One of the key ingredients to the tremendous public support received by Prime Minister Arik Sharon was his constant use of the magic word “Unity”. In his years in office hundreds died in Palestinian terror attacks, he dismantled settlements leaving thousands homeless, headed a government that implemented radical economic reform and began a process of radical educational reform, but as long as Arik was perceived as a unifying force, he could do no wrong. As a people and a nation we strive for unity and see it as an ultimate goal.

With the addition of Avigdor Lieberman to his government 4 months ago one would have thought that Prime Mnister Olmert figured out the magic formula. With Labor on his left and Lieberman on his right, Shas representing the religious and the Pensioners the social representatives, Olmert should have seen a reversal of his fortunes ala Arik Sharon. Yet Lieberman’s addition did nothing of the sort. Why?

The missing piece in Olmert’s formula was the concept of a uniting issue; an issue that would allow different parties with different outlooks and constituents to rally around for the good of the country. That evasive uniting issue was presented as the impetus for Lieberman joining the Government; Electoral Reform was the magic bullet they were searching for. Accountability, direct representation, and clean government were just the uniting themes that a nation that had lost faith in its chosen leaders were craving to hear, and at the same time would unite the coalition around a worthwhile goal. Yet here we are 4 months later and this cardinal issue is off the table?

As Abraham Lincoln once said “You may fool all the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all of the time; but you can't fool all of the people all the
time”. The cynical use of electoral reform as a cover for bringing Lieberman into the government and not the actual change the public craves was clearly seen as just another example of politicization of a pressing topic. While the influence of a few thousand Likud Central Committee members on the political makeup of the party was portrayed as one of the main reasons for reform, four of the five coalition members in Olmert’s government were chosen neither by a few thousand people nor by a few hundred but rather by one lone person. This transparent hypocrisy could not fly, nor could the lack of true debate and study necessary before bringing such an important reform to the forefront.

Unfortunately, the Olmert-Lieberman marriage was more about the person truly promoting electoral reform, Benjamin Netanyahu, and not about electoral reform itself. As Lieberman’s polling numbers rose over the war torn summer together with those of Netanyahu’s, he was the most vocal critic of the government and its policies. The tipping point for Lieberman occurred when Netanyahu continued to ascend the polls and he remained stagnant. Lieberman was at a critical political juncture; the instability of the government was clear and it was just a matter of time before we were headed back to the election booths. The polls predicted a strong second place finish for Israel Beitenu and a senior ministry for Leiberman in a more experienced government with a clear agenda. Being number two though was not in the cards; the goal was the Premiership, even at the expense of  extending the term of a failing government and giving life to the very policies he lambasted just weeks earlier. Electoral reform suddenly trumped national security, dimplomacy, immigrant causes and civil marriage. A “uniting” issue, electoral reform, was the perfect fig leaf for both Olmert and Liebermans agenda problem and concurrently would allow them to put the public support for Netanyahu on ice for a little longer in the hope that he slipped up.

Ari Harow is National Executive Director of American Friends of Likud and heads the Likud Anglo Forum in the Likud Party.