OPINION: It’s surrounded by enemies, but Israel’s biggest threat is within
search

The latest Jewish News

Read this week’s digital edition

Click Here

OPINION: It’s surrounded by enemies, but Israel’s biggest threat is within

What we are seeing now may not quite be an "Israeli Spring" but can be described as an "Israeli Awakening", writes Jewish News' Israel-based foreign editor Jotam Confino.

Some 400 Israeli demonstrators who marched toward the Palestinian town of Huwara on Friday, in an attempt to show solidity with the victims of a pogrom carried out by a mob of violent settlers the week before. Credit: Jotam Confino
Some 400 Israeli demonstrators who marched toward the Palestinian town of Huwara on Friday, in an attempt to show solidity with the victims of a pogrom carried out by a mob of violent settlers the week before. Credit: Jotam Confino

Whichever side of the debate they fall on, few of my fellow Israelis dispute the country is experiencing its worst societal crisis.  

Only 75-years-old, the state has fought for its existence since its birth, surrounded by enemies, some of whom have turned into friends over the years.

It was, however, clear from the beginning that Israel would eventually face massive challenges due to the vastly different – often deeply contradictory – tribes making up the country.

The secular, left-wing Zionists who founded the state slowly but surely became a minority, political speaking, over the years. The 1977 election of Menachem Begin was the first real sign that Israel had changed significantly.

The 1977 election of Menachem Begin was the first real sign that Israel had changed significantly.

Begin might have been a hardcore right-winger who believed in “Greater Israel” but he never had any doubts about the importance of an independent judicial system that would protect human rights and stand independently from the government of the day.

Although one can dispute the success of the High Court in making sure Israelis enjoy equal rights, its importance was never doubted.

Until today.

Certain segments in Israel’s society have long despised the High Court, seeing it as an obstacle to policies they wish to impose.

It has taken the most right-wing coalition in 75 years for the silent majority to wake up and say “enough is enough.” Poll after poll reveals that the vast majority of Israelis are against the government’s judicial overhaul.

Israeli protestors in Tel Aviv. Credit: Jotam Confino

Many secular Israelis would argue they have been “freyerim” (Hebrew for suckers) for decades, allowing ultra-Orthodox to impose laws on the entire country (no public transportation on Shabbat, no civil marriages, the right to determine who is Jewish).

These issues and the baggage they bring has finally reached boiling point.

What we are seeing now may not be an “Israeli Spring” but can be described as an “Israeli Awakening”, propelled by secular Israelis, many of whom vote for right-wing parties like Ysrael Beitenu and the National Unity Party, who despair at their country’s direction.

A country with no independent High Court, no constitution, third-rate politicians like Shas party leader Arieh Dery trying to pass personally tailored laws, allowing settlers to behave as they wish in the West Bank without consequences, and ministers who are openly homophobic and racist.

Israeli policemen blocking demonstrators in Tel Aviv from entering the Ayalon Highway. Credit: Jotam Confino

The fact that elite soldiers in the IDF reserve are openly talking about refusing to serve is perhaps the biggest indicator that something is rotten.

The IDF is the backbone of the country, an institution that never gets entangled in politics.

But when soldiers must put their lives on the line for a government with incorrigible ministers like Betzalel Smotrich who openly call on Israel to “wipe out” the Palestinian town of Huwara, they need to know the High Court will still function as gatekeeper.

Former Mossad chief Efraim Halevy once told me the biggest threat to Israel is from within. Events have proven him right.

Support your Jewish community. Support your Jewish News

Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.

For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.

Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.

You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.

100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...

Engaging

Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.

Celebrating

There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.

Pioneering

In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.

Campaigning

Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.

Easy access

In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.

Voice of our community to wider society

The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.

We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.

read more: