Israel heading into anarchy
Op-ed: Israel entering sensitive period of uncertainty that may exact heavy price
The State of Israel is finding itself in an unhealthy state of uncertainty on the security-political front, upon Ehud Barak's retirement from Labor and the latest developments regarding army chief-designate Yoav Galant. The upcoming decision whether to indict Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, as well as the changing of the guard in the top echelons of the army and intelligence community are also not conducive to stability.
The most burning issue now is what will happen in respect to the Galant affairs, which include the takeover of state land, as well as the state comptroller's probe into possible mishaps in Galant's appointment. This investigation will only end in two-or three months, so its effect is not immediate. However, the High Court petition regarding the land affair may have an immediate impact on the manning of IDF General Staff posts.
At this time, the state comptroller is engaging in an intensive probe aimed at verifying or disproving new findings on three fronts: Suspicion of improper takeover of land by Galant, suspicions regarding the credibility of a statement made by Galant on this issue in the past, and question marks regarding the involvement of IDF officers in approving a private "escape route" paved by Galant at his home.
The new findings prompted Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein to ask the High Court to put off the hearing on the petition by 10 days. The nature of the new findings is unclear, yet the fact that Weinstein saw fit to ask for the postponement shows that there is a genuine possibility that the findings may prompt him to change his view. Up until now, Weinstein wholly endorsed Galant's appointment as army chief.
Problematic system of government
This affair, as well as the shakeup on the political front, comes on top of the latest government failures in respect to the Carmel blaze, IDF conversions, and the enlistment of haredim. All of these show that the State of Israel is sinking into anarchy. As result of our political system, the government is mostly preoccupied with coalition survival and neglects or cannot properly and decisively handle vital national affairs.This inability to govern has turned into a chronic situation, creating a vacuum that has drawn our judicial and law enforcement establishments – which manage our affairs at this time. This situation enables anyone who so wishes to change government decisions or water them down. This vicious cycle is growing worse. History shows that nations that find themselves facing such anarchy end up paying a heavy price.
In similar situations among Israel's top security-political echelons, there is a danger that our enemies may attempt to exploit the situation in order to undertake opportunistic acts or violent deeds that would grant them various benefits.
It is doubtful whether at this time our national leaders, senior IDF officials and top intelligence officials would have the time to dedicate their full attention to various issues, including the sensitive Shalit negotiations, the efforts to renew talks with the Palestinians, the Palestinian-Arab attempt to pass a Security Council resolution condemning the settlements, Jerusalem construction, and the effort to curb Iran's nuclear program.
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