A New Year's Resolution for 2012

For liberal-minded Jews in Israel, and kindred spirits observing closely from afar, the country seems to be rapidly heading for disaster.  The assault on democracy and the growing discrimination against women are disturbing trends, but so too are the paralyses on the peace front, the mounting strength of the right wing and the violence of the “Tag Mechir" (“price tag”) that targets Palestinians and left-wing Israelis, adding fear and brutality to the mix.  There is no reason to assume that 2012 will look any better. In fact, as one observer put it, "The best thing about the current Knesset is that the next one will probably be worse."  With the Prime Minister moving up the Likud primaries to January, the next Knesset may come sooner than we think.

Of course, the dysfunctional policies of the current government and the frightening dissolution of democratic values are trumped by the disappointing Arab Spring which seems to have lurched head-on into Islamic extremism. The high hopes for a fresh breeze of democracy and freedom disintegrated into a dark wind that instead propelled the political advancement of Islamic fundamentalism.  From Egypt to Tunisia, Libya to Yemen, the Middle East is in turmoil.  With the US out of Iraq, Iran completing its nuclear armament, and Syria embroiled in a bloody civil war, Israelis have reason to be concerned.

Whipping up fear at a time when there is indeed much to be afraid of, and no real opposition to speak of, is a favorite technique of demagogues and populists, not least Netanyahu, Lieberman and their loyalists who understand this very well.  They ride the bandwagon of consensus just far enough to appear to be authentic representatives of the majority's will – lashing out at the hilltop youth who attack IDF army bases or denouncing grown men who spit at 8-year old girls walking to school.  But it may well be more a diversionary tactic than a genuine commitment to putting a stop to the chaos.  Pious rhetoric serves as political cover for the forces working to erode Israel's liberal and democratic foundation.  On the one hand, the Netanyahu government brings home Gilad Shalit; on the other hand, it approves more building in the settlements. On the one hand, the Prime Minister offers to meet Mahmoud Abbas anytime, anywhere; on the other hand the Foreign Minister claims there will be no peace in the next ten years. Bibi calls for an end to discrimination against women in public places, while his political allies promote legislation that would muzzle the press, hobble liberal NGOs, and politicize the Supreme Court.

We should never forget, however, that Israelis are not stupid.  They are weary and they are exhausted, and sometimes, as in recent years, lulled into silence by the long quiet on the borders.  But this should not be mistaken for uncritical support for current government policies. Many Israelis have had it with the lack of progress on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and the extraordinary toll on their lives and livelihood that it exacts.  Many Israelis are fed up with the cavalier manipulation of the democratic and Zionist values upon which the country was formed.  As evidenced briefly this past summer, when tens of thousands of Israelis marched in the streets, they may yet rise up and declare, as in the 1976 film Network, "I'm mad as hell and not going to take this anymore."  Israelis are not freiers, and there is nothing that galls them quite as much as being taken advantage of – not by their Arab neighbors and not by their elected officials.

Israelis want a better, more peaceful future for their children, and threatening Iran with a military strike does not encourage a sense of security. Israelis support democratic movements and free elections around the world, and the seal of approval granted Putin by Avigdor Lieberman, who declared that the recent Russian elections were free and fair, does not reflect the views of most Israelis, Russian Israelis included.  Israelis have accepted the religious status quo for decades, and yet the rising tide of extremist misogyny within the populous and growing Haredi minority is intolerable for the great majority of Israelis, religious and secular alike.

The glimmer of hope that I find as we move into 2012 is that the silent, sane majority might be reaching the tipping point, poised to reject the shortsighted, capricious leadership running this country. Netanyahu assumes that early elections will bring him early victory before a second-term Obama can undermine his ambitions.  But, and here is where the faith in the New Year comes in, he may just be wrong.  I think Bibi and the powers that be may have miscalculated how far they can push the boundaries of responsible behavior before they are seen as having gone too far.

Whether the spontaneous enthusiasm and commitment demonstrated by the social protest movement is a model for saving Israel from itself, I can't say.  But I can say that the thousands of people that turned out this past week to protest religious extremism in Beit Shemesh - headed by Orthodox residents as well as Ultra-Orthodox that oppose the rising fundamentalism of extreme Haredim - is heartening.  I can also say that the inherent fairness of the Israeli people, the enduring desire for peaceful co-existence based on a two-state solution and security for all, and the right to individual and national freedom -- is what the real Israel wants.  2012 is ripe for new leaders to emerge that will represent and promote these values and ideals.  It is up to the rest of us who care deeply about this country, both here and abroad, to support homegrown efforts to help Israelis reclaim their future. 

That's my resolution for the New Year.