Perhaps even more grotesque than the union of such mismatched people, is the rancor and discord that continues from within. Even while they remain in a coalition with one another, they still try to kill each other off. The issues of the country and the Jewish people are sacrificed for the narrow selfish interests of people ill equipped to run a library let alone a country.
This tiny fishbowl we call home has many problems. Many relate to quality of life issues; i.e. the tribulations of a socialist economy which favors the corrupt, unbearable taxes that pilfer pockets with the finesse of a street thug, and
a system of socialized medicine which follows the principle of “patient, heal thyself”. (In English parlance, this roughly translates to, “pray to G-d, you don’t get sick.”) And yet these very real problems pale in the context of the primary issue which must always remain priority # 1 in Israel: The existential Arab danger which dangles above our heads.
Were we an isolated country, (Australia perhaps) a good 24 hours away by plane from any other major threat, this situation would be intolerable. But we are not Australia. We are a tiny Jewish country roughly the size of New Jersey. Unlike New Jersey, we are surrounded by Arab/Islamic countries who want to destroy us. Unlike New Jersey, our leaders believe in appeasing the Arabs with territorial concessions. Even the “enlightened” Arab countries (who now lambast ISIS, because the former want to cut their heads off as well) would like us to disappear. The backdrop behind this are the Amalekite Shiites of Iran who plan a nuclear Final Solution. Within our own country, the internal Arab fifth column uses the Knesset to undo the state from within. Armed terrorist enclaves control regions of our own heartland, while the Nazis of Hezbollah and Hamas bide their time. And while the enemy grows stronger, our leaders lack the courage to undo the destruction that the left brought upon us.
In a region requiring strength we have corrupt weak wishy-washy politicians who change their song and dance routines with the changing of the seasons. An Israeli freak show featuring leftists, quislings, pandering populists, anarchist, socialists and old world Bolsheviks. Elderly traitors who won’t go away and the younger weaklings who represent the next generation willing to barter Jewish lives for dreams. The usual representation of chameleons who wear kipot and speak of Torah, while shilling themselves for graft. A collection of tired, recycled, retreads and castoffs trying to start anew. And of course, a united front of Arab parties committed to Israel’s destruction.
As I’ve noted before (although I wouldn’t vote for him for various reasons), Moshe Feiglin was the only politician who represented something different on the political scene. He created a movement with a sophisticated multifaceted platform that addressed the Arab problem, security, and the question of Jewish identity (albeit, insufficient as I see it), but not at the expense of the many other critical issues essential for any healthy country to function. The problem was that Feiglin’s well-intended but disastrous Likud rendezvous lasted longer than it should have. He hung around too long, and by the time he was forced to evacuate, he had no options this time around. This raises an interesting question. Where do Feiglin’s votes go? I would venture to say that many of his supporters will abstain on ideological grounds, out of a real sense that the system screwed them. Perhaps some will become “pragmatists” and play the game of choosing the viper least likely to bite.
Manhigut Yehudit represented another example of a movement stopped dead in its tracks by a corrupt system. To his credit, Feiglin refrained from following the knee-jerk reaction and joining an ideologically naked hodgepodge of kipot. Achdut always sounds nice, but the cry for unity is a sham when people have radically different positions on critical issues. A fraudulent coalition is no less false just because it is comprised of people with beards and kipot. When one has to compromise major aspects of one’s platform to join a coalition, what we have is not Jewish unity, but a fracturing of Jewish truth.