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With news that Prime Min­is­ter Yair Lapid has con­ced­ed defeat in the Israeli elec­tions and the results clear­ly show­ing that Binyamin Netanyahu will lead the new coali­tion gov­ern­ment, we con­grat­u­late Mr Netanyahu on his return to office. This elec­tion saw a record vot­er turnout for both Jew­ish and Arab cit­i­zens and shows the strength and vibran­cy of Israeli democ­ra­cy. Israel remains the only place in the Mid­dle East where reg­u­lar elec­tions are held in which all cit­i­zens have an equal vote and an unre­strict­ed choice in vot­ing gov­ern­ments into and out of office.

Clear­ly, it is for the cit­i­zens of a state to select their own gov­ern­ment and, in a free and demo­c­ra­t­ic process, their right to make their own choice is to be respect­ed. It is also true that the Jew­ish peo­ple world­wide have a stake in the future of the Jew­ish state. We are pro­found­ly con­nect­ed to it and there­fore have a desire to see a gov­ern­ment that is sta­ble, effec­tive and capa­ble of uplift­ing all of its cit­i­zens and enhanc­ing its place in the world.

These elec­tion results point to a deci­sive vic­to­ry for the pro-Netanyahu bloc, which we hope will deliv­er sta­ble gov­ern­ment and an end to the cycle of frag­ile coali­tions and snap elec­tions.

It appears also that, as has occurred in many democ­ra­cies around the world, pop­ulist extrem­ist politi­cians, with an open­ly racist and homo­pho­bic agen­da, have made strong elec­toral gains, and are like­ly to hold min­is­te­r­i­al posi­tions when a new gov­ern­ment is formed. Though this group runs under the ban­ner of “Reli­gious Zion­ism”, in our view, much of their rhetoric is incom­pat­i­ble both with our reli­gion and with Zion­ism.

When a new Israeli gov­ern­ment is formed then, like all gov­ern­ments, it will be judged on what it says and what it does.

We again extend our sin­cere best wish­es to Prime Min­is­ter-elect Netanyahu and affirm our unwa­ver­ing kin­ship with the State of Israel and its peo­ple.

Peter Wertheim AM, ECAJ Co-CEO

Alex Ryvchin, ECAJ Co-CEO