The Netanyahu government crushed the chance for closeness and containment
Photo: Alex Kolomoisky
Why is Israel's government acting against Israel?
Op-ed: Cancellation of previous government's reforms will drive former Soviet immigrants and Diaspora Jewry away, hurt Jewish and democratic Israel and bring us closer to a haredi-theocratic state.
1. Israel is becoming ultra-Orthodox. The previous government, which included Yair Lapid and Tzipi Livni, has turned into an impure government in the eyes of the some of the spokespeople of the Left and of the Right. There is no greater lie. In many fields, like the equal share of the burden, like the ease of restrictions in the conversion area, there was at least an attempt to change direction. But this era is over. The democracy of the minority is returning.
It's not that the short-term amendment led to their mass conversion. Far from that. But the cancellation of the previous government's amendments will drive them away, hurt Jewish and democratic Israel and move us closer to a haredi-theocratic state. There was a chance for closeness and containment. The Netanyahu government crushed it.
On Sunday, the government decided to cancel the conversion authorities granted to city rabbis, and return them to the supervision of the Chief Rabbinate, which is under haredi control. In addition, rabbinical courts were transferred from the Justice Ministry to the Religious Affairs Ministry, which is also under haredi control. It doesn’t matter that the majority of Religious Zionism supports the ease of restrictions too. The haredi minority is gaining control again.
In Judaism, there is a dispute between the strict and the lenient. Maimonides, for example, considered the desire to belong, and added that when it comes to the observance of mitzvot, "we do not elaborate on the matter and we do not go into detail." Maimonides was referring, for example, to hundreds of thousands of Russians.
Shas Chairman and Economy Minister Aryeh Deri. The haredi minority is gaining control again (Photo: Yonatan Sindel, Flash 90)
The damage also affects the Diaspora Jewry. There is nothing like a state which is becoming haredi to drive Israel's friends away too. They identify with Israel, but much less with an Israel that is becoming haredi. Why the hell has the Israeli government decided to act against Israel?
2. In favor of an investigation. Colonel Israel Shomer opened fire at a stone thrower. Some media outlets stated that "a young Palestinian was killed." A young Palestinian or a terrorist? Stones were clearly thrown. The brigade commander clearly opened fired. A person was clearly killed. The initial circumstances indicate that Shomer was following orders. But a Palestinian, whether a terrorist or not, was killed. It requires an investigation, because Israel is a law-abiding state.
Colonel Israel Shomer and jeep pelted with stones. If he was following orders, why should we be afraid of an investigation? (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
According to B'Tselem, 10 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank in the first five months of 2015. The circumstances of the death of two of them are disputable, but the remaining eight were involved in hostile or terrorist activities. This proves that contrary to the libels being propagated about Israel, killing a Palestinian is not a routine matter.
So assuming that the brigade commander's actions were in order, it's unclear why anyone should be afraid of an investigation. It's true that such investigations won't help against Israel's haters. They, including Israelis, will claim that it was a murder and that they don't believe that any inquiry is taken seriously. So what? Does that exempt the incident from an investigation? Israel should not be a puppet in their hands.
3. The brutalization of the freedom of expression. Actress Gila Almagor is right. Incitement could result in murder. It's scary. But incitement has no political color. It comes from the Right and from the Left, and it comes – much more – from the Palestinian side. The thousands of volunteers from the West who have joined the murderous jihad proves that incitement works. Words lead to actions.
Actress Gila Almagor. Should take a look in the mirror (Photo: Motti Kimchi)
The problem is that those who complain about incitement only when it is directed at them deserve no compassion. Those who are indifferent to the fact that their own camp refers to IDF soldiers as murderers encourage murderous actions against Israelis.
The expressions from left to right, and from right to left, are really sickening. The social media and talkback culture sometimes leads to a moral corruption of the public discourse. Every "traitor" directed at a leftist is met with "fascist" or "Nazi" from the other side. We wanted freedom of expression without boundaries. We got brutalization without boundaries.
And one more thing. Anyone who thinks that the State should fund a play based on things written by a murderer – as part of a campaign for the release of "political murderers" – is legitimizing the murder. So Almagor, with her justified claim, should take a look in the mirror.
