TEA PARTIES ISRAELI STYLE: MOSHE DANN
http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3815645,00.html
Tea-parties, Israeli-style
Normally law-abiding citizens resisting Netanyahu’s misguided policy
Moshe Dann
In response to PM Netanyahu’s declaration prohibiting Jews from building in Judea and Samaria, a grass-roots resistance movement is beginning to emerge.
Generally averse to confrontations and violence, Israeli Jews would prefer boring demonstrations and prayers. Numbed by the illusion that elections mean democracy, they tend to obey constituted authorities.
Moreover, the “freeze” on Jewish building and its strict implementation exposes the hypocrisy of Israel’s legal and judicial system. If the police and army can be mobilized to enforce the prohibition against Jews, why can’t they be used to stop vastly more illegal Arab buildings?
The continuing trauma of Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza, however, was over the expulsion of only 10,000 Jews. Now, PM Netanyahu’s seemingly futile gesture to appease President Obama threatens 300,000 residents of Judea and Samaria, thousands of families waiting to build homes in this area and has implications for 250,000 residents of new neighborhoods in Jerusalem, like Gilo, Givat Zeev, Har Homa, and Pisgat Zeev.
Drawing the line around Jerusalem and a few large settlements, moreover, blurs the historical and strategic importance of the rest of the Land of Israel to the Jewish people.
Connected to relatives and friends throughout Israel, the “settler” network is extensive; that means virtually the entire country is affected, in one way or another. The result has been a spontaneous rebellion, led by heads of local communities who, under normal circumstances, would duly follow orders. Instead, they are organizing resistance to PM Netanyahu’s edicts.
I refer to these restrictive orders as those of Netanyahu, rather than “the government,†since they were approved only by an inner “security cabinet,” rather than the entire cabinet. It seems clear that the fear was that these orders would not be approved by the full cabinet, let alone by Knesset.
This brings striking clarity to the nature of what many call, generously, “Israeli democracy.” That a few people can implement decisions contrary to their electoral promises and, in Netanyahu’s case, against the mandate of the political party which he leads is hardly new. Such actions, while they may be legal, strike at the heart of what a democratic system is all about and the issue of accountability.
What’s the point?
One might be willing to cut the PM some slack, give him the benefit of the doubt, if what he proposes would accomplish something – anything! But he himself dismissed such thoughts, pleading that a building freeze is only temporary, and an attempt to “jump-start negotiations.” The US is biding its time, planning to demand an extension; the PA has rejected this ploy outright.
So what’s the point? As a meaningless gesture, it serves no one and antagonizes everyone. Like trying to sell fools gold on the commodity exchange, it’s an embarrassment that creates doubt about any kind of reliability.
Having initiated a disastrously unpopular policy, there is little Netanyahu can do to assuage those who oppose him; nor can he back down citing public pressure. He might turn to the opposition, Kadima, for support, but that would further alienate him from his own constituency. And he can crack down on those who resist – as he is doing.
All of this may become even more complicated and volatile if Netanyahu decides to release 1,000 Arab “Palestinian” killers (“activists,” “militants”) who are likely to fuel a new wave of terrorism.Nearly 25 years ago, under PM Shimon Peres and DM Yitzhak Rabin, a similar prisoner exchange strengthened terrorists and led to violence against Israel. There is nothing to assume this won’t happen again
Resistance to Netanyahu’s policies by normally law-abiding folks in Jewish communities throughout Judea and Samaria may signal the emergence of new political bloc within Likud, as frustration becomes more widespread. The prospect of new elections is not thrilling, but there is an emerging alternative to the political leadership that now exists.
If Netanyahu hunkers down and tries to ride out the resistance, he will have to enforce his policies, or rescind them. Either way, he has lost the trust of many of his most loyal supporters and displayed an appalling lack of political awareness.
If politics is the art, or business of making the best of poor choices, Netanyahu may have made a serious mistake in thinking that he could satisfy President Obama at the expense of the people who elected him.
This is not only a test of his political wisdom, but of his moral leadership as well. Caught between competing demands, his choices gauge his strength of character. At very least he must make a reasonable case for what he does. Don’t count on it.
The author is a writer and journalist living in Jerusalem
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