“Enough!” was the voters’ verdict in the local elections. The results show that there has beena profound change in the public spirit. It hastired of all those stammering parties that are for and against anythingand everything, that change their positions every morning according to thelatest polls. It is sick and tired of the politicians who are ready tomake loud proclamations about anything and to perform any trick just togain a small headline or a couple of minutes on a talk show.
This entire structure is about to collapse. The public yearns for partieswhich stick to their objectives and for individuals who are true to anidea. It does not want professional politicians with inflated egos andminuscule intellects. It wants trustworthy individuals. Netanyahu andhis cohorts are not necessarily the only ones responsible for the public’sreaction. But they have certainly exacerbated it greatly. This is thefirst conclusion.
The second conclusion is that the struggle between the religious andsecular sectors for the soul of the country has now taken center stagein our lives. The chasm between the two is steadily widening anddeepening, despite the blather about “bringing hearts together” and”mutual understanding.”
In spite of their internal squabbles, the haredi-religious-messianiccamp is closing ranks, becoming a united crushing force, threateningthe democratic, liberal and secular state established by us. Shapingup against it (finally) is a ready-to-fight secular camp, reacting tothe aggressive gall of the religious camp. Safi Rakhlevsky’seye-opening book “The Messiah’s Donkey” has come in the nick of time.
All of this is particularly evident in Jerusalem. The religious block hasgained 15 out of 31 mandates on the Council. Even though Ehud Olmert, apolitician with no scruples or inhibitions, has been elected Mayor (forthe last time), he has lost all of his power on the Council. So, too, isthe case with the Labor Party. In contrast, the small faction of OrnanYekutieli, a fighting secularist, along with Meretz, have gained 7mandates — more than Likud and Labor combined.
In Tel Aviv, three small, strictly secularist factions have gained ninemandates, in contrast to the losses of the two “big” parties.
In the next elections to the Knesset, there is a tremendous chance for anew, secular, fighting party which will wage a no-holds-barred struggle towipe out “the black revolution” of the messianic-haredi-nationalistextremists. No more Roni Milos, no more Lipkin-Schachaks, no morepoliticians trying to hitch a quick ride on a popular theme, but rather aparty of energetic young people who will propose an unequivocal platform,at its core the absolute separation of religion and state, in the spiritof the American constitution.
This would mean: Establishing a uniform educational system for all ofIsrael’s children, one which would impart elementary values to all,where the particular message of each sector (humanist,religious, Arab, etc.) would be merely an addition. Theabolition of the exemption of Yeshiva scholars from militaryduty. The abolition of state-funding for yeshiva students and forthe myriad parasitic institutions which have been milking us.Operating public transportation seven days a week. Operatingstate-run airlines without interruption. Civil marriage and divorce.The dismantling of the “religious councils” financedby the local authorities and the establishment, instead, ofvolunteer institutions which would provide religious services on apay-per-service basis. The abolition of religious restrictions onfood, autopsies, etc.
The struggle for peace is part of the struggle for the soul of the nation.The messianic-religious camp, which is the body controlling the aggressivesettler movement, is now leading the struggle against peace. It is thismovement which supplies the extreme Right with its ideology and politicalforce. Here, too, we need a fighting secular party to state thingsemphatically, without stuttering and side glances. Most of the publicalready understands that there will be a Palestinian state, side by sidewith the State of Israel. It needs to be stated clearly: The settlementsare a danger to the survival of the State, and they must be dismantled.The end of the war dictates the return of all territory occupied in 1967.Jerusalem, the symbol of peace and reconciliation, must serve as thecapital of both states.
Half-truths, evasions, or clever tricks will no longer work. No moredeclarations of Ehud Barak that are neither fish nor fowl. No morestatements by Yossi Sarid that “blocs of settlements” must stay underIsraeli control, that the Palestinian state has to be established on “morethan 90% of the West Bank,” or that he “will not voluntarilydeclare the intention of dividing Jerusalem”. The publicwants courage. The public wants truth.
Were I younger by a few years, I would found such a party myself.But it is a task for the young generation. Our role is to providesupport. The young people should be the ones to unfurl its banner,and it is from their ranks that an aggressive faction in thenext Knesset could carry on the fight.