I wouldn’t have believed it possible.
Since the first day of the State of Israel, I have campaigned for the separation of stateand religion, the enactment of a constitution, civil marriage, the abolition of the Ministryof Religions. I have written hundreds of articles in Haolam Hazeh (the late newsmagazine,which I edited for many years), made dozens of speeches in the Knesset and directed fiveelection campaigns on these subjects. As a member of the Knesset, I introduced the firstdraft-bill for civil marriage and the first amendment for removing the Ministry of Religionsfrom the budget.
After all, I should have been very happy when Ehud Barak last week proposed all this andmore. Why, I should have been jumping for joy!
So why am I not jumping? Why do I feel bad?
Well, first of all, there is the question of timing. It’s not good that such importantmatters, concerning the very essence of the State of Israel, become mere gimmicks in arepulsive political game. It is quite clear that one of Barak’s propaganda technicians (nowcalled ” spin doctors ” ) pulled them out of a drawer, blew away the dust and pronto – presentedthem as the Secular Revolution.
But that is not the most important thing. More important is the fact that this ” revolution” is offered as a substitute for peace. That is its declared objective. ” If peace cannot beachieved, ” say the Sources in the Prime Minister’s office, ” we shall instead pass theCitizen’s Revolution. For making peace we needed the Orthodox. For the Citizen’s Revolutionwe need a government with the Likud. “
Meaning, either-or: Either peace or the secular revolution.
Either peace with the Palestinians or the enactment of a constitution.
One can go further: Either peace with the Syrians or civil marriage.
Either peace with Iraq or the dismantling of the Ministry of Religions.
Either peace with Iran or the separation of state and religion.
Ridiculous? Indeed.
The last 33 years have proved that we were right when, immediately after the Six-Day-War(The Seventh Day of the War, as I called it then) we said that an occupation-state cannot bedemocratic. A state that dominates another people cannot be liberal. Every occupation isbrutal by nature, and the brutality of the occupation is bound to percolate from the occupiedterritories into society back home, perverting all its parts.
A democratic constitution promulgated while the occupation is still running wild in thePalestinian territories will turn into an act of prostitution. (Both words, by the way, stemfrom the same Latin verb: statuere, to set up.)
A secular democracy proclaimed while messiah-crazed fanatics run amok in the streets ofHebron and in the heart of Nablus under the auspices of the Israeli army and while Palestinianprisoners languish in Israeli prisons without trial will be a farce.
In South Africa, there was an attempt to have democracy for the whites and an apartheidregime for the blacks. We know how that ended.
Great Britain maintained a democracy at home and a colonial regime overseas. But there isno ocean between Kfar Saba and Kalkilia.
Without peace, there will be war. The war will be cruel on both sides. Not a secondIntifafa, as many imagine, but an armed conflict between a whole people fighting for itsexistence and a colonial army, spearheaded by the settler militias. Many Israeli citizenswill object to this war, many soldiers will refuse to serve in it, there will be a struggleinside Israel and extreme things will be said and done. Anyone who believes that a modeldemocratic society can flourish in such an atmosphere needs to consult a good psychiatrist.
The advocates of the Secular Revolution do not bother to conceal their hope that a war willindeed break out. Only thus can Barak’s government be saved. The Sources say: ” If aconfrontation with the Palestinians starts, it will be easier to convince the Likud to join aGovernment of National Unity. ” They mean: it will make it easier for Ariel Sharon to justifyhis joining the government, in order to prevent the comeback of Netanyahu to the Likudleadership.
So, it has come into the open. Ariel Sharon, the bloody hero of the Kibia, Sabra and Shatilamassacres, will become the motor in Barak’s limousine. The setting up of new settlements, theconfiscation of land, the building of new bypass roads and all the other acts of war, which arenow in full swing under Barak, will be multiplied. Many more billions will be poured into thiseffort and nobody will even think of the poor Israeli townships, like Ofakim and Sderot.
This is not the liberal state we have hoped for. This is not the secular revolution we havebeen striving for.
The separation between state and religion is essential for our future. But theseparation between state and occupation comes first.