10 Apr 2023

Devils in Israel

Readers of this column know better than I do the dangers Israel faces on many fronts. It is the internal foes that now present the gravest threat in some time. It is political forces that intend to pave the way for a military destruction of the Jewish state.

For some time, decades in fact, leftist politicians in Israel have imperiled their own country by seeking to appease the Arabs. From Yossi Beilin to Shimon Peres to now Yair Lapid, each has made dangerous compromises that defy explanation. Are they dupes, or part of some sinister plot? Until recently I would have chalked that last one up to conspiracy thinking, but now with globalists at the highest levels of American government harming our country in ways once thought unthinkable, I’m not so sure.

Once Lapid lost the elections to Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud coalition (unquestionably strengthened in the last election with a healthy majority in the Knesset, he set out to undermine the incoming government.

Netanyahu’s attempt at “judicial reform” has met withering resistance. It’s so obvious the country needs to overhaul the corrupt system that allows leftist judges to effectively run things, one wonders why anyone would oppose it.

Oh, they say Netanyahu is doing this to erase his own corruption trial. Honestly, I’m sure he wishes he could. The “Trumped-up” charges (a more apt label I can hardly imagine) are identical to those efforts to remove a wildly popular former president in America. Netanyahu’s many enemies intend to see him gone one way or another.

He was forced to freeze judicial reform efforts due to protests around the country (although friends over there tell me media reports are vastly exaggerated). Now word comes that those efforts will resume after Passover.

Another particularly troubling effort from the Left involves opposition to incoming minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a strong right-wing Zionist intent on dismantling terrorist infrastructures.

Ben-Gvir, National Security Minister, is opposed by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara over his desire to establish a National Guard that would take on violent enemies of the state.

Of course she does.

According to the Jerusalem Post:

“Baharav-Miara reportedly contended that there is a legal impediment in advancing the law, according to the National Security Ministry legal adviser. N12 reported that the legal difficulties were over the overlapping of duties between such a National Guard and the Israel Police.

“The ministry’s legal adviser also note that the proposal required establishing the National Guard’s legal status, its ability to indict and direct suspects into the judicial system, procedure for rights and duties for the officers, as well as a legal consulting arm. It was suggested that a committee be formed with the defense minister and other security officials to oversee these matters.”

I believe Gen-Gvir understands what’s going on:

“National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir attacked Baharav-Miara for her opposition to the National Guard plan, which he argued was needed to restore order in the streets. Ben-Gvir said that Baharav-Miara didn’t understand her role as attorney-general.”

You see, part of the violent opposition to the Netanyahu government is not just terrorists. It involves the opposition whipped-up by people like Lapid, whose hatred and jealousy of Netanyahu apparently knows no bounds.

“’Almost two years have passed since the [Operation] Guardian of the Walls events where we saw how the police didn’t succeed in responding quickly and smoothly, in those days it was clear why there is a need for a National Guard to deal with exactly the same problems,’ said Ben-Gvir. ‘There is no one to take care of the security in the Arab sector which is plagued by murders. Our wonderful police officers do as much as they can to provide security and service to citizens, but they are overloaded with work and unable to get to everything, every police officer who goes on duty has dozens of tasks, it’s crazy. That’s why we need the National Guard.’”

He says that national police leadership, because of ego, doesn’t want this new enforcement arm. Ben Gvir’s National Guard would go after illegal weapons shipments, crime wars, and “agricultural terrorism.” All areas left to fester in the past.

As Netanyahu continues to grapple with threats to his premiership, his ministers are also engaged in political combat with their peers. It’s hard to watch Israelis undermining their own country.

All the more reason for the good guys to win. The next months will be pivotal.

Jim1fletcher@yahoo.com