For an early election to be called, the nonviolent civic uprising must expand. The Histadrut labor federation must join in, and not just as a ruse in Netanyahu’s service. The demonstrations must become a routine that draws in hundreds of thousands of people every day, not just on weekends. More and more Israelis must engage in civil disobedience in a creative, original way.

Just as in Serbia, where mass demonstrations toppled the dictator Slobodan Milosevic two decades ago, our detached supreme leader must realize that an election is his only escape.