Jerusalem Post urges Israel to preserve unity ahead of elections
In Israel, upcoming nationwide elections must not turn citizens with different political views into enemies, says an editorial in The Jerusalem Post published on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. The newspaper called on society to remember mutual responsibility after nearly three years of war and internal disputes.
Elections after October 7
According to the editorial board, Israel is due to hold its first nationwide elections since the October 7, 2023 attack on October 27. Among the campaign issues, the newspaper listed responsibility for the events of that day, the situation in Gaza and Iran, military service, relations between religion and the state, the judicial system, the economy, settlements, ties with the United States, and Israel's relations with the Jewish diaspora.
The editorial's authors stressed that these differences are real and that voters should demand answers from politicians. At the same time, they warned against an approach under which people with different views are regarded as the country's main problem. In the newspaper's view, the right cannot build the state without the left and centrists, secular Israelis cannot do without religious Israelis, and Jewish citizens cannot ignore Arab citizens with whom they share the state.
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Society and hostages
The editorial recalled that after the October 7 attack, Israelis who had previously protested against one another joined reserve service together. Communities took in evacuees, volunteers created supply networks, and Jews abroad raised funds, came to Israel, and publicly supported it.
The Jerusalem Post also noted that this Rosh Hashanah, according to the newspaper, no hostages remained in Gaza, and the last one was returned in January. At the same time, the country continues to suffer losses, military personnel serve in dangerous areas, and Israel's adversaries have not abandoned their goals.
The newspaper called for maintaining ties between Israel and the diaspora despite antisemitism, hostility toward Israel, and internal disputes in Jewish communities. In the editorial board's view, the main test of the coming year will be citizens' ability to continue seeing one another as partners in building and defending the Jewish state.
