An insane democracy called Israel
With events that have taken place in recent times, one can only come to the conclusion that Israel is a democracy gone insane.
I don’t know what the answer is. We see the spectacle of an Arab member of the Knesset who participated in the Gaza flotilla a few years ago who, after having been stripped of her Knesset membership for an act of treason, applied to the Supreme Court and had her membership reinstated. We see in Israel, supposedly Zionist organisations siding with Arabs and other motley groups trying to lay claim over parts of the Negev. All in the name of political correctness, we see Israeli children being taught the Palestinian propaganda narrative of the birth of Israel – Al Nakba (the catastrophe). We see an Israeli professor in Beersheba make the claim that Israeli soldiers are racists because there has never been a case of rape against Arab women. Excavations are proceeding relentlessly under the Temple Mount by the Islamic Waqf (whom Israel put in charge after the 1967 war).
This holiest of Jewish sites is an archaeological treasure trove that should be excavated with a toothbrush but is being bulldozed by the Waqf to rid the area of any remnants of a Jewish presence during the first and second temple periods. Who knows what has already been lost forever. There is no doubt that Arabs are constructing a massive Mosque under the Temple Mount in order to lay claim to the area. The Israeli electoral system is a shambles and is in need of a first past the post electoral reform where winner takes all.
We have the disgraceful scenario where Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid has the audacity and sheer disrespect to state that if his conditions for coalition participation are not met “In a year and a half, I’ll replace him (Netanyahu) as Prime minister”. Going by past performance, everyone in the newly formed coalition will babble on about his own agenda and speak on issues that are not in their portfolio. It is time for all to shut up and speak only if authorised.
How many times have we seen cabinet ministers bag and denigrate their Prime Minister on the world stage at every opportunity? They can’t even be united in the face of an existential threat!
Finally we have the spectacle of Sudanese being aided and abetted by Egypt to make their way through the desert and actually allowed to cross the border into Israel where they are given food, water and shelter but where the deportation issue is always challenged by some group or another. The Egyptians are obviously trying various ways of bringing Israel to its knees. Making sure that approximately 100,000 illiterate Sudanese flood into Israel is one way to go about it. For Israel to have fallen for this trap is another example of stupidity passing for policy. One of the greatest tragedies of all is the pathetic “Hasbara” efforts by Israel.
It has a worldwide platform, but its spokespeople have no idea how to counter the propaganda. When it comes to Hasbara, Israel is like a ship without a rudder adrift on the sea. Hasbara has to come from representatives of the Israeli Government and right now they hardly speak with one voice on anything and when and if they ever do, it is ineffectual. For once I’d love to see an Israeli Govt. spokesman start by saying to the PA in particular and the world at large: “How dare you issue such blatant lies, now here are the facts.” One way or another, Israel better get its act together pretty quickly.
Obama has just been re-elected for another 4 years and in my opinion will do everything to bring Israel to its knees.
Gil Solomon
Dover Heights
Paul Winter,
The Israelis should hire you immediately for education and coaching purposes. Kol Hakavod. How this waffley state of affairs has come to be, I don’t know. Unless it’s just time, evolution and the resultant relativity that drives it. One thing’s for sure, it’s not affordable.
Gil, you are a man after my own heart.
You are absolutly right in inveighing against all the problematic situations in Israel. The high court is a disgrace and so is the rabbinate. The police force does everything to avoid enforcing the law when it comes to Arabs. But Jewish development is severely restricted by the Jewish state. Foreign nations are allowed to interfere and fund hostile NGOs and foreign enemies are treated with kid gloves. The miltary hierarchy is defeatist and the generals have an eye to post army political careers. The intelligence service is staffed by idiologues who recruit their own from movements that have atrophied. And all of us speak of the West Bank instead of Judea ans Samaria, of settlements rather than developments of nation building and of Palestians rather than Arabs.
And yet, Israel is a wonderful place and I believe it will solve its problems. It better had,because if it does not, the Jewish enterprise dies and our own life in the diaspora will bet much worse with the resurgent antisemitism that would be bolstered by triumphant islamism.
Paul, I hope you are right when you say that Israel will solve its problems.
