Apparently, the Winograd Commission does not intend to hold anyone accountable for the irresponsible conduct of the last war. The anticipated cleansing our institutions need is nowhere to be found, because their first priority is to avoid blame and stay in power.

It is our own responsibility to fight for the future we want.

 Defending our state, our lives and our well-being is someone else's job, it seems.


In actuality, they are correct. A history of reasonably good government has allowed us to become too complacent, but it is our own responsibility to fight for the future we want. We need to create a new coalition for sane policies and a vigorous self-defense, and that requires a consensus. So, we have two options. Either we pursue the bland, let's-not-offend-anyone kind of consensus Margaret Thatcher once described as "the process of abandoning all beliefs, principles, values and policies... [to create] something in which no one believes and to which no one objects"; or we formulate a simple KISS platform. KISS, for ‘Keep It Simple, Stupid,” was once a popular reminder to reduce confusion and avoid potential mishaps while solving problems.


A KISS platform will have just a few planks -- those that nearly all of us can agree on without sacrificing our principles. We will not agree on everything. But many of those disagreements can and should be ignored for now. Meanwhile, most of us can agree on some things: Self-defense. Justice. Loyalty. Responsibility.


1. Self-defense: It is immoral and impractical to excuse hostile behaviors. Common sense dictates that continuing to accept cross-border attacks while pretending we are not at war is dysfunctional and eventually suicidal. Indeed, refusing to defend ourselves has cost us allies both in the media (Joseph Farah, for example) and in the field (Lebanese Christian militia). Without paranoia, we do have a long list of enemies: countries whose official militias attack us, countries that allow terrorists to attack us from their territory, countries that instigate, arm, train or reward terrorists, or offer them safe haven, and countries that declare an intention to destroy the State of Israel or to murder Jews.


The KISS solution is to do what any other country would do - declare an immediate state of war against all who are attacking us. There are no innocent enemies, only countries that are guilty or incompetent. In either case, a state of war will exist until they are rendered harmless. Does this mean that Israel will suddenly be at war with the entire Islamic world? Obviously, the forces that attack us were already at war with us before our declaration. Stating this fact will at least make us look serious about consequences, and might convince certain moderate countries to make their excuses, refrain from hostility,

It is immoral and impractical to excuse hostile behaviors.

 and accept carrots from the Free World. At the very least, it will end the ridiculous situation of Israelis constantly under threat of attack by the countries of “who, me?”


2. Justice: For terrorists, for traitors, and for loyal citizens. Keeping captured terrorists in prison has proven beyond any doubt to be the cause of more terrorist kidnappings. Therefore, our enemies have left us no choice; the only way to prevent harm to more innocent kidnap victims is to remove any possibility of a terrorist's release. Of course, any enemy fighter captured in uniform must be treated as a prisoner of war - not to be returned until the state of war ends with the surrender of those who sent him. Anyone caught attacking us when not in uniform, however, is a terrorist who should be tried and executed within a reasonable time limit, say, 48 hours.


Life without hope of parole sounds good in theory, but should more Jews have to pay with their lives to convince our enemies we have the backbone and the competence to carry it out? It is unjust and immoral to keep random Jews at risk of being pawns in “free the prisoners” operations. Execution is the only way to put terrorists beyond the reach of their comrades; this is not revenge, but justice.


We also have a serious problem of Israelis (Jewish and Islamic) who side with our enemies in their efforts to destroy Israel as a Jewish State. Our obligation is to loyal citizens; disloyal citizens must choose to live elsewhere (with financial assistance to do so if needed). Yes, this will result in a forced population transfer, but based on loyalty, not religion or race. Make a choice, reap the consequences, regardless of who you are. Simple justice.


For those who do not choose loyalty or leaving, we absolutely must define and vigorously enforce the parameters and penalties for treason, without fear of creating martyrs. The enemy will continue to arrange for more martyrs no matter what we do. Therefore, common sense suggests that enforcing justice for treason will provide a positive deterrent effect without additional martyr backlash.


Treason includes incitement to hate Jews or attack Israelis, publication of jihadi propaganda, or participation in pro-terrorist riots. This is a reasonable limit on freedom of speech in a democracy fighting for its life. A charge of treason - helping enemies at the expense of Israel's security and national interest - would require a public trial, conviction if the evidence so dictates, and execution or banishment, depending on the harm caused and the risk the traitor might pose in the future. Apply the law equally to all Israelis and invalidate the charge of racism or bias. It is simple justice.


3. Reform the government: We need to elect a slate of MKs who are legally contracted to serve a single term as representatives to a Reformation Congress, with a mandate to approve a Constitution that would rein in the judicial branch and secure our citizens' rights to equality under the law, separate the executive and the legislative branches, and make MKs responsible to particular constituencies. Of course, we would need to elect experienced MKs with enough competence to keep Israel alive during the transition, but even a corrupt politician can't do too much harm if his term is automatically limited and

A corrupt politician can't do too much harm if his term is automatically limited.

there will be little opportunity to appoint anyone to anything. Meanwhile, the true professionals in the military and civil service can do their jobs properly without the interference of politicians meddling and posturing.


KISS: Defend ourselves. Pursue justice. Reform the government.


If you like the KISS platform, or would like to see it debated, say so. Our loudest public organs - the media-academic-political pundits - have invested heavily in the current distribution of powers. So we need to gather interest and momentum in spite of them. You can force KISS doctrine into the public arena: hang a KISS sign wherever you can; put a KISS on your bumpers and a KISS in your window; and maybe make a few KISS T-shirts. When your neighbors ask you, tell them it's about common sense and justice, and finding a consensus on the immediate needs of the state. And keep it simple.