Guest Post by RaP
Israel is in a very precarious situation at the
present time. Beset by surrounding Arab "states" that either no longer exist or
are held together by threads as chaos and civil war reign in their midst,
with foreign military intervention by Russia and its allies near Israel's
borders, and by a widespread internal insurrection by Israeli Arabs, and with a
governing coalition with only a 61 seat majority in a Knesset of 120, if one
looks very closely, one sees the cracks in the unstable governing coalition
opening up.
The last two plus years of Israeli political life
have revolved around the huge growing Charedi population. The prior government
was an outright anti-Charedi coalition that set about to change the "status quo"
between the religious and secular worlds in Israel. Openly rejecting any Charedi
parties from sitting in it, the government went on a "war-footing" against the
Charedim. Decrees were promulgated against Charedi Jews cutting off funding to
their institutions and communities, threatening them to forcibly sign
up for army service, undermining traditional Torah education and institutions,
destruction of rabbinical courts and financially strangling the
yeshivas.
At the same time, the Arabs seemed to "sense blood"
and started a campaign of terrorizing unarmed Israeli citizens who wore any type
of Kippa or Yarmulka. Who can forget the kidnapping and murder of the three
religious Israel teens that sparked an Israeli invasion of Gaza against Hamas
recently, and then the brutal attack against the Charedi rabbis praying at the
Har Nof synagogue in the heart of a Jerusalem Charedi neighborhood that sparked
so much anger among all Israeli Jews, and many other such acts of terrorism and
barbarism directed at any Jews caught off guard.
Soon thereafter, the anti-religious governing
coalition collapsed, and quickly in its stead a new governing coalition was put
together with all the Charedi parties being included in the new government,
commencing a roll-back of the anti-Charedi decrees and edicts. The three major
Charedi political parties SHAS, AGUDA, and DEGEL, all got important
posts.
But then, recently over this past Sukkos at the end
of September, barely six months into its new term, the latest coalition seems to
be in trouble judging by current events, although tentative, but clearly
indicating the first rumbles before an earthquake
What seems to have triggered this latest
political unease and evident in-fighting again likely revolves around the fate
of religious Jews in Israel stemming from the preponderance of religious and
Charedi Jewish victims of the latest round of Arab violence. Stabbings, stonings
and terror are seemingly being directed at the Jewish religious populations in
Israel with Charedim fearing for their lives more than most as word leaks out
that they are obvious easy targets being that they stand out and are unarmed and
do not have military training.
There is also a dimension to the Arab uprising that is evidently
directed at the Jewish religious sites such as the Kosel, with the Kosel area
now becoming a "fear zone", Kever Rochel is under increased armed
guard, Kever Yosef burned down yet again, while Jewish holy places are
being claimed as belonging to the Muslims "only" with Israel now on the
defensive, all yet again.
There are more political rumblings, as a leading SHAS minister resigns from
his position as Minister of Economics, without citing good enough reasons, and
in this climate indicating perhaps an act of protest. Another Minister from a
non-religious party declares he is willing to resign to make way for the Labor
leader to join in, and the Labor leader issues a statement, no not about the
"matzav" but rather criticizing the Jewish religious sector!
Jews are being knifed and bombed in the streets of Israel, and its
obvious the people are angry and want to be protected and want action, but the
government responds by talking about "revoking citizenship" and building more
walls which is already a disaster because it makes Israel look like one long
"DMZ" line as in North Korea or the hated Berlin Wall. All this is not good and
there is a somber mood as if the next big step is being contemplated.
Jews are now under siege and many are nervous to venture outdoors for fear
of sudden stabbings. This is no way to live and will have serious political and
other consequences as the Jewish public's fear and frustration will force
change to happen one way or another.
A house divided against itself cannot stand long and likewise a government
that includes Charedim in it but does not swing into action to protect not just
Charedi and religious Jews but all Israeli Jews cannot go on for much longer as
it loses the faith of its citizens in it to protect them from harm.
And sadly, it would seem that it is not to the Rabbinical or Charedi or
Orthodox voices that Netanyahu is turning but yet again he is being pulled in
the direction of bringing in members from the Left to prop up his coalition.
This cannot go on for much longer as Jewish blood runs in the streets of Israel
and one can only conclude that change is coming soon, hopefully for the better,
it is only a question of how soon and who will lead it.
May we hear only good news and may the Geulah Sheleimah come very soon!
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