Options I Dread

I cannot remember being so disgusted with the so-called “unity” between Benny and Bibi. It in truth will turn out to be the biggest “disunity” we have ever experienced since the founding of our State in 1948.

I , like many millions of Israeli citizens, voted for Gantz’s Kachol-Lavan party, for one reason only… to defeat the Likud party led by a corrupt, lying, criminal prime minister. We were united in our choice. Benny Gantz was an experienced leader, a general of the highest rank in our army. A man who knew how to deal with our enemies within and without.

Unlike many Israelis, I was not opposed to the Joint List supporting and joining with Gantz and Lapid. The Arab Joint List received 15 seats in the Knesset making it the third largest political party in the nation.

The racists among us, in particular Prime Minister Netanyahu, had nothing but vile comments about the Arabs who comprise twenty percent of our population. He called them “terrorists” despite the fact that as full citizens, equal to the Jews in all government bureaus, they serve their population in the communities in which they live in peace.

Gantz had the wisdom to extend a hand of friendship and to welcome their support for him to be prime minister. They had suffered very much under Netanyahu’s racist State Law declaring that 80 percent of our citizens comprise the Jewish State of Israel while ignoring the 20 percent of our Christian and Muslim Arabs, the faithful Druze communities, the Circassians and the Beduin who serve in our military and offer their services to the nation.

At age 87 there is not much that I can do. I cannot join crowds in protests. I cannot march on the Knesset building carrying signs demanding justice and truth from a time-to-go prime minister who does everything possible to distort the law and lying about the three charges of criminal activity for which he has been indicted and is waiting for his trial to begin.

I honestly do not know what options are available to me to demonstrate my disdain for our current dilemma.

There is but one option…one that I dread. I do not want to live in our country as long as Netanyahu is in control of the government. I may consider surrendering my Israeli passport, renouncing my Israeli citizenship, and moving to a saner and less corrupt nation. Perhaps president Trump will let me in.

Pending that, my second choice would be Canada. In particular the beautiful city of Montreal in the province of French-speaking Quebec. As I speak French I could be very comfortable there.

Montreal has a large Jewish population and perhaps I could contribute services in Jewish schools.

The thought of that option overwhelms me with grief based upon the sorrow and pain I feel for our present situation.

I have been a life-long Zionist originally a member of the General Zionist party and later the Herut party led by a man whom I loved and respected and honored… Prime Minister Menachem Begin, the greatest of all our past and present prime ministers.

I have no doubt that his bones are rattling in his grave in disgust of the Likud party, successor to Herut.

We have no impeachment procedures in Israel. The one way to rid ourselves of disgusting leaders is by a vote of all citizens. We did vote on 2 March 2020 but the vote between Likud and Kachol-Lavan was so close that there were arguments over who should lead.

President Rivlin urged Netanyahu and Gantz to form a unity government but Gantz was hesitant. He did not ever trust Netanyahu. (Who can?) But with the problem of Speaker Yuli Edelstein who ultimately resigned, Netanyahu needed his Likud party to prevent surrendering to a non-right wing party.

With the dreadful plague… the pandemic which takes the lives of too many… Netanyahu made an overture to Gantz to serve with him in a rotation government. Gantz unfortunately violated his promise not to serve in a Netanyahu-led government but by doing so he lost the trust of millions of Israelis who trusted him and who elected him. Even the entire Arab Joint List recommended him to president Rivlin and as a result Benny Gantz won the majority in the Knesset by 61 votes.

My disappointment, like that of the millions who voted for him, is very painful. I need to think carefully regarding my options.

To surrender my beautiful Israeli passport and to renounce my citizenship in the office of the Ministry of Interior would cause me immense grief. I try to dismiss it from my mind.

If the God of Israel will bless me with patience, hopefully I may find less-dreaded options. But I will always bless my beloved country.

Am Yisrael Chai l’Olam. The people and the State of Israel must live forever.