That escalated quickly. Israel, it turns out, is now in the phase where people warn that a civil war is brewing. This pregame being played out in the media is now over the question of who is responsible for fanning the flames of this emerging clash. According to former Defense Minister Benny Gantz, if it breaks out, the responsibility will lay on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's shoulders. Yet, Gantz believes the Left should "shake Israel to its core", effectively daring the Right to act.
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What's clear is that the rhetoric that calls for civil disobedience that has now become common parlance among Opposition members is drawing Israel to one direction: a clash between two segments of society. Call it what you want, but the bottom line is that we have a fierce conflict in the making, and its origins go way back and predate the recent controversy over judiciary reforms and even the swearing-in of the government.
Ever since losing the Nov. 1 election, the Left has been busy spreading doom and gloom and creating a feeling of emergency. "The end of democracy" has become an accepted description of the situation, and as far as the Opposition leaders are concerned, we are now well into the final chapter of our state's history. They passed on the baton to Netanyahu with a heavy heart and great concern. The Israeli commonwealth is over. Naftali Bennett went a step further and wrote a column in The New York Times essentially all but describing Israel's new government as an illegitimate entity.
And then the onslaught began: A whole host of key figures said they could no longer take it, warning that the new government would scare away investors and essentially signaling to the outside world that Israel was no longer a safe place for their money. There were also letters by former high-ranking military officials who handed back their ranks to the state, and at one point some even suggested that the country be divided into an "enlightened" entity and the "backward" entity.
And then came the protest on Saturday in Tel Aviv, where SS signs were held next to the image of Justice Minister Yariv Levin and a slap on the face by a protester to an Arab MK. The heads of the Opposition refused to disavow this action and draw a red line on the same level in which they attack the government. In fact, they showed empathy to the threats of those threatening to resign and show civil disobedience. Suddenly acting in a stately and responsible manner and speaking about "having only one military" is no longer part of their rhetoric and one MK even said that "Israelis should take to the streets." The result of the irresponsible rhetoric was having people get into a civil war mindset. The feeling is that it is now ok to do away with the rules and perhaps there is even a moral calling to do so. Now everyone can feel that they are a hero in the local La Résistance.
But the new government also shares part of the blame for this escalation. Perhaps it did not start the fire, but it has not extinguished it. It would be well-advised to stop fomenting this by talking about having gravel cannons deployed against rioters or to respond to the provocations of those on the Left by calling for the arrest of Opposition members.
The government should respond to the protesters through the proper channels, not by adopting the lowly conduct of the rioters. But even the nonsense uttered by the Coalition members pales in comparison to the messages sent by Opposition members to their supporters, which threaten our very social fabric.
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