In honor of the fifth elections that are upon us - those that, to prevent them, a strange and failed coalition of parties with no ideological common denominator was formed - we refreshed ourselves from the bridges and intersections protesters with new accessories.
The black "go" shirts were replaced with red "don't come back" shirts.
But inside the new wardrobe and under the new signs, the exact same faces are packed, the same iron determination, the same dramatic fervor that is sometimes against corruption and sometimes against the end of democracy and sometimes against everything that is bad in the country.
Black or red, the shirt sings one song: just not Bibi.
Since the wearers of the shirts and the flag bearers are particularly high-quality citizens, it goes without saying that everything they support is fine and useful, and everything they oppose is bad by definition.
Therefore, it goes without saying that their cries for the end of democracy are not aimed at trivial matters such as Yesh Atid's petition to the Chairman of the Election Commission, Judge Yitzhak Amit, to declare Channel 14 an "active body in the elections". to note, I appear).
There are those who would argue that the direct use of governmental power against the media is an activity that is difficult to call "democratic" in the conventional sense of the word, but in a civilized world it is known that those who hold this opinion probably belong to the "bibist sect": an esoteric body that includes a little less than half of those who have the right to vote In Israel, a little more than half among the Jewish public, or what under certain conditions is referred to in short: "majority".
Channel 14 does not have a majority rating, but from the beginning of its existence great and high-quality forces joined forces to prevent it from existing: at a time when it had an obligation to broadcast heritage broadcasts - it was fined hundreds of thousands of shekels because it did not share reformers in the broadcasts, or because it broadcast direct reports during the attack in Sharon, or because it broadcast Likud election rally.
He won the tender to operate the Knesset channel, but the High Court invalidated the win. When the law regarding designated channels was changed, and the channel - like the other channels of its type - began to broadcast whatever it wanted, connoisseurs were not satisfied with watching other channels. A fundamental democrat does not want to win In the debate, a fundamental democrat wants to eliminate the debate.
It must be said clearly: Channel 14, like other media, has its own political line.
It is open, it is legal, it is not at the expense of the public, and it is no different from any other media in the systemic freedom it takes upon itself, within the law, to express the worldview of its owners and its participants.
These include, by the way, left-wing people, as well as coalition members, that is, those who agreed to be interviewed by him.
Yesh Atid members were invited many times, but refused.
Lapid did not include the channel in the round of Rosh Hashanah interviews.
More precisely, "Yesh Atid" people didn't even bother to refuse requests to be interviewed - they didn't answer the inquiries at all.
Which didn't stop them from complaining about the fact that "a significant part of the channel's efforts is devoted to trying to discredit and hurt Prime Minister Lapid".
A serious media offense that requires closure - harming the head of government!
For the first time in the history of Israeli media!
This is not the first time that the right people try, wearing a black or red shirt, to harm a media outlet that expresses the voice of some dangerous "cult".
They managed to close the radio station Channel 7 (and at the same time managed to keep the "Voice of Peace"), submitted a bill against "Israel Hayom" (it was removed from the program after the 2015 elections, but those who tried once - will try a second time as well), and now the petition is passing of "Yesh Atid" in relative silence.
In any case, the red shirts are not bothered by such a government move.
In fact, there is not a move by this government that causes them displeasure: not the rubber stamp of the ombudsman, not senior appointments, not a fateful agreement with Lebanon less than a month before elections, and not an attempt to revoke the license of a media outlet that does not align with "Great Country".
What is the position of the shirt wearers regarding freedom of expression?
The issue has not been examined, although I had personal experience with them about two years ago, between elections, when they still wore black.
Since I live in an area on the upper spectrum of socioeconomics, I was blessed with three permanent demonstrations at three intersections.
One evening I passed by one of them, and was the recipient of a barrage of insults from the leader of the demonstration and his amplification system: "A trumpeter, a servant of the corrupt" and such lewd things.
The protesters around watched and listened in silence as I crossed the road.
The light forces recognized a representative of the dark force and reacted accordingly.
Last weekend I was happy to find out that the demonstrations were back, in new and red clothing.
It seems that the old protesters are also happy about the new Garderova, and if they replaced "Leave" with "Don't come back" - it seems that the old sentiment still pulsates strongly: they are saving something, they are protecting something, they are defending against a great danger, and they will never give up.
At most they will change a shirt.
In April 2021, Yair Lapid wrote "an Israeli unity government is the only thing that can prevent fifth elections", since fifth elections are a bad thing.
But sixth elections - not necessarily.
On New Year's Eve, in an interview with Makor Rishon, Lapid was specifically asked if Netanyahu's rule was worse than the sixth election, and answered confidently: "Badness for Israel has a rating. I think the worst thing for Israel is that Benjamin Netanyahu will be in the ruling sphere."
Worse than six elections, "more than anything else".
Lapid is the beneficiary of the red demonstrations, but he is not their subject.
They are not for him.
They were and remain counter-demonstrations.
Although Netanyahu is the obvious subject, he is not the target.
The goal is to make noise non-stop until the right understands the essence of the opposition, and this is an opposition to its right to choose who will head the camp.
The legal argument in the petition against Channel 14 is also part of the same objection.
But there is a supporter inside the shirts, which is also shared by Lapid: only one camp is allowed to win the elections.
And that's definitely a plus.
Not in favor of democracy, God forbid, but who needs democracy when there are forces of light, and shirts.
were we wrong
We will fix it!
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