L’Etat C’est Moi? Not!
Let’s start of with a couple of facts:
- Israel is in an existential struggle with the rejectionist bloc (Iran/Hamas/Hezbollah/Qatar et al) in a zero-sum game. This bloc’s stated intent is to put an end to the Jewish state. Any net gain for the bloc is a net loss for us. It is not a win-win situation.
- Israel is ruled by a democratically elected government.
It is therefore claimed by this government that:
3. Any protest against this Israel government’s actions weakens Israel and strengthens the rejectionist bloc.
It is this third assertion that needs to be examined because it seems to be valid. The Israeli government claims that its struggle against the bloc is a zero-sum game and that everyone must stand behind its policies, otherwise the bloc gains and we lose. And the Jewish Establishment in the Diaspora has pretty much bought into this premise. Those who support Israel refuse to voice public criticsm, as if any dispute with the Israel government’s actions and policy weakens Israel and strengthens its enemies. Opinions that disagree with the actions of the Israeli government end up branded as anti-Zionist. But this assertion that anyone who cares about Israel must support the current government unequivocally as well as Israel’s struggle against its enemies is assuming that supporting Israel’s goverment is equivalent to strengthening Israel. L’Etat c’est moi. The politicians are the state and the source of its strength.
But perhaps not.
Because the truth that is Israel’s true strength lies in its people and in its democracy. Israel’s true strength lies in its morality. Israel’s true strength lies in the knowledge that if any one of its citizens is held hostage, that no obstacle will stand in our way to get them freed. And it is on this basis that there is a zero-sum struggle with our enemies.
Any weakening of our democracy weakens Israel and strenghens our enemies. Any immorality on our part weakens Israel and strengthens our enemies. Israel’s government’s decision not to place the release of the hostages as a central objective weakened the basis on which this country was established and weakened the possibility of Israel’s continued survival. This is our true struggle for survival – to strengthen our democracy, to strengthen our unity while celebrating our diversity, to strengthen our moral fiber and most of all, to care about the life of each and every citizen. The goverment is not the state of Israel. We, the citizens of this state, are the state of Israel.
So as we approach the election season we must bear in mind our true source of strength. And we must judge each party participating in these elections on how they truly strengthen us. Israel must come out of these elections empowered in order to repair the deep divisions among us, in order to fight the enemies at the gate.
Candidates who claim to be in favor of a stronger Israel while weakening our democracy, playing one side against the other, and ignoring education for morality and human rights are in essence weakening the State of Israel and endangering our future here.
If we wish to strengthen this nation in this election we must make a reasoned decision on which party will truly strengthen us. Each voter is faced with a choice between the forces of disunity, of antidemocracy, of amorality, which will only serve to weaken Israel further. Or conversely, we can choose to support the forces that will seek to unite us and strengthen the moral and democratic foundation on which the State of Israel was founded and which is the basis of our continued existence.
