Don’t believe Israelis left without responsibility

People who once carried responsibility and now still claim to be experts

They’re all over the news. Ex-PMs, ex-ministers, ex-MKs, ex-SS heads, ex-IDF generals, ex-judges, you name them, detailing how the current leaders do it completely wrong. Don’t read them; don’t listen to them! Therefore, I’m not linking to these many provocative, divisive words.

We should seriously doubt all of their statements. Journalists are often eager to report those ‘alternative’ visions. Especially when these people criticize Netanyahu or their own successors. Yet, often, there are much more plausible reasons why they disagree with the current leadership.

They may easily resent, feel insulted, frustrated, or regret having been fired, not being reelected, or having had to quit.
They could easily be jealous of the power and attention awarded to their successors.
Previous anger or resentment might still be at play.
By blaming the present leaders, they might want to cover up and whitewash their own mistakes from when they were still in charge.
What they label bad policy might easily be just an alternative policy from the other side of the aisle or preferred by other constituencies.
Their yesteryear’s quarterback knowledge could easily be outdated. Most certainly, they are already not privy to all the considerations and nuances that play now.
They could easily be delusional because they talk unopposed: no one checks or contradicts their political ideas anymore.
It’s much easier to be an armchair know-it-all riding all one’s hobbyhorses and adhering to unreal idealisms than to seek pragmatic compromises that work best for now, for most people.
Their inflated egos that once helped them to seek leadership could now push them into the limelight as loud criticasters notwithstanding lacking sound, grounded, practical ideas.

Especially distrust when they present their brainchildren as the better or only solution instead of suggesting them as yet other options. If it sounds like backstabbing, it probably is.

I include leaders who judge unfavorably the work of leaders with other responsibilities, like a current minister or general, the current PM.

Be completely mistrustful when they imply that those currently in charge aren’t just dysfunctional but truly maliciously sabotaging good governance.

Their previous leadership functions certainly would give them access and an ear with the present leaders if they had a worthy contribution in mind. It’s extra suspect when they seek publicity and public slander instead.

This is very different from current political commentators, journalists, bloggers, politicians, or leaders suggesting alternative possibilities or whistleblowers reporting hidden scandals from their workplaces.

Which doesn’t mean that everyone should feel free to criticize and attack the people in charge. It’s destructive, unhelpful, and too easy. Rather than attacking people you dislike, talk positively about the people you do like. Instead of talking about people, talk about principles, ideals, and goals.

Explicitly not included are people hurting because their close and dear ones were abducted or murdered. I don’t read their attacks, but I also do not condemn them. My leniency is only for close ones, not for all activists.

It goes without saying that pronouncements from people not subjected to democracy (Chamas, Putin, etc.) cannot be believed in anything. It should give you pause if you want the same as mass murderers bent on genocide.

When their words seem weird and confusing, wonder what is their bias.

I ignore people who lie that now he’s done this, they disapprove of a leader, while they always disliked him.

I ignore such accusations and attacks as they hold no valuable information.

