Arguments Against the Great Betrayal

Just because it is not what you want does not mean it is a betrayal

My friend and a very wise man, Yisrael Ne’eman, wrote a piece last week on his Linkedin page called The Great Betrayal. There are a few points that he makes that I feel deserve a counter-argument. 

1. The premise that Netanyahu is selling-out the country in order to keep his government intact and remain in power is a false premise. It argues that Netanyahu’s concern is for himself, for power and not for the good of the country.

You can argue that his policies are bad and need to be changed. You can argue that the current government is bad and needs to be changed. Arguing however, that the Prime Minister is acting out of purely personal reasons is a hard argument to make. Here is someone who has served Israel for decades in a myriad of posts. He and his family have suffered the slings and arrows of the media for years. I am sure he could have found a way out of this a long time ago. 

I also understand that power can be intoxicating and that the PM might indeed suffer from such an addiction but it still does not mean that he is not acting in the best interest of the country. Proof for this might be that a large coalition (and the majority of the public) continues to support him and his policies.

2. The firing of Gallant. If the PM has decided that the number one issue to be dealt with is Iran and its proxies, as it seems he has, as has the coalition, then anything that might jeopardize that goal must be dealt with.

Gallant, while in-line with Netanyahu’s views on Iran, seemed as interested in “solving” the military need, as Yisrael mentions, by forcing the drafting of Haredi men. This would most certainly mean the dissolution of the government, new elections, and most probably the loss of momentum against Iran and its proxies.

Therefore, Iran trumps the Haredi draft and Gallant needed to go. 

3. The Haredi draft and National Service. This issue is not new and I agree, is one that must be dealt with. However, forcing the Haredi populace into the draft is a recipe for disaster across the entirety of Israeli society and Yisrael knows it. Thinking you are going to draft 7,000 Haredi as combat soldiers is being dishonest with the public and creates hate and conflict where love and unity are needed.

No Israeli government has dealt with this. Not Labor, not under Lapid and Bennet’s government and not under any coalition, even when the Haredi parties were not part of it. Did you call out their betrayal then?

In addition, the army has spent decades doing almost nothing about this and was very happy to keep the Haredi out. The fact that the upper echelons of the military that were happy to “control Hamas” and “manage” the terror situation are the same who spent 2 decades cutting down the size of the army, relieving reservists, disbanding battalions, scrapping weapons and selling off attack helicopters, gives me a great deal of reservation when they start screaming that the Haredi are the solution to their problem. 

There are thousands of reservists who have asked to be reinstated and the army has done nothing. The army could have set up Haredi Battalions over a decade ago but were not interested.

The war has indeed brought the draft issue to a head and there is a lot of positive movement. The Haredi draft will become a normal part of their lives but only over time and only through consensus.

4. Lastly, Yisrael states: The government is working against the military, equality, the Jewish national ideal and overall state interests.  I am sorry to say but this seems like a lot of BS to me. 

The military needs a good kick in the pants and this war is doing just that. Those MK’s who have voiced concerns about this for years are finally being heard. This is not about Knesset seats, it is about changing perceptions and rebuilding. The question is how much needs to be gutted or torn down to get rid of the rot.

There is no question in my mind that my last sentence above includes most MK’s, especially the current PM. They have almost all been involved in decisions regarding Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, terror, the draft, not to mention the pathetic state of the judiciary. Unfortunately, sometimes you need something dramatic to force these issues.

I would like to close by saying that you can take to the streets, you can demonstrate, but the only way you will “take back the nation from those who betrayed (your) trust” is through the ballot box. Otherwise, we might lose it forever.

Meir

Image by PayPal.me/FelixMittermeier from Pixabay