Foundation for Constitutional Democracy
June 30, 1999
Position Paper I:а УWhy Israel
Needs A Presidential Form of Government
ааааааааааа The first concern of any
statesman is National Unity on the one hand, and National Security on the
other.а This should be obvious in a
country like Israel, surrounded by autocratic regimes.а
ааааааааааа To obtain national unity, Israel needs a Unitary Executive.а Even now, with a popularly elected prime minister, Israel has not a Unitary but a Plural Executive.а This is the consequence of coalition cabinet government.а Coalition cabinet government, with its multiplicity of partiesЧeach with its own agendaЧis inherently incapable of formulating and executing coherent, comprehensive, and resolute national policies.
ааааааааааа The best defense of a
Unitary Executive was made by Alexander Hamilton in The Federalist Papers, one of the greatest works on statesmanship.а His argument is more valid for Israel today
than it was for America in 1788.
ааааааааааа Hamilton emphasizes the
need for УenergyФ in the ExecutiveЧby which he means a set of institutional
ingredients conducive to vigorous pursuit of national goals.а The first ingredient he mentions is
Уunity.Фа He writes:а УThat unity is conducive to energy will not
be disputed.а Decision, activity, secrecy,
and dispatch [swiftness] will generally characterize the proceedings of one man
[far more so] than the proceedings of any greater number; and in proportion as
the number is increased, these qualities will be diminished.Ф
He goes on to say:а
УThis unity can be destroyed in two ways: either by vesting the power in
two or more ministers of equal dignity and authority; or by vesting it
ostensibly in one man, subject, in whole or in part, to the control and
cooperation of others, in the capacity of counselors ЕФа Clearly Hamilton would have deplored
coalition cabinet government!а But this
is not all.
He points out that a plural executive gives rise to
personal rivalry and animosity, and that in times of crisis it can split the
nation into violent factions.аа Besides,
men often oppose a thing because they have had no part in planning it, or
because it may have been proposed by those whom they dislike. Sound familiar?
To secure Unity in the Executive, members of the
PresidentТs cabinet must share his ideology as well as the programs he
advocated during his election campaign.а
This is impossible under IsraelТs system of coalition cabinet
government, in which the Prime Minister must accommodate the conflicting
interests of the parties composing his cabinet.а The result is inept government and political paralysis to say
nothing of political corruption.аа
Meanwhile, coalition cabinet government compels the Prime Minister to
violate his campaign pledges, the effect of which is to arouse public cynicism
or contempt for politicians.
It should also be noted that coalition cabinet
government enables foreign powers to play one party against another.а This sort of government tends to foster
disloyalty, especially among opposition parties in the Knesset.а In Israel Уpartisan politics does not stop
at the waterТs edge.Ф
Finally, Unity in the Executive requires that the
members of the PresidentТs cabinet hold no other public office.а Nor must any cabinet member be the head of
any political party.
We have been referring, of course, to a presidential
system where the President exercises executive power.аа Opponents will raise the bogey-man of dictatorship.а This is shear nonsense.а Nevertheless, the power invested in the
President should be balanced by a legislature possessing far more power, de
facto as well as de jure, than that exercised by the present Knesset.а This will be the subject of another paper.