There’s an old saying:
“If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck – it’s probably gaslighting you.”

Welcome to Israel 2025, where the loudest, shrillest duck in town is the radical left’s discourse: hysterical wings, moral superiority complex, and a knack for demolishing every concept related to responsibility, unity, or functional statehood.

Once upon a time, Israel had something called statesmanship.
Not sexy, not trending, not photogenic.
But solid. Adult. The political equivalent of a reliable dad with a tucked-in polo shirt.

Today?
Statesmanship has been replaced by TikTok governance: half slogan, half filter, zero backbone.

Once, the Left Built a Country. Now It Builds Narratives.

Let’s be brutally honest.
The Israeli left’s nostalgia for Ben-Gurion is about as sincere as my nostalgia for my 7th-grade math teacher who told me I’d “never fulfill my potential.”

But the difference is simple:

The old left wanted a strong state.
The modern radical left wants a dramatic storyline.

They used to build roads.
Now they build discourse.
They used to establish an army.
Now they establish “communities of resistance.”
They used to say “responsibility.”
Now they say “systemic oppression.”

In short:
The left traded concrete for content.
And surprise – the state didn’t survive the transition.

Statesmanship Became a Dirty Word – Because It Ruined the Aesthetic

Somewhere between the espresso shot and the 19th “emergency panel” of the week, someone in a Tel Aviv studio discovered the awful truth:
Statesmanship isn’t a vibe – it’s an obligation.

And obligations don’t go viral.

So the radical left rebranded statesmanship as something grim:
“A colonial, patriarchal invention designed to preserve hegemonic power structures.”

Which is activist-speak for:
“I don’t feel like being responsible.”

The Media Decided It Is the State – No Elections Required

The media didn’t abandon statesmanship.
It simply fired it and took the job for itself.

If the government doesn’t match their preferences – it’s illegitimate.
If the Knesset votes the “wrong” way – it’s dangerous.
If the public elects the right – it’s a national trauma requiring therapeutic intervention.

Journalists have become self-appointed guardians –
complete with sermonizing, moral outrage, and the supreme confidence of people whom nobody actually voted for.

In their version of statesmanship, the state exists to be scolded.

Academia: Authority Is Evil – Except When They’re the Authority

Radical professors developed a whole new metaphysics:
The state is a “structure of oppression.”
The army is a “mechanism of violence.”
Statesmanship is “the first stage of creeping fascism.”

But the moment a student dares voice a right-wing opinion?
Suddenly the university remembers it has hierarchy, power structures, disciplinary committees, and non-negotiable rules.

They oppose authority –
unless it’s theirs.

The Supreme Court: Statesmanship as Private Property

For decades we were told that statesmanship resides in a single sacred building in Jerusalem:
The Court.

There, robed sages protect democracy by explaining patiently to the people why their vote needs “correction.”

And the radical left embraced this with the same joy a lover embraces jewelry left on the nightstand:
It’s not theirs – but why not use it?

Thus emerged the new definition of statesmanship:
Not “the state above politics,”
but “one unelected system above all.”

Everything else? Decor.

The Street Takes Over: If You Scream Loud Enough, You’re a Democrat

The death of statesmanship reached its climax on the streets.

The louder the shouting – the more “legitimate” the protest.
The more aggressive the blockade – the more “civil” the action.
The less respectful the demonstration – the more “enlightened” the movement.

In other words:
Statesmanship died, and the funeral turned into a street party.

Then Came War – and Exposed the Fraud

Suddenly the state mattered.
Suddenly the army mattered.
Suddenly sovereignty, nationalism, and borders weren’t colonial constructs – they were necessities.

Amazing how fast radical chic melts when sirens go off.

But here’s the catch – you can’t destroy statesmanship for a decade and then demand it back like an old coat.
The radical left hollowed out every institution, delegitimized every authority, mocked every structure – and now wonders why nothing stands straight.

The Right: The Only One Still Believing in a State

People love criticizing the right, but reality is stubborn:
The right is the only political camp that didn’t fall in love with fashionable anarchy.

It still believes in borders, in the army, in law, in national identity, in a strong state.
Not because it’s romantic – but because it’s necessary.

Statesmanship isn’t a fetish.
It’s an operating system.
And the radical left deleted it – leaving us with a national blue screen of death.

So How Do We Bring Back Statesmanship?

Not with mindfulness circles.
Not with performative activism.
Not with viral hashtags.

But with something radical in its simplicity:
A renewed respect for the state itself – not for whoever shouts at it the loudest.

Statesmanship isn’t dead.
It’s been exiled.
And if we don’t bring it home soon, we’ll wake up in a country that has everything –
except a country.