Tafnit - A New Agenda for Israel
Led by Maj. Gen. (res.) Uzi Dayan
Tafnit ("turning the corner") is a new political movement that has been
formed to help bring about a significant change in Israel’s national
priorities and leadership.
Why does Israel need a new agenda?
· Because it is time to turn the corner,
- Implement a new socio-civic agenda that will heal internal rifts
and strengthen the fragile thread that bonds us together.
- Make the historic decisions that will ensure Israel’s future as a
safe Jewish and democratic state.
- Strengthen and deepen the Jewish and democratic character
of the country in the spirit of Jewish heritage.
- Root out corruption and create a new political culture
based on integrity and accountability.
What are the goals of Tafnit?
· To change Israel’s national priorities and create a socio-civic agenda that
is equal in its importance to the national security agenda. To raise the
two flags – the socio-civic and the national security – together and to
the same height.
· To promote a new socio-civic agenda whose basic tenets include: a
high priority for education towards values, excellence and equal
opportunities, increasing employment and narrowing gaps, reforming
our system of government, and waging an uncompromising battle
to ensure enforcement of the country’s laws.
· To demand a leadership that will lead by example and that will
clean the halls of government from the taint of corruption.
Who are we?
Tafnit was started by Israelis from all sectors of society and all parts of Israel, with
a commitment to work together to bring about a significant change in the
country’s national priorities, to create and implement a New Agenda for the
State of Israel.
The movement is headed by Maj. Gen. (res.) Uzi Dayan, with an illustrious military background and extensive experience in security issues. Dayan spent a great part of his 36-year military career as a soldier, officer and top commander of the IDF's top intelligence & commando units. Dayan commanded troops in the 6 Day War, in the 1973 War, in the Lebanon War and in hundreds of combat operations. Among Dayan's assignments in the IDF were head of the Planning Branch of the IDF, head of the Israeli Security Committee to the peace negotiations with the Jordanians, Palestinians and Syrians, and commander of the Central Command.
Dayan holds a B.Sc. in Mathematics and Physics from the Hebrew University and a M.Sc. in Operations Research from Stanford University.
Since his retirement from the army as the IDF Deputy Chief of Staff and as the National Security Advisor of prime ministers Barak and Sharon, he is the founder and president of the annual Sderot Conference for Social and Economic Policy and chairman of the youth movement Hugey Sayarut KKL. Uzi Dayan is one of the initiators of the Kinneret Declaration and of the Dialogue among Brothers Covenant and his activities has led to change in a variety of areas including the country's socio-economic agenda, the construction of the security fence, educational reform, promoting dialogue between different population groups and the legislation of the Military Reserve Duty Act. Uzi Dayan is considered a pragmatic leader with superb intellectual and implementation capabilities, endowed with integrity and the ability to create bridges between the various sectors of Israel society.
A New Agenda for Israel
Israel has reached one of the most important crossroads in its history.
The far-reaching implications of decisions made today mandate the need
for a New Agenda – one that is drawn from the vision, hope and
perseverance that gave rise to Zionism and led to the nation’s
ingathering in our homeland and to the establishment of the State of
Israel with Jerusalem as its capital.
It is up to us to determine the identity and character of Israel, of its
society and of the future of the Zionist vision.
We therefore present a New Agenda for Israel – a comprehensive,
professional and realistic plan for bringing this vision to fruition.
Socio-Civic Agenda
Since the 1970s, Israel has been situated on a number of very steady trajectories
that are unsustainable in the long-run: low economic growth in past years,
high unemployment, extremely high – and constantly increasing – poverty
and income inequality. Without a significant change in these long-term trends,
Israel will find it difficult to exist as a first-world economy – or at all. The
New Socio-Civic Agenda includes:
· Advancement of Education as a National Goal – Without significant
enhancement in value-based education, we cannot expect
fundamental change in behavioral norms that are eroding the
foundations of Israel’s society and government. Without dramatic
improvement in the level of basic education and the provision
of equal educational opportunities for its schoolchildren, Israel will
have a hard time competing in a modern, competitive and global
economy.
This requires a comprehensive structural reform of Israel’s educational
system that is based on:
- Upgrading the status, authority and professionalism of teachers.
- Genuinely free compulsory education, from the age of three
until the end of 12th grade.
- Maximum of 25 pupils per classroom
- Compulsory implementation of an identical core curriculum
in all schools that will yield significant improvements in
achievements and in value-based education.
- A budget realignment that is commensurate with the goal
of narrowing gaps and providing equal opportunities to
every pupil.
