These bad days will be recorded in the history books because of the open wounds caused by the coalition's destructive legislation, even if the legislative push is halted. Israel's enemies are watching the crisis with pleasure after their work is being carried out by Israeli fanatics, and demagogues, who set the country aflame; Never, have Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah's claims that the Israeli society is weak, been so close to the truth.
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History will name names and the list will be long. First among them would be Benjamin Netanyahu. All those who claim they are seeking compromise, but in reality, prevent one from being reached, is with the arsonists. We will not have to wait long. The violence such as was seen in France recently, after a teenager was shot dead by police, will soon be repeated here and the fanatics are forging ahead to lead us there.
There is no equivalence. Those in power bare the greater responsibility. The regime holds the power. Israeli leaders have forgotten that democracy is more than majority rule, while protesters forget that at times, that is exactly what democracy means. But Israel's predicament is more complicated than initially believed because the coalition is not presenting right-wing arguments. They repeat claims long made by legal experts in the past decades, who warned of an overactive judiciary and power-hungry law enforcement.
But they replace the ills of the judicial system with greater ills and abuses of power. In the place of judges, we will have power-mad Likud operatives and hate-spewing hooligans in the service of the government. With such a prospect, overreaching judges are preferable. This is the most Zionist protest Israel has ever seen because if fights for the very soul of Zionism and against a dark future that will only bring calamity.
That is why the protest is just, more than at any time in Israel's history. It fights the dictatorship of a majority made up of ultra-Orthodox zealots who refuse to serve in the military, participate in the workforce or be productive members of Israel's society along with radical nationalists.
The first signs of Israel's implosion can already be seen. There has never been such polarization or such despair. Never have so many said they are refusing to take part in the defense of the country, never has a government in power caused such damage, so quickly. By any measure, it had failed. Israel's dept has grown while its GDP had shrunk, and investments reduced. The protesters are not to blame. Netanyahu, who holds all the power, has opted to abandon the country to fanatics.
How tragic. A compromise was within grasp. One that would limit judicial activism and bolster the balance of power between authorities. One that would address just criticism of the courts but would not harm the rule of law. With some goodwill, Netanyahu could have been the one to bring about national reconciliation. He could have gathered together serious people who would have articulated the compromise. He knows who they are and sees the polls that indicate that most Israelis hoped for such a compromise.
Opposition leaders protesters and Netanyahu must stop the county's fall into the abys and fight to reach a compromise.