent campaign to delegitimize the Israel Police and its investigators must not be transferred to the prosecution and the attorney general. We need to step away from the keyboard and shut our mouths and let legal officials do their work without disturbance, without being slandered, without delay, and most of all, without fear.
