We need representation for the People from the People
There are many issues in Israel that need improvement. Many people become angry at me for openly criticizing the government of Israel, several regional council and city municipalities, and what I ‘affectionately’ label the Jewish Establishment. I take exception to their attitude. I dutifully pray for the welfare of the State of Israel and in doing so believe in its words that the State of Israel is the dawn of our deliverance. However, while the goal is lofty, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the management and administration of our 1 and only State is not without fault, and in many cases it is rife with mismanagement. Is it best to stick one’s head in the sand or mouth weak and defeatist statements such as, “This is what it is, there’s nothing to do”? I would venture to say that this attitude is the dominant one among the population. Again I ask if this attitude of acceptance of failure and/or mediocrity is the best policy for sustaining and growing a healthy Jewish State. I say it is worse than accepting failure. It is accepting servitude. Servitude to whom? Servitude by the majority of the Jewish population to the political elite, who together with some very wealthy families and the rest of the Jewish establishment, control a lot of our everyday lives. If we really love our country we must strive for better. Below, I will raise a few issues and make a few comments. From time to time we will post other provocative articles with the goal of informing and encouraging you to break free from the chains of big government servitude.
Are you aware that the Supreme Court of Israel rules on the constitutionality of issues even though Israel has no constitution? Are you aware that the Supreme Court is full of judges who are selected mainly by other judges? Are you aware that the monthly salaries of Supreme Court Justices are about 10 times the average Israeli wage, and if you take into account all the additional benefits it brings the disparity close to 15 times higher? To summarize: these judges, mostly with little or no respect for Judaism or Jewish values, are unelected by the general population and rule to abolish laws passed in the Knesset whenever it suits them, and have banned several patriotic Jews from running for elections while we the taxpayers are paying them enormous salaries. Isn’t it long past due to organize and lobby for a judiciary that is much more representative of the population?
Water and Gas: Gifts from G-d with little Benefit to the People
A few years ago Israel was running low in water. The population was growing and the winter rains were less than average for several years. Lake Kinneret, Israel’s largest sweet water reservoir was receding to lower and lower levels. New red lines were set and then broken again. Water prices already very high, were raised for homes and businesses. Farmers were forced to pay much more and to use much less. Across the country several water desalination plants were constructed. Soon after the rains began increasing, and after 3 consecutive years, the Kinneret was full. Did Israelis get a break from the high water prices? No they didn’t. You see, poor Jordan our neighbor who supports many resolutions in the United Nations against Israel and whom without Israel’s military protection would long ago have fallen into the hands of radical Islamists, is in need of water. In the 1994 peace agreements with Jordan, Israel agreed to supply Jordan with a lot of water. Now the situation has worsened as Jordan has absorbed an additional 1,500,000 Syrian refugees most of whom hate Israel and Jews. Jordan who fights day and night in the media to ban Jews from praying on the Temple Mount. Jordan, who harbors terrorist murderers of Jews. Mr. Biden gave Mr. Netanyahu a call to ‘encourage’ Israel to keep supplying Jordan with cheap water and even add some more. Mr. Netanyahu who speaks eloquently while he gives in, obliged. Then the biggest fraud in the history of Israeli politics, the unelected Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, also gave into the American senile president’s demand that Israel give Jordan even more water. This is the same Mr. Bennett who went out of his way in the past to bring in cheap, inferior vegetables into Israel while further damaging Israel’s Jewish farmers. So, Israel has enough water to give Jordan a ton of it, and you the consumer must pay for it. Did anyone ask you? Is anyone standing up in the Knesset and demanding lower water prices for families and farmers? If so, I haven’t heard much of anything.
In 1948 the young State of Israel had few natural resources. Then came the 6 day war and suddenly Israel found oil in the Sinai. Soon Israel was pumping oil. Then came the Camp David accords and Menachem Begin agreed to withdraw from all of the Sinai and give up the oil wells to Egypt and of course to throw out all the Jewish settlers from Yamit. Now Israel was dependent on the ‘goodwill’ of the United States to guarantee her oil supply. Was this treacherous agreement ever put to the population in a clear Yes/No referendum? No. Israel doesn’t have any National referendums.
Again, the masses could once again claim that Israel needs the world. Israel needs the United States. We must constantly restrain ourselves from smashing Hezbollah, Hamas, etc, because we need our so-called friends. Then, suddenly, another miracle. Huge amounts of natural gas were found off Israel’s shores. Israel now has more gas reserves per capita then almost anywhere else. Some big energy companies partnered with the Teshuva family and they made a deal with the government of Israel. The deal gave the Israel government a percentage of the sales of the gas. Did the government do the right thing? What would be the right thing? How about realizing that gas sales were never part of any prior or future projected budgets because it didn’t exist! This would justify paying the citizens of Israel some sort of dividend from the gas sales. Did this happen? Of course not! Did they at least go to the electorate and ask them in a referendum to choose an option? Again, no. It all goes into the National budget for them to spend as they see fit. Water and the gas are not assets of the politicians. They are National resources that belong to the country, to the People of Israel.
There are many more issues that we will bring to your attention in future posts. At this point we are trying to make an important point. While there are a scant couple or few members of Knesset who fight for certain issues, overwhelmingly there is no representation on basic economic and security issues. Election time comes and you vote thinking it is important. Is it really important if you keep doing the same exercise again and again only receive the same dismal results?
Some of us think that it is time to break the mold. It is time for the majority of the political establishment to cash in their pension rights and go home.
It is time for representatives in the National and Municipal governments along with the judiciary to be represented by patriotic, loyal, Jews who will get up every morning and win, lose, or draw, will fight for your rights to build an independent Jewish State. To really be a free Nation in our Land.
L’Ma’an Ha’am means for the good of the Nation. Isn’t it time for your representatives to be like you?
