The Holy Land's finest, who have sacrificed life and limb to protect this nation, are announcing in no uncertain terms that they're truly apprehensive regarding Israel's standing and fortitude, as the current coalition is single-handedly unraveling the Zionist vision. They have good intentions.
But you know what they say about good intentions, don't you? They are paving a road to hell as we speak.
Judicial overhaul protest, as it stands, could use a reset button. Knesset member Dudi Amsalem's unhinged utterings and lawmaker Tali Gottlieb's non-sensical musings notwithstanding, it is undeniable that Israel as a nation that has experienced an unhealthy amount of judicial activism for dozens of years, and that has been echoed by Israel's most brilliant minds, including a Supreme Court chief justice.
While the cure for this ailment in our society lies not with a political hitjob orchestrated by Justice Minister Yariv Levin and his cohorts, it also cannot be met by refusing to sign up for IDF reserve duty, as innocuous as it may initially seem to the naked eye.
In order to truly assess the severity of the issue, one can look no further than the latest Supreme Court ruling, which says that foreign laborers will not lose access to funds already allocated to them should they perform criminal acts, as it falls under the definition of property rights. However, even if we accept the court's reasoning, it is not the state that damages those rights, but rather the laborer himself since he knowingly broke the law.
Keep in mind: This is no isolated occurrence. We're talking about a series of rulings that have shattered any and all attempts by the legislative branch to regulate Israel's immigration policy. The means exercised by Israel in this field are relatively mild, by the way; Denmark has announced a "zero asylum seekers" policy. The Dutch government has recently disbanded because of a similar discussion. Plenty of other examples can be found all over Europe.
As Jews are the quintessential vagabonds at heart, it is incumbent upon us to show compassion for foreign laborers and asylum seekers. That said, striking down a law that punishes those who have illegally outstayed their work permits is unreasonable. While these words are sure to embolden those who support the overhaul, they are written for those who oppose it – We need to reform the judicial system, though not in the way that Yariv Levin and Simcha Rothman have outlined.
3 View gallery
Knesset member Dudi Amsalem's reprehensible words drive people away from reform
(Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)
"The Supreme Court is making our lives hell again," a man in southern Tel Aviv told me, utterly convinced that the court cares more about asylum seekers than Israeli citizens. "How can you support this process?"
The current coalition is run by religious fanatics and a prime minister who seems to have lost his moral compass and reality in general. He's willing to give up on the Air Force just to sustain his poisonous vision for the court. While diminishing or even annulling reasonableness will not constitute the end of democracy, it could nevertheless serve as a precursor for things to come, with other coalition members' musings easily turning into laws, causing an avalanche that could in fact bring democracy to its knees.
How can one criticize the Supreme Court and still support protesters? Easily, as long as we understand that we can't look at it one-dimensionally, because that leads to issues like refusing to serve as a reservist in the IDF. You have Netanyahu turning a blind eye to the protests on one hand and reserve duty holdouts not listening to the problems that arise from judicial activism on the other.
Refusing to serve is reprehensible and politically regressive, as it only serves to strengthen the right's position about the left's so-called lack of patriotism. However, should we truly strive to achieve compromise, we can and will bring the right inside our realm, a move that will surely make Netanyahu change course, political considerations be damned. It's not too late. We just need the required fortitude to call for true compromise.