The task of national salvation
In choosing to partner with Shas and Yisrael Beiteinu, Benjamin Netanyahu chose in favor of a policy that accelerates domestic collapse.
Haaretz Editorial Tags: Israel news Kadima Benjamin Netanyahu Tzipi Livni Middle East peaceThree destructive trends threaten Israel's very existence as a Jewish and democratic state. The first is the continued occupation of the territories, which as of next month will have gone on for 43 years. Ruling over a large Palestinian population through forceful and nondemocratic means compromises Israel's moral case and destroys its image in the eyes of the international community, while buttressing extreme nationalist sentiment within the country.
The second destructive trend involves the expansion of the ultra-Orthodox community, whose members do not work and do not bear the burden of military service or paying taxes. Instead, they are dependent on welfare payments and they deprive their children of the kind of education that would give them the necessary skills to join the labor force.
The third destructive trend is the discrimination against and marginalization of Israel's Arab citizens, who want to study and to work but have difficulty finding employment and integrating into society. If these trends are not reversed, the Haredim will continue to be isolated at the expense of the shrinking core of Israelis who work and serve their country, while the Arabs, in the absence of opportunities, will be pushed to the margins of society. The shortage of working people will cause the Israeli economy to collapse.
The right-wing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amplifies these destructive trends through its refusal to end the occupation, its insistence on supporting the settlement enterprise, its payoffs to the Haredi political parties and its declared policy of alienating Israeli Arabs and their aspirations.
In choosing to partner with Shas and Yisrael Beiteinu Netanyahu chose in favor of a policy that accelerates domestic collapse and whose results are only exacerbated by the prime minister's tendency to avoid making decisions.
In a weekend interview with Haaretz, opposition leader Tzipi Livni called for ending these destructive trends before it is too late. She also called for two strategic decisions to be taken: the first, to partition the country into two states, one Jewish and the other Palestinian; the second, to impose the teaching of a core curriculum to Haredim in order to enable them to integrate into the labor market. Livni is correct in demanding that both challenges, one related to the peace process and the other to domestic issues, be dealt with at the same time rather than deferring one in favor of the other.
Livni warned that time is of the essence and called on Likud to make common cause with Kadima to achieve a peace agreement and to put a stop to Haredi extortion. If the prime minister is concerned about the future of the country, he should accept this offer, change course and establish a government of national salvation.
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As much as I detest the current incarnation of the Likud, let's not forget that non-Zionist Jewish extortion was initiated in the reign of Labor and in particular David Ben Gurion. Later Shas only added its negativity to the mix. Now, with the old NRP transformed into a virulent Nationist party, the scales have been decisively tipped. Jabotinsky and Begin would be horrified at the present situation., That Begin junior has nothing to say on the matter is striking and shocking....but then again, for him and others in Likud and Labor Blood, Land and Volk (and crass political power)are the most important concepts and trump morality all the time.
I would be honest to say that the religious pose a threat to the way of seculars in Israel... This is the main threat. Not that they live by welfare or serve in the army. The inherent hate of the enlinghtened left for the orthodoxy is well know and is masked by all sorts of self righteous zionistic argurments. Be truthful and say it. We hate religious people. Then we will save ourselves all the back and forth arguments.
Haaretz is right in calling on the Prime Minister to switch coalition partners for the sake of the country's future. Except that if Mr. Netanyahu takes such a move, his party will split and he will find himself a minority within his new coalition. Will Kadima promise him he could retain his prime ministerial sit in the new coalition? Will Mr. Netanyahu be willing to let Ms. Livni become the new prime minister?
This couldn't be more correct. Modern Israel, directly contradicts Theodor Herzl's dream. More International support should be given to the Israeli-Left, to try and make a utopian dream into a reality. Israel has forgotten its inital dream for too long.
Didn't the Likud propose to make a coalition with Kadima, after last years elections? They did and Kadima refused. Kadima wants to govern not to form a coalition
Is anyone in Israel is willing to listen or act on it? Very doubtful from the existing PM.
Nothing can be achieved when GREED is King. Haredi Greed - Settlers Greed - Power hungry politicians greed - Generals greed - The only salvation these people know is the salvation of their greed -
But I fear Netanyahu has already shown his true colours, and along with Shas and YB clearly seems more interested in perpetuating national (read Jewish) supremacy than in promoting the ideal of a utopian national salvation.
YBeiteinu and Shas, because he is no better. This is his nature.
This should be Israel's manifesto for the future, word by word.
The article is perfect in that it proves, in the best journalistic tradition. the need to drastically change the government as proposed - Kadima plus Likud minus Shas and Yisrael Beiteinu. The proof provided is irrefutable. Now save Israel and do it!
To grow and succeed as a nation, Israel should have one state that it rules with equality and common goals. Not double or triple standard. Those who do not want to support the nation's growth and vision, they should not live here - like the Haredim that do not work, hold demonstrations, damage public properties, promote discrimination and injustice. Why should the rest of the nation support such social pests? Why should tax-payers pay for these people who do not care about the country? They do not even do what God says about work. Their lifestyle hardly reflects any teaching in the Tenach that they claimed to study. They should be cut off from the State of Israel. They are not fit to be called citizens here.