It's difficult to overstate the importance of Israel's election set for this month, after four years of a far-right government that has wrought destruction and inflicted damage on a scale that words fail to convey.
From a judicial overhaul designed to dismantle the judiciary and tear the country apart, to the now-routine settler pogroms in the West Bank, perpetrated by criminal militias; from the entrenchment of pervasive corruption and criminal norms, to exploiting every available loophole to loot public funds for the benefit of sectors represented in government; from promoting ignorance and racism, to the destruction of academia, culture, the free press and freedom of speech and thought.
Above all, this government will be remembered as the government of the October 7 massacre, the gravest disaster in Israeli history – the result of years-long attempts to deny the Israeli-Palestinian conflict's existence, as well as the prime minister's contempt for and disregard of the countless warnings he received, for which he has yet to assume even the slightest responsibility.
It's therefore equally as difficult to overstate the catastrophe to befall Israel if the current government is given another term. Another government led by Benjamin Netanyahu will run roughshod over what remains of Israel's democracy and the liberal camp, without any restraint, turning the country's watchdogs and judiciary into loyal servants. They will bulldoze officials like the attorney general, dismantle the civil service, shut down the free press and invite an international boycott of Israel, ultimately driving it out of the family of democratic nations.
Israel's liberals have fought the government tooth and nail for four years, relentlessly struggling to defend themselves against it. Now more than ever, they need their sons and daughters, Israeli liberals living abroad, to join the fight on this fateful day.
Those who have chosen to live abroad remain an important and integral part of Israeli life and culture. They, too, are deeply and continually affected by Israel's condition and by the way it is perceived around the world. They have both the right and the duty to take part in the struggle for Israel, especially at this time of national emergency.
It's easy to think that one or two votes will make no difference, and that the battle has already been lost. After all, many of the liberals who left did so precisely because they were deeply distressed by the changes to the country's character, choosing to give up on life in Israel.
Yet there's no other way to try to change the course of events and, despite everything, fight to preserve the better parts of Israel that still remain.
As in historic events such as the Yom Kippur War of 1973, when Israelis from all corners of the world rushed back home to help face an existential threat, Israeli democracy is now crying out for the help of those who want to see it thrive. Israeli liberals, come help us save our home.
The above article is Haaretz's lead editorial, as published in the Hebrew and English newspapers in Israel.
