The sky was gray.
Aphor was the palace of the king of the Belgians.
The atmosphere was gray.
President Yitzhak Herzog arrived yesterday in Brussels, the unofficial capital of the European Union.
He was received with great love by the Jewish community and with great respect by the President of the European Union.
He didn't talk about one thing either with them or with her: the legal reform.
At the moment it is of no interest to the gray officials of the European Union.
The thing that the Europeans are busy with is the war in Ukraine.
These are bigger troubles and Israel benefits from them.
A decade ago, the Israeli ambassador to the European Union defined the attitude towards us here as "the lowest common denominator".
The current ambassador, Haim Regev, sends much calmer telegrams.
For example, when it comes to Iran, the fundamental gap between the Europeans and us has closed - and the war changed that too.
The aid that Iran provides to the Russians has made it clear to the naive Europeans - or the impure - that Tehran is a pillar of the axis of evil.
Actions are still required but at least there is agreement on the approach.
"The reform is an amendment that is also requested economically", Netanyahu, Cohen, Smotrich and Barkat at the press conference, photo: Yonatan Zindel/Flash90
As for the Palestinian issue, European money continues to flow into the Palestinian Authority's education and incitement system and to finance its illegal takeover of the territory. But condemnations, criticisms and reprimands are currently off the agenda.
Even the legal reforms that the Netanyahu government is leading have so far only received European interest, and no position has yet been taken.
But this patience for the Israeli moves will not last forever.
Because outside of Israel, even our best friends do not understand where Netanyahu wants to go.
Take as an example the article published yesterday by Brett Stevens in the New York Times.
Stevens, a Jew and one of the biggest supporters of Israel in the American media, has been among Netanyahu's fans for years.
No more.
He accused him in the article of ceasing to support liberal-democratic values.
"It is a great pity that the greatest leader of the Jewish people is currently in Kiev and not in Jerusalem," he wrote.
These are razor sharp words, precisely because they come from a loving hand.
No one in Brussels asked about the reform, the President of the European Commission, von der Leyen and President Herzog, photo: AFP
It doesn't matter at all whether Stevens is right or exaggerating.
Which states that someone like him does not understand.
The first reason why he does not understand is the promiscuous delegitimization campaign of the opposition against the government's moves.
The second reason is that even the supporters of the reform in Israel do not explain how fundamental democratic values will be guaranteed - beyond the majority decision - after it is implemented.
Netanyahu said important things yesterday, when he promised "that the rule of law will remain intact."
But these were still general statements.
Neither he nor Smotrich said how the new governing structure would preserve the democratic values that most Israelis and most democracies believe in.
This is the government's propaganda blind spot.
The reform is necessary.
There is no doubt about this, but it is equally essential to answer the claims to their merit.
As long as these explanations are not given, the criticism will not stop and the snowball that endangers Israel's status and its economy will not stop, even if Netanyahu holds a thousand press conferences.
On the other hand, a matter-of-fact response to the criticism will also allow the reform to move forward, will also prevent shocks in the economy and will also save future criticism in the European Union.
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