I am pessimistic but hope I am wrong in my concerns and that you are 100% correct.
My more pessimistic outlook is based on the following:
What other country accepts that contemptous mantra issued by a few western nations that “Israel has the right to defend itself.” How gracious of these countries to come out with this profound statement before adding “but it should not go too far as that would undermine any understanding of her position.” Adding insult to injury, I’ve heard Israeli spokesman repeat “we have a right to defend ourselves.” This sounds like someone pleading to a jury. Which country on the face of the earth, facing an ongoing existential threat, talks like this?
I am pessimistic because Israel can be relied upon to succumb to world pressure and end any conflict prematurely and inconclusively, like the recent Gaza fiasco.
It can be relied upon to fall for the same trap when stating that it will investigate any claim put forward by the Arab side, like for example when they said some time ago that the Israeli army committed a massacre in Jenin. The facts later proved there was no massacre, but for Israel to have stated during the conflict that it would investigate this issue, the propaganda damage worldwide had already been done. When on earth is Israel ever going to wake up?
When graphic photos shown on the various media outlets worldwide showing casualties and blaming these on Israel when in effect the photos turn out to be the carnage in some other country, where Arabs are butchering each other, where is the Israeli outrage at these lies told?
Where is the Israeli outrage when the so called Palestinians teach their children from kindergarten age that Jews are the offspring of pigs and apes, thus ensuring that the next generation of Jew haters are alive and well? One would think that this was a red line that Israel would insist be taken out of the school curriculum before so called peace talks continue. But no, the Israeli position is that Israel is always happy to resume negotiations with no preconditions!
Israel better get serious because the next war could involve not only rockets from Gaza but in excess of 40,000 missiles from Hezbollah in Lebanon, courtesy of Iran. In the next war which will happen as sure as night follows day, if Israel does not obliterate by air and without warning all missile launching sites regardless of their location, then they have truly taken leave of their senses and will be condemning thousands of their fellow Jews to death.
To me, it is no wonder that the Arab world talk and act as they do, as they have no respect for Israel because they know it acts by a different set of the rules of warfare.
Anyway Paul, my hope is that history will prove my concerns to be unfounded.
Everything you say is correct, Gil, but the Israelis time and again have pulled a trick or two out of the hat. Despite the PC egoists and the political generals, the internal enemies (both Jewish and non-Jewish), the hypocritical foreign powers and the duplicitous Fakestinians, when crunch time comes, the Israeli nation unites and the IDF demonstrates that if is one of the finest fighting forces on earth.
The issues are as you point out and these cause dissensions and delays in taking action. This creates situations where more damage is taken in lives and in the standing of the Jewish state and of Jews.
Jews need politicians and political leaders who are principled, honest, plain speaking people who are willing to act. As we saw tonight at the Board of Deputies – a microcosm of the Jewish world – the quest for the clever thing to do, the professional advice to heed, the compulsion to please others, takes precedence over the right thing to do. This is typical of the ghetto Yid, seeking proteksia. These leaders forget that Napoleon opened the ghetto and Hitler destroyed it. And too many in the diaspora forget that the creation of Israel decided the Zionist vs Bundist question. And too many ignore that to now be anti-Israel is to be anti-Jewish. Too many ignore that only Jews are accused of dual loyalty, something that Italians, French of Iraqis who vote in their home country’s elections are never accused of. And no-one seems to comprehend that just lke Australian Aborigines, we can be fiercely loyal to our nation, but at the same time have pride, concern and affection for our “country”, our ancestral homeland and for our “tribe”.
We really need people who do not worry about focus groups and publicty professional who can only tell us what is best for now but not how to change perceptions and situations. We need leaders who tell off hypocritical nations. Leaders who get rid of ISM antisemites and take away the right to control the Temple Mount from its mohmmedan dsecrators. Leaders who will allow force to be used immediately against anti-Jewish lawbreakers. And leaders who will set borders and tell the international community that if the Arabs broke their commitments and UNSC 242, then Israel is also free and throw the Levy report at the instead of using if as a modesty panel. No Jew should fear to be free in the land of the Jews.
Fantastic. !! Kol hakavod.
Thank you someone finally putting it out there like it is