· Jobs and Employment – There is a vital need for the implementation of
a comprehensive, systemic, economic program that includes:
changing non-work incentives to work incentives; substantially
reducing the number of foreign workers; establishing an integrated
network providing adult education, vocational trading and job
placement according to market needs; reducing public spending to
facilitate a reduction in the tax burden; significantly upgrading the
transportation infrastructure and investment in R&D.
· Social Safety Net – Israel must provide a basic social safety net to all citizens
unable to function independently. The State is obligated to ensure a
minimum health package that includes nursing-care, an appropriate
medication package, at least the average number of hospital beds per
capita that is common in the West, and social security payments that allow
for adequate subsistence conditions.
· Religion and State – Greater effort should be invested in strengthening
Israel's Jewish-democratic character in a manner that reflects Jewish
traditions, while strictly avoiding the imposition of religious norms on
its citizens. The discourse on the relationship between religion and
State should be conducted in a manner that encourages an open
dialogue and advances agreements based on mutual respect for the
other. Efforts should be made to discuss and resolve controversial
issues in accordance with the spirit of the Kinneret Declaration.
· The State and its Communities – The State of Israel is obligated to
treat all its citizens equally and fairly. In areas in which non-Jewish
Israeli citizens suffer from discrimination and neglect, immediate
and decisive action is required for complete implementation of
fundamental egalitarian principles.
Political-Security Agenda
The continued existence and preservation of Israel’s Jewish-democratic
character – that is based on a solid Jewish majority maintained by legal
and moral means – requires making a historic decision. Israel needs to
initiate a comprehensive and viable process that will protect its vital
interests. This includes:
· War on terrorism, wherever it exists, and immediate completion
of the security fence.
· Preventing Iran from achieving operational nuclear capability.
· Willingness to reach a permanent, secure and lasting agreement,
leading to a “two states for two peoples” solution. In the absence
of such an agreement, Israel is free to determine its borders
in accordance with its security requirements and in a way that
enables the preservation of its Jewish-democratic character.
· A society that requires its citizens to pay a heavy price in blood
for its defense has no right to exempt broad sections of its
population, who share in determining the price, but not in
paying the resultant toll. Every Israeli citizen must serve his
country either through military service (the preferred option)
or through civilian national service that contributes to the
community and the State.
Governmental Reform
In Israel’s current form of government, it is extremely difficult for the
unstable political system to cope with the entire gamut of existential
issues facing Israeli society. Realization of the vision inherent in the
New Agenda requires government reforms along the following lines:
· The head of state – President – and all members of the legislative body
will be elected to fixed terms of office.
· All Knesset Members will be directly elected by their home
constituencies and they will be accountable to their voters.
· The president will appoint cabinet ministers in accordance with
their professional capabilities. Fixed terms of office will enable
the president to formulate policies based on the big picture and the
long run, and will provide a reasonable period of time for
implementing the chosen policies.
· The number of government cabinet ministries will be limited to
twelve. Ministers will not serve as MK’s, but will instead be
appointed by the president.
Zero-tolerance Policy against Corruption
Governmental corruption in Israel has reached epidemic proportions and must
be eradicated before it destroys us. This requires an uncompromising battle
against the entrenched norms that facilitate pervasive corruption, including:
· Repeal of the right to remain silent for elected government officials for
the duration of their terms of office.
· Transfer of authority to remove MK immunity to a judicial committee.
· The sanction for disgraceful behavior shall be the termination of any
further participation in public service activities.
· Elected officials will not be able to participate in discussions or
votes where there is a chance that they and/or their family members
are likely to benefit from the outcome of the discussion or vote.
· Legal processes will be accelerated and tougher penalties will be adopted.
Summary
The vision put forth by the New Agenda for Israel is not only about ensuring
Israel’s continued existence. It is about ensuring that Israel remains a country
that we can all be proud of and want to identify with.
Implementing the New Agenda requires a different type of leadership –
a leadership with a sense of direction and national responsibility, an
ability to make decisions and determine national goals, the wherewithal
to implement them, with integrity and personal standards above reproach.
This is the mission of Tafnit and this is our commitment.
* Tafnit's complete platform may be viewed on its website and can be obtained from Tafnit's office.
For additional information you are welcomed to contact Tafnit at:
Tel: +972 (3) 5622644
Fax: +972 (3) 6243161
E-mail: info@tafnit.org
Website: www.tafnit.org
Address: Tafnit, 13 karlibach St., P.O.Box 51898
Tel-Aviv, Israel
