Israel’s Next Leader Must Be Ambitious for Israel, Not for Themselves

Israelis will spend the weeks before the October 27 election arguing over Gaza, Iran, the haredi draft, the economy, judicial reform, the Palestinians and the consequences of the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks. They will examine party platforms, coalition possibilities and opinion polls. But one question deserves equal attention: what kind of person wants to become prime minister?

The job offers little privacy and almost no protection from public scrutiny. Every mistake becomes public property. A candidate’s appearance, family, finances and even choice of lunch can become subjects of debate. Roughly half the country may see the prime minister as the person capable of saving Israel, while much of the other half sees the same leader as the person most likely to destroy it.

Political psychologists have studied this peculiar ambition for years. Their findings challenge the popular image of politicians as simply power-hungry egomaniacs. Many politicians appear genuinely motivated by public service. Studies of political candidates have found evidence of “self-transcendence”, a desire to improve society and help others. That is worth remembering at a time when cynicism about politicians comes easily.

Service, however, is not the only motivation. Political leaders generally show a stronger “need for power” than other people. That impulse is not necessarily harmful. Someone who believes the country is moving in the wrong direction may reasonably want the authority to change course. Political ambition also correlates with traits such as extraversion and grandiose narcissism, although that does not mean every politician is a narcissist or that opponents should be given psychiatric diagnoses.

The simpler point is that seeking the premiership requires extraordinary confidence. Israel has almost 10 million people. To seriously seek its highest office, a person must believe they possess an unusual combination of judgment, ability and vision. Most people never reach that conclusion about themselves. Those who do are, almost by definition, psychologically unusual.