Egozi’s Fury

This post is also available in: עברית (Hebrew)

Comedy reaches new heights. Abu Mazen told Washington explicitly: There won’t be an agreement with Israel. Some in Jerusalem, though, still want to conduct the next stage of Palestinian prisoner release.

Somebody in Jerusalem went totally deaf. We don’t even merit a show of moderation from the Palestinians, but over here there are those who are willing to uphold the agreement completely, including every miniscule detail. Israel has lost it’s mind, not to mention all shred of national dignity. This can be seen in other areas as well, but here it’s very noticeable. Ramallah at least follows a clear, consistent line, with Abu Mazen repeating its principles again and again. In Jerusalem we get stuttering and ridiculous ministerial infighting. It’s humorous, but not really funny.

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Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon refuses to apologize to the U.S. over his harsh words. This is bad enough, but what’s worse is the fact that the Prime Minister, his boss, doesn’t get involved. Binyamin Netanyahu remains quiet while relations with the U.S. deteriorate. Something doesn’t add up, or maybe it does.

How does it add up? There’s no real government here. Only a random group of minister, each one acting on his own. They meet every week, but it’s mostly for show. There are several governments in Jerusalem, each with its own agenda. The situation doesn’t make any sense, but so do many other things in Israel.

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Russia continues to take over Crimea. Maybe it’s not our business but it really is, and we should be worried. Putin’s appetite is constantly growing and he’s realizing he can take over the world. As long as things are happening far away we only see it as another headline, but these things have a dynamic of their own and we should be worried.

iHLS – Israel Homeland Security

I’m willing to bet, though, that our government didn’t seriously discuss this new reality, this new emerging global overlord. The Israeli government usually discusses futile issues such as the peace process with the Palestinians or equally sharing the burden of IDF service. This might give script writers ideas for a satirical TV show involving a useless government, but it’s actually critical for each and every one of us.

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The new investigation into what’s known as the Harpaz Affair, especially the arrests of two former senior IDF officers, revealed a little more about what happened in the office of the former IDF Chief of Staff. It’s worrying, and more than a little disgusting, to consider how something like that could happen in a place that is so important to Israel’s national security.

I have a feeling that someone wants this kept under wraps, at least partially. Our senior legal system officials have to realize that this is one of the most severe affairs in Israel’s history, and they have to do everything in order to expose the affair to the public. If it doesn’t get thoroughly investigated and exposed we won’t be able to sleep at night.

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Gaza is burning. Hamas is losing control, there’s a severe financial crisis – all this will no doubt result in more rocket launches and attempts to harm IDF forces along the border fence. All this doesn’t stop because the IDF doesn’t respond properly, as a true country should respond to repeated attempts to murder its citizens. All this is happening because the government – or that group of ministers from Jerusalem, in any case – is busy holding the IDF back due to “global considerations.” Nonsense. Someone just doesn’t understand the situation. The IDF understands, and if the IDF staff had their way the Gaza problem would have been solved quickly and at no risk to Israeli soldiers. But a government that’s actually just a random group of ministers, all working at cross purposes, can’t do anything.

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The intense, slander-filled argument over the importance of the Home Front Defense Ministry has quieted down lately, at least publicly. The ministers involved are probably busy arguing over other issues for now, but we still have a problem. No one is in charge of taking care of Israel’s civilian home front during emergencies. In Jerusalem they’re treating the issue as if the Middle East is already peaceful and a powerful earthquake is something that you read about in books. That’s not how things work, but for some reason Prime Minister Binyamin Netnayhu doesn’t have the courage to call those involved to his office and give them half an hour to come to an agreement – or leave their resignation letters on his desk. Israel’s home front is neglected and we’re all going to pay the price.