Essay on Benjamin Netanyahu's Leadership in the Israeli Parliamentary System: Overcoming Perils of Presidentialism

Introduction

Benjamin Netanyahu has served as Israeli Prime Minister since 2009 (Margalit, 2019). This leader formed the last two governments, having won many parliamentary seats and established an outright coalition as required by the law. Historically, Netanyahu is the longest-serving Israeli Prime Minister (Margalit, 2019). He has crafted a populist image as the country’s “King Bibi” (Aljazeera, 2020). However, this leader is currently facing three criminal charges that could ruin his rising political career. State prosecutors have argued that the prime minister should be indicted for committing serious criminal offenses (Margalit, 2019). Three times in 2019, Netanyahu failed to win enough votes to form a majority coalition, leading to a power-sharing deal with his major opponent, Benny Gantz (Matti, 2020). Under this arrangement, each of the two leaders will be rotating the prime minister's job for 18 months each (Matti, 2020). Israeli parliamentary democracy protects Netanyahu from the perils of presidentialism because it has successfully eliminated rigidity in government and reduced competing claims to legitimacy.

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Perils of Presidentialism

Israel is a parliamentary democracy that consists of three institutions: the government (cabinet of ministers), judiciary, and parliament (Knesset). In class, it was learned that presidentialism might harm democratic politics through its "winner-take-all" rule that can also introduce a zero-sum game political component. Besides, the use of direct popular vote in the presidential system can create a notion that the president should not undertake a tedious process of making concessions to the opposition and even constructing coalitions.

From the article by Margalit (2019), it can be argued that the Israeli parliamentary system of government has successfully protected Prime Minister Netanyahu from the perils of presidentialism. Of great note is that this constitutional form of government has eliminated the introduction of a zero-sum game aspect into Israeli democratic politics. In 2019, Netanyahu let the Likud Party in coalition-forming negotiations in a bid to form a government after three inconclusive elections (Margalit, 2019). This political deadlock required Netanyahu to be attentive to the interests and demands of different political parties. A unity government formed following the political crisis eliminated a "winner-takes-all" rule that underpins presidentialism.

The parliamentary system protects Netanyahu from the rigidity of presidentialism. As a sign of less rigidity, the prime minister swiftly made essential adjustments to his government in response to changing situations brought about by the coronavirus. It is worth noting that Netanyahu was also facing corruption charges during the coronavirus pandemic, a situation that threatened the fight against the disease (Aljazeera, 2020). The need for political cooperation to tackle these problems compelled the prime minister to accommodate more parties in government. Here, Netanyahu’s adjustments were possible because the parliamentary system is flexible and offers greater opportunities to solve disputes. Conversely, presidentialism entails rigidity, making it less favorable to democratic politics. For instance, the fixed term of the president's tenure in office makes it challenging to adjust to evolving situations that require swift changes.

The parliamentary system has successfully resolved the dual democratic legitimacy problem, which is also a critical disadvantage of presidentialism. Notably, Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Knesset (parliament) have no competing claims to legitimacy in speaking for the people. There is no instance in the three newspaper articles where the prime minister and the parliament claimed to speak more for Israelis. Of great note is that none of the two institutions claimed legitimacy in speaking for the people protesting in Jerusalem (Matti, 2020). In this course, it was taught that the presidential system breeds dual legitimacy issues during challenging times because the legislature and the president can claim to speak for the citizens. This phenomenon exists because both legislators and the president participate in competitive elections where voters are given well-defined alternatives. Together, these leaders derive their power from the voting population. There is no competition to legitimacy between Prime Minister Netanyahu and parliament since the executive is not independent of the Knesset (parliament).

Counter-Arguments and Netanyahu’s Personality and Behavior

Nonetheless, one may argue against the perils of presidentialism, citing successful presidential democracies such as the United States. In this course, it was taught that the US has a longer history of constitutional continuity than other presidential democracies. In addition to constitutional continuity, the US has minimum competing claims to legitimacy. However, this counter-argument is not decisive in explaining the legitimacy problem because the US legislators represent only two cohesive, disciplined political parties with distinct ideologies. Also, these parties offer clear political alternatives to the people, unlike other presidential nations.

Netanyahu's personality a behavior exemplify some of the distinctive qualities of the parliamentary system. According to Margalit (2019), the Israeli leader attended pre-trial hearings in 2019 despite being a sitting prime minister. This leader was charged with fraud, bribery, and breach of trust during his tenure in office (Margalit, 2019). In this regard, Netanyahu respected the rule of law by not engaging in practices that would have obstructed justice.

Of great note is that the Israeli leader did not misuse his executive powers to silence his critics. Also, he did not interfere with the opposition leaders and activists who demonstrated in front of his home against the government's failure to manage the coronavirus crisis (Matti, 2020). In the presidential system, the executive leaders tend to be intolerant of the opposition because they have a sense that they are senior representatives. Having the mandate and independent power from the electorate may give the executive leader a sense of mission and power that may go beyond the plurality that elected them. However, Netanyahu lacks these features because prime ministers encounter little resistances that require the use of constitutional power.

Netanyahu’s path to office exemplifies strategies used by prime ministers in the parliamentary system. As mentioned earlier, this leader has served as the longest prime minister of Israel. Netanyahu has remained relevant in Israeli politics because he has developed a populist image (Margalit, 2019). This strategy helps him win many parliamentary seats, and in turn, enhances his chances to form an outrageous coalition that assumes power. In essence, Netanyahu has remained in power for more than a decade by endearing himself to the public as a people-centered leader. This aspect reflects a strategy that most prime ministers use in their path to power. With no official term limits for prime ministers, the number of parliamentary seats matters. The incumbents always try to maintain a good relationship with members of parliament to retain their positions. In terms of personality, determination, and ambition are Netanyahu’s prominent character traits. He demonstrated strong willpower and a determination against all odds to form a formidable coalition that builds a government.

Conclusion

Benjamin Netanyahu has served as the prime minister of Israel for a decade. This leader's populist strategy in politics has enabled him to remain famous and relevant. Netanyahu is people-centered, ambitious, and determined to achieve his leadership goals. The country's parliamentary system has successfully helped the prime minister overcome the perils of presidentialism. Some of these problems are rigidity and leaders having competing claims to legitimacy. The presidential system can also harm democratic politics through the zero-sum-game element. Netanyahu’s populist strategy features the path that leaders in parliamentary democracies take to assume leadership. However, corruption charges render Netanyahu’s position in the current Israeli government precarious.

References

Aljazeera. (2020, May 17). Can Netanyahu and Gantz work together? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pWpPv1DVug

Margalit, R. (2019, October 8). The precarious position of Benjamin Netanyahu. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-jerusalem/the-precarious-position-of-benjamin-netanyahu

Matti, F. (2020, August 13). Aliens are protesting in Israel. They still can’t beat Bibi. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/13/opinion/israel-protests.html