"You'll see, you'll be surprised by Itamar Ben-Gvir," a good friend, whom I hold in high esteem, told me yesterday. "He will be transformed. Within three months he will be under attack from the Right for being a leftist." I told him he was wrong, but he kept on. "They said the same thing about Bennett and the defense portfolio."
I have to admit that the comparison surprised me. In my opinion, it shows the process of acceptance of Ben-Gvir among the general public and the media. Bennett was indeed considered a radical before becoming defense minister, but the comparison with Ben-Gvir is still a stretch. Bennett was an officer in the IDF, a hi-tech entrepreneur, a member of the cabinet, and held several ministerial portfolios before receiving responsibility for the holy of holies.
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Ben-Gvir on the other hand is a recidivist convicted criminal with a record of support for the most extreme fringes, from Yigal Amir (who assassinated Yitzhak Rabin) and Baruch Goldstein (who massacred Arabs in 1994) through to the most radical of the hill-top youth. His behavior since becoming a member of Knesset after the last elections does not indicate that he has matured. On the contrary: Every time water needed to be poured on the fire to extinguish it, he turned up with a barrel of gasoline.
I very much hope that Ben-Gvir has moderated, that his positions have become more centered, and that he has calmed down. That would show that he recognizes his errors and has changed his ways. Unfortunately, I fear this is not the case, but instead he has understood that the way to gain the enormous popularity that he now enjoys is by displaying a more pleasant, less violent face. But whether this is a bona fide process or he is just playing to the crowd, the burden of proof is upon Ben-Gvir – he must show that he has passed the test before receiving positions of responsibility that govern the most sensitive systems in the country.
Video: Yoni Rikner
The state of Israel is a miracle on a global scale. It is a state that emerged, developed, and prospered, contrary to any logic and despite all the challenges it faced – security threats, diplomatic challenges, economic crises, and even difficult soil and climate conditions. From these lemons, Israel has created outstanding lemonade and is the talk of the town.
Now, all of this may be fractured. Not because of the possibility that there will be a right-wing government led by Benjamin Netanyahu – who has already been prime minister and at almost every test acted responsibly in both diplomacy and defense – but because that government will have to for the first time lean on a radical, nationalist fringe party, parts of which wish to smash the fundamental broad consensus of Israeli society.
I am not among those who believe that Israel will collapse if this happens. I want to believe that Israel is strong and democratic, and will remain so. However, my colleagues in Turkey thought that way when President Recep Tayyip Erdogan came to power. Some of them have since been jailed – along with generals, judges, and others who opposed the regime – or have fled the country, together with many youngsters who left looking for a more sane and calm place to live.
Israel's strength has always been in its unity, in the ability to bring its various streams together into a clenched fist that can overcome any challenge. This strength has been fractured in recent years. In order to maintain it, Israel must walk the central path and not be tempted into bypasses and shortcuts that could lead to a dangerous accident.
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