A stitch in their side

OK, I get the pun in Hebrew. The “national legal seamstress” is “stitching up” cases against the will of the Knesset. Still, in the name of all seamstresses, I take exception to the smear campaign against our attorney general. And, as a proud seamstress, I am posting this photo of my sewing machine (yes, that’s me hiding behind it, in proper proportions, as opposed to the sewing machine on the tacky signs paid for by the right-wing Otzma Yehudit party, suggesting she is some kind of twisted modern-day Betsy Ross).

You might think we’re in some sort of battle of seamstresses vs. lumberjacks. Or you could see it as the story of a superhero fighting a cabal of dark figures. As the government coalition hacks away at our civil rights, hiding in the shadows under the tattered umbrella of war, we have one woman single-handedly staving off their attempts to rip apart our democracy while granting themselves unlimited freedom. Her name is Gali Baharav-Miara, Israel’s attorney general. Depending on where you stand on the political spectrum, she is a woman with a spine of steel, a large needle of justice and a shining cape of golden rules. If she’s a seamstress stitching up pockets to trap our so-called lawmakers, it is to keep the Knesset from doing whatever the hell it wants. I know where I stand on this one.

The governing coalition went on a rampage and tried to oust her. In a rare show of solidarity, the Knesset opposition parties managed to muster enough votes to keep her in power. Frustrated, in a somewhat childish response, Israel’s far right Otzma Yehudit party started their public smear campaign against her with sexist billboards portraying her next to a tiny sewing machine.

“She’s not flexible at all; she never compromises with us,” complained Injustice Minister Yariv Levin. Translation: Time and again she refuses to let us take illegal actions or pass laws that are not meant for the good of the country. She even sends back laws that contravene international law. She warned us that international arrest warrants against public figures would result if we failed to convene an independent commission to investigate the war, and we’re pissed off that she was right.

Israel’s far right Otzma Yehudit party started their public smear campaign against her with sexist billboards portraying her next to a tiny sewing machine

When the slight Baharav-Miara with her pouf of golden hair first stepped up to be sworn in, we were told she did not have the qualifications or experience needed for the job. (Translation: She skipped a rung or two in the hierarchy.) Her smile seemed hesitant; we thought the first good wind out of the Knesset might blow her away.

We were wrong. Since this government coalition formed, the winds have been nonstop cyclone-strength. Through it all, Baharav-Miara has done her job with utmost competence, with barely a hair out of place. The coalition, which has been on a tear to fire those who publicly disagree with them and replace them with puppets, could not find good cause to get her removed from power. As we saw on Wednesday, they failed in their attempt to do so through a majority vote.

But they are not done trying. In the same way they passed a prejudicial law granting the ultra-orthodox a free pass from conscription despite Baharav-Miara’s opposition as well as vocal opposition within the ruling Likud party, they will continue to seek ways to sneak around her authority. In the mean time, they’ll throw spit balls at her in public.

As of this week, the government coalition is back to its old tricks, and it’s doubtful whether the opposition will manage to pull off another coup to stop them. In addition to the new law protecting our ruling gang of criminals, thugs and jesters from prosecution (which Baharav-Miara had already warned them is illegal), the Knesset is hacking away at our freedom of expression and our freedom to choose our own news sources. They’ll start by cutting off funding to the mainstream TV stations they do not like and diverting funds to the one channel that is openly partisan. It is straight out of the textbook for aspiring dictators, and it is not too dismal to think we could soon find ourselves dissidents huddled around illicit news channels with the sound turned off, afraid our neighbors will find out and report us.

I don’t know how much say Gali has in this matter, but I am hoping it is quite a bit. Obviously, the laws that protect my freedom of speech are very dear to me. I’m hoping she can stitch something up quickly, before we find our institutions become too threadbare to repair.

Speaking of freedom of speech, I am grateful to the Times of Israel for hosting not just my blog, but the whole gamut of blogs on the site. The editorial staff and I may have some differences, but the only rule on the site is civility and respect for one another’s opinions. I have never been censored or edited for expressing my own opinion. That, my friends, is an exercise in democracy, and one I hope will continue in the future even if, as it seems, access to open, somewhat unbiased media and free speech become corseted.

In the mean time, lets get stitching! Because I stand with the seamstress. (If you agree, post a photo of yourself with your sewing machine.)