# 410 – I Have No Other Country

I have no other country

Yitzhak Nir – Painted this wonderful pic. Look him up…Perhaps it is no surprise that he was a leading air force and commercial pilot. And a friend…

‘Ein li Eretz Acheret’ is a very popular Israeli song. A haunting one, written by Ehud Manor as a protest song during the first Israel-Lebanon war. During the decades since, it has been adopted as a protest song by various groups across the political spectrum in Israel. It is often used these days in protest against planned judicial reforms. 

I have no other country                            

Even if my land is aflame                    

Just a word in Hebrew                             

Pierces my veins and my soul               

With a painful body, with a hungry heart,  

Here is my home.

I will not stay silent

Because my country changed her face

I will not give up reminding her    

And sing in her ears

Until she will open her eyes

The war in Lebanon was not a complicated issue. Today, Israel faces many issues, some of them quite difficult to define and to understand. I won’t go deep into this. In fact, I can’t. But perhaps my inability to understand everything will help you get a better understanding of what is going on here.

The subjects/points are not in order of importance…

Nearly 3 months of constant and regular protests. Flags, handmaidens, religious (the ones with kippah, not the ultra), mothers with children, pensioners. At times, perhaps 1 million on the streets. That’s 10% of the nation (including the ultra religious and Arabs, who have rarely appeared). They march, they block highways, they protest outside politicians’ homes. At the risk of Murphy’s Law, almost zero violence. THIS is democracy.

Over the years, I have screamed for a more acceptable definition of democracy. Just look at this very unusual country. Among the many mistakes it has made, it was declared that Israel is a Jewish State, a state OF Jews, instead of FOR Jews. The doors have always been open for ‘others’, but, after such maltreatment over the millennia, especially in the early 20th C, a home for the Jews was the least the World could allow. So THIS definition of democracy GUARANTEES that Israel remains a country with a Jewish majority.

(I mean this seriously, but it’s a joke: we are known for being an argumentative people – see today – so our version of democracy, a country with a Jewish majority, does not exactly paint a picture of peaceful cohabitation).

The military is in crisis; many important reservists are refusing to serve, in protest at the proposed judicial reforms, which are at the centre of today’s problems in Israel. So we should be worried about our neighbours, especially Hizballah, who may use this opportunity to attack.

My response? Their leader is a horrible man; but he is no fool. Over the years, so many have said that the Jews argue among themselves so much, that they will do the job for him. If ANYTHING would jerk the Israelis back to unity, it would be an attack from Hizballah, Iran, Hamas or N. Korea.

Think back. For millennia, the Jews lived as a constant minority, wherever they were. Politics, whether positive or negative, was always in the hands of ‘the majority’ – not the Jews. Religious and social affairs were invariably dealt with by the rabbi.

I feel that many Jews were not ready for this revolution: Israel.

Jews don’t like to agree easily; they argue against almost every new law that is introduced. And that’s during the good times. And the rabbis (if one is allowed to generalise) still want to be involved in every day lives of their people. They insist to be politicians.  The Diaspora is also becoming an issue; the Jews outside Israel. They were all in one boat in olden days. Now there’s 2 boats: Israel and ‘THEM’. It’s a split that no one predicted, and it’s tearing Judaism apart.

So, what is a Jew? An ultra-religious friend of mine, full of side-curls and beard, actually said that is based on Mum’s blood. So why are there such arguments among the various Jewish sects? Why such differences? Why can’t all Jews pray at the Kotel (Wailing Wall)? Why such intolerance? And in a country that is a dreamland for women’s rights, gay rights (among the World’s largest Pride march), how come we allow ministers to ‘be against’?

And to today’s issues.

Judicial reform is normal. Laws need to be constantly updated – and it is fair to say that, under normal circumstances, the judiciary should not have free rein over the country. The legislative – in a ‘democracy’ – should represent the people, and should retain some say in the legal system. But, for whatever reason (his wife’s puppet?), Netanyahu has sold his soul to the devil. (Sorry to those of you who blindly support him). He’s done a great job for the country. His recent autobiography is said to nicely list the good he has done for his country.

But instead of ‘taking a step back’, especially with so many indictments hanging over him, he went to bed with extremists. And, like in most democracies (partly thanks to social media) the extremists have power. In addition to that, the ultra-religious extremists have big families…When they vote, they vote in blocks. Right now their rabbis are telling them to vote for Shmotrich, Ben-Gvir, Rothman, Deri etc., those who are in bed with Netanyahu. (His wife obviously does not care – and his own party, are still too scared to scream – like many of the Republicans over the behaviour of guess-who).

Among the laws they intend changing are those that would protect Bibi and his cronies from being indicted, let alone convicted of the several crimes for which they are accused. They are trying to limit women’s rights, impinge on secular laws, oppress the Arabs etc. They have gone way too far.

Netanyahu says ‘you voted for me’, but he does not understand that the largest party is not necessarily the majority of the country. And now, the (until now silent) majority has woken up and has seen what he is doing to this fantastic country.

I still dream.

The protests are having an effect. Some of the traditional members of Netanyahu’s party, Likud, are starting to raise their voices – and are joining the protests. They, and the respected military leaders, are considering their options. A mutiny within the Likud party could solve this impasse. Who cares that we will have a 6th election in a short time; we already had 5. And if the same majority (64-56) is achieved, but with the backing of the ‘real majority’ of the population, then the light at the end of the tunnel could be a continuation of the steady advance of this ‘Light among Nations’.

I have often screamed for this country to be given a generation or two, 30-40 years, to ‘settle’ down and plant more deeply the many fantastic seeds it has produced. In the meantime, all 20 fingers and toes remain constantly crossed.

And finally…..this evening we watched an interview with Tuvia Tsafir, the much-loved comedian whose speciality was imitating political leaders, sometimes several of them at once.

He inspired a currently very popular programme – ‘Eretz Nehederet’ / ‘Wonderful Country’ – which takes the format of the news broadcast, with leading politicians and personalities as guests, each usually dressed ‘to the nines’, and bearing ‘blobs’ of make-up.

The English ‘Spitting Images’ is similar. These satirical programmes have had great success, because practically all Israeli politicians have had a positive aspect, a decent side, have achieved ‘something’ in life. We can laugh at them with a sense of ‘we’ll make it in the end’.

But some of today’s politicians leave us with a distinctly bad taste in our mouths. They are no longer to be trusted. There’s nothing funny about them. Netanyahu must retrieve his soul. And when he realises it is irretrievable, he must fade away…now!

Stephen