About the Author

MM is a prolific and creative writer and thinker, previously a daily blog contributor to the TOI. He often makes his readers laugh, mad, or assume he's nuts—close to perfect blogging. He's proud that his analytical short comments are removed both from left-wing and right-wing news sites. None of his content is generated by the new bore on the block, AI. * As a frontier thinker, he sees things many don't yet. He's half a prophet. Half. Let's not exaggerate. Or not at all because he doesn't claim G^d talks to him. He gives him good ideas—that's all. MM doesn't believe that people observe and think in a vacuum. He, therefore, wanted a broad bio that readers interested can track a bit what (lack of) backgrounds, experiences, and educations contribute to his visions. * This year, he will prioritize getting his unpublished books published rather than just blog posts. Next year, he hopes to focus on activism against human extinction. To find less-recent posts on a subject XXX among his over 2000 archived ones, go to the right-top corner of a Times of Israel page, click on the search icon and search "zuiden, XXX". One can find a second, wilder blog, to which one may subscribe too, here: https://mmvanzuiden.wordpress.com/ or by clicking on the globe icon next to his picture on top. * Like most of his readers, he believes in being friendly, respectful, and loyal. However, if you think those are his absolute top priorities, you might end up disappointed. His first loyalty is to the truth. He will try to stay within the limits of democratic and Jewish law, but he won't lie to support opinions or people when don't deserve that. (Yet, we all make honest mistakes, which is just fine and does not justify losing support.) He admits that he sometimes exaggerates to make a point, which could have him come across as nasty, while in actuality, he's quite a lovely person to interact with. He holds - how Dutch - that a strong opinion doesn't imply intolerance of other views. * Sometimes he's misunderstood because his wide and diverse field of vision seldomly fits any specialist's box. But that's exactly what some love about him. He has written a lot about Psychology (including Sexuality and Abuse), Medicine (including physical immortality), Science (including basic statistics), Politics (Israel, the US, and the Netherlands, Activism - more than leftwing or rightwing, he hopes to highlight reality), Oppression and Liberation (intersectionally, for young people, the elderly, non-Whites, women, workers, Jews, LGBTQIA+, foreigners and anyone else who's dehumanized or exploited), Integrity, Philosophy, Jews (Judaism, Zionism, Holocaust and Jewish Liberation), the Climate Crisis, Ecology and Veganism, Affairs from the news, or the Torah Portion of the Week, or new insights that suddenly befell him. * Chronologically, his most influential teachers are his parents, Nico (natan) van Zuiden and Betty (beisye) Nieweg, Wim Kan, Mozart, Harvey Jackins, Marshal Rosenberg, Reb Shlomo Carlebach, and, lehavdil bein chayim lechayim, Rabbi Dr. Natan Lopes Cardozo, Rav Zev Leff, and Rav Meir Lubin. This short list doesn't mean to disrespect others who taught him a lot or a little. One of his rabbis calls him Mr. Innovation [Ish haChidushim]. Yet, his originalities seem to root deeply in traditional Judaism, though they may grow in unexpected directions. In fact, he claims he's modernizing nothing. Rather, mainly basing himself on the basic Hebrew Torah text, he tries to rediscover classical Jewish thought almost lost in thousands of years of stifling Gentile domination and Jewish assimilation. (He pleads for a close reading of the Torah instead of going by rough assumptions of what it would probably mean and before fleeing to Commentaries.) This, in all aspects of life, but prominently in the areas of Free Will, Activism, Homosexuality for men, and Redemption. * He hopes that his words will inspire and inform, and disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed. He aims to bring a fresh perspective rather than harp on the obvious and familiar. When he can, he loves to write encyclopedic overviews. He doesn't expect his readers to agree. Rather, original minds should be disputed. In short, his main political positions are among others: anti-Trumpism, for Zionism, Intersectionality, non-violence, anti those who abuse democratic liberties, anti the fake ME peace process, for original-Orthodoxy, pro-Science, pro-Free Will, anti-blaming-the-victim, and for down-to-earth, classical optimism, and happiness. Read his blog on how he attempts to bridge any tensions between those ideas or fields. * He is a fetal survivor of the pharmaceutical industry (https://diethylstilbestrol.co.uk/studies/des-and-psychological-health/), born in 1953 to his parents who were Dutch-Jewish Holocaust survivors who met in the largest concentration camp in the Netherlands, Westerbork. He grew up a humble listener. It took him decades to become a speaker too, and decades more to admit to being a genius. But his humility was his to keep. And so was his honesty. Bullies and con artists almost instantaneously envy and hate him. He hopes to bring new things and not just preach to the choir. * He holds a BA in medicine (University of Amsterdam) – is half a doctor. He practices Re-evaluation Co-counseling since 1977, is not an official teacher anymore, and became a friendly, powerful therapist. He became a social activist, became religious, made Aliyah, and raised three wonderful kids. Previously, for decades, he was known to the Jerusalem Post readers as a frequent letter writer. For a couple of years, he was active in hasbara to the Dutch-speaking public. He wrote an unpublished tome about Jewish Free Will. He's a strict vegan since 2008. He's an Orthodox Jew but not a rabbi. * His writing has been made possible by an allowance for second-generation Holocaust survivors from the Netherlands. It has been his dream since he was 38 to try to make a difference by teaching through writing. He had three times 9-out-of-10 for Dutch at his high school finals but is spending his days communicating in English and Hebrew - how ironic. G-d must have a fine sense of humor. In case you wonder - yes, he is a bit dyslectic. If you're a native English speaker and wonder why you should read from people whose English is only their second language, consider the advantage of having an original peek outside of your cultural bubble. * To send any personal reaction to him, scroll to the top of the blog post and click Contact Me. * His newest books you may find here: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AMoshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&s=relevancerank&text=Moshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1