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Photo: Reuters
Netanyahu, Lieberman, and Lapid
Photo: Reuters
Ben-Dror Yemini

The same old trick

Op-ed: Even though the haredim are not part of the coalition, Netanyahu has already folded to them on the amendment to the conversion law.

 During the term in office of the previous government, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu broke an agreement he had with Shaul Mofaz on the issue of national service for the ultra-Orthodox. A committee headed by MK Yohanan Plesner formulated recommendations. Netanyahu brushed them aside. The coalition fell apart. Israel went to elections.

 

 

Years passed – and now, the same old trick is being played again; and this time, it's the conversion issue. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis, and hundreds of thousands who want to be Israelis, and feel like the Jews, struggle to get through the conversion process, which is totally controlled by the ultra-Orthodox sector's radical element. The amendment to the Conversion Law, initiated by MK Elazar Stern, is not designed to transfer authority over state-sanctioned conversion to the Reform Movement, but to expand the authority to include municipal rabbis, Orthodox to the tee. A far more revolutionary change is required to allow anyone who feels Jewish to be Jewish, yet the ultra-Orthodox are opposed to even this slight adjustment. They aren't part of the coalition, but Netanyahu has already folded to them.

 

Netanyahu was again caught in the middle between a national, Jewish and Zionist interest and a dark political one, which is unlikely to earn him points in the ultra-Orthodox sector. And once again, Netanyahu is going for the latter.

 

Current polls indicate a clear advantage for the right bloc. Such was the case at this point in time ahead of the previous elections. Netanyahu's undermining of the national interest then saw the right lose five to 10 seats to the center bloc. After all, many of the center-right voters belong to the Zionist camp, and not the nationalist-ultra-Orthodox one. Once was not enough for Netanyahu. He's insisting again on making life impossible for himself. And thus, nothing is definite just yet. This past week may have witnessed a turning point. Tzipi Livni, Yair Lapid and Moshe Kahlon should send Netanyahu flowers. He's pushing some of the right-wing voters towards them.

 

 Another Israeli said this week that Israel was suffering from "a plague of violence" and that the time had come "to honestly admit that Israeli society is ill – and it is our duty to treat this disease." He also made it clear, repeatedly, that he supports the establishment of one big country, "with equal rights for Muslims and Jews." This combination – of describing Israel as a sick society, and then recommending a one-country cure – is familiar as the foundation of the anti-Zionist left, in Israel and around the world. So who was the one who said these things? None other than the president of the State of Israel, Reuven Rivlin.

 

For the honorable president's information: There is no "plague of violence" in Israel. Violence is the wave of riots that swept through Britain in 2011. Violence is entire quarters in almost every large city in Europe becoming no-go zones into which even the police won't venture. Violence is what happened not too long ago in Ferguson, Missouri, USA.

 

Facing the wave of violent riots that rocked Britain, with three deaths, 1,000 arrests and 16,000 police officers on the streets of London, which was practically under siege, David Cameron stood up to speak of the good in his country. He spoke, too, of "pockets of our society that are not just broken but frankly sick," but took the trouble to emphasize that "these groups of thugs... are in no way representative of the vast majority of young people in our country." Here, in contrast, the president gets up and states that the gangs of thugs are representative of Israel.

 

Describing Israel as a violent, criminal and racist society that has no right to exist and should be replaced with an "egalitarian democracy" is reserved for the BDS activists and the Azmi Bishara department. It is unclear why Rivlin decided to bolster their wing.

 

 Prior to the coordinated shooting attack that took place in the Canadian capital of Ottawa this week, there was a hit-and-run incident in Quebec. One soldier was killed. A chase was mounted and police apprehended the offender. The BBC carried the story. Does one of the world's most important news networks report every hit-and-run accident? Absolutely not. This was a special incident. The offender was described merely as "radicalized" individual, without further detail.

 

It was of course a terrorist attack, carried out by a Canadian who converted to Islam last year. But God forbid the BBC should carry an accurate report. Political correctness has driven the channel's editors insane. It's not clear if their minds have become victims of attacks or if they are the ones perpetrating mind attacks. It's a bit of both probably.

 

 Anna Baltzer is a young American Jew who devotes most of her time to anti-Israel activities. She is one of the leaders of the BDS campaign and thus staunchly supports the destruction of the State of Israel as the national homeland of the Jewish people. Baltzer, whose real name may be Anna Piller, clearly illustrates the need to disguise the true purpose and speak about "equality and human rights."

 

Baltzer is a prominent proponent of the campaign of demonization against Israel – the "non-violent" arm of the struggle for Israel's destruction. She supports the right of return – not that such a right exists; but the use of the word, "right," promotes the deception.

 

As a student, Baltzer came to Israel as part of the Taglit-Birthright program. Now, she's planning to visit again. Every civilized country has a list of persona non grata. Canada denied entry to British MP George Galloway, known for his anti-American position. For years, the United States denied entry to Tariq Ramadan, despite the fact that he was an Oxford University professor. France has denied entry to Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Sunni Islam's most important theologian.

 

A visit to Israel by an activist such as Baltzer is merely another step towards promoting the agenda of destroying Israel. In the past, Israel denied entry to Norman Finkelstein in light of his anti-Israel incitement. Finkelstein is a moderate when compared with Baltzer, who uses her visits to Israel to bolster her obsessive campaign against the state. There's no need to offer her any assistance at all.

 

 Update: Following the admission by B'Tselem – The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories that researcher Atef Abu a-Rub is indeed a Holocaust denier, the man has been dismissed from the organization. Even B'Tselem is capable of doing the right thing and correcting wrongs – most definitely noteworthy.

 


פרסום ראשון: 10.26.14, 08:26
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