Shlomo Weinish, an independent researcher in the field of leadership, spoke at this year's Limmud Winnipeg on March 2-3 about the "steep slope of Israeli leadership since the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin" in 1995. Weinish, who has a PH.D in Oranizational Sociology from Haifa University  and who lives in Ramat Yishai was interviewed by email by the Winnipeg Jewish Review about this topic. Below is that interview. 

WJR:  The summary of your talk says: "Rabin’s assassination in 1995 was a formative event in Israel’s history. It appears that the main aspect is the decline of Israeli leadership that has a great impact on many life aspects." Can you tell us more about this decline in Israeli leadership? Do you mean that since Rabin there has been no Prime Minister who has been willing to take the necessary risks and make the necessary compromises for peace ?

Weinish: What I refer to as the "decline in Israeli leadership" is the process in which the Israeli leadership, mainly of Prime Minister Netanyhau, is lacking vision and values regardless of the peace process. Even when I keep the discussion in the "academic" level and detach it from ideological perspective, I can identify that Israeli leaders are more concerned about [their own] survival and less about leading with a vision. One main outcome of that process is also the loss of values   and concentrating on "Real Politic". This argument relates both to their personal and political survival and it reflects also on the agenda of the state of Israel. We   don't and see any vision (in each political direction- either left or right )and  actions to fulfill this vision

WJR: What do you think of  Prime Minister Netanyahu's leadership or lack thereof? Can you also comment on  the corruption charges against him 

Weinish: Again, it comes [back] to his lack of vision. He got a mandate from the Israeli people to lead a right agenda and yet he is not leading any proactive agenda but only reacting to the reality around [him]. He also concentrates his foreign affairs on the "survival mode" of the state of Israel. "We are a small county surrounded by enemies", "Iran is the modern Nazi Germany", etc. are the phrases he is using in order to unify the Israeli people and to gain support from the US and Europe. The corruption charges are part of my first argument- when you don't lead with a vision you are lacking values that eventually corrupt you and your staff because  all you are concerned about is your survival and therefore you will be willing to do  what is needed even if it is in the "grey area" in terms of criminal law.