Bayit Yehudi Chairman and Education Minister Naftali Bennett on Tuesday made a crucial political decision, throwing his weight behind the much reviled (among Bennett’s constituency) Shabak (General Security Service), in an attempt to curb extremist comments and wild conspiracy theories on the extreme, religious right and to disassociate himself from the same tiny camp. To some this might mean that Bennet has done the presidential thing to cool down the animosity between the right and the left in Israel; to others this may seem like Bennett throwing the Duma arson suspects under the bus. Both sides are probably right in this case.
Bennett’s move, another in a long list of efforts to pave his way into the hearts of moderate-right wing voters, especially the secular ones, was to denounce the extremist nationalistic-religious elements in his own camp of largely Judea and Samaria residents and the Israelis who love and support them.
Bennett wrote on his Facebook page:
Today is the Tenth of Tevet.
2603 years ago the siege of Jerusalem began, which eventually led to the destruction of the Jewish state.
**
I want to talk today about preventing further destruction.
I have heard the protests recently on the subject of Duma, and I want to be clear:
You can’t disregard what is happening right before our eyes, not the price tag incidents, nor the murders in Duma, or the murder of the boy in Jerusalem.
It does not happen by itself.
There is a new approach that is being followed by a few dozen disturbed anarchists.
This approach is intended to destroy the ties between the Nation of Israel and the State of Israel.
This is the total opposite of what religious Zionism has striven for since it was established by Rabbi Kook.
**
My Friends –
Our goal is not only to live in our country – it is also to establish a state in our country. This is who we are.
And we did it. A lot of blood was spilled to reach our goal. Tons of blood.
I will not allow it to be for nothing.
**
When you burn a sleeping family, that is a terrorist attack.
With a terrorist attack – you do everything to catch those responsible.
You do everything – within the limits of the law, and according to the examinations I conducted the things that were done were legal.
Just as I trust the Shin Bet (Shabak) to chase murderers of Jews, I trust them in this case – not without checking and not without questioning, and I am doing just that.
**
It cannot be and I will not let it happen that a group of extremists will come along with a delusional and messianic idea and attempt to disconnect the people from the state.
This is not the way of the Israeli right, and it is not the way of religious Zionism.
This is not about being statesmanlike. This is not about unifying the nation. This is not about the land, nation or Torah of Israel.
This is anarchy.
**
They are not flowers in our garden.
We are Roi Klein, Emanuel Moreno, the Police Commissioner, the heads of the Shabak and Mossad. We are the pre-military academies and Hesder students that dedicate their lives to the existence of this nation.
Religious Zionism is the connection between the Torah, the state, the nation and the country. It is not a relationship that can be separated, and I will not let anyone destroy it.
We are not tribes. We are not anarchists. We are one nation.
We will fight for the unity of the Jewish nation. This is a war that is no less important than any other fight.
Indeed, the eternal people are not afraid of a long road.
Responses started to pour in immediately:
David Finson: If there is evidence against anyone with respect to the Duma attack then let the courts issue a warrant like in any civilized country and let the suspects be processed in a civilian court of law having being granted their democratic RIGHT to due legal process. stop justifying this administrative-dictatorial insanity because you’re too much of a coward to stand up against it. Incidentally, you’ve just lost one vote.
Jessie Schechter: You have destroyed the last vestige of justice in Israel with your support of sexual assault as legal, with your support of other forms of torture on Jewish minors in Israel. 8 seats this election, NO seats the next. Your voters won’t forget.
But there was also this:
Ron Liling: Naftali Bennett, I’m a secular Jew but I wish you led this country of ours. Keep your head high and do not stop leading us forward. You are a great man.
Which probably means the move worked.