Opinion | Not the mezuzah, nor the plow | Israel Hayom

We are not in a wall and a tower. The unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip was the refuge of then-Prime Minister and Likud leader Ariel Sharon from the political negotiations in which he did not believe for a moment. The withdrawal was planned in an incredibly negligent manner, including no effort to secure recognition (at least American) that the Gaza Strip is no longer an Israeli occupation zone. As for the area in the northern West Bank with four settlements, it was not stipulated that they would be transferred to the Palestinian Authority, and instead of using this evacuation for negotiations with the Palestinians, the law stipulated only that they should not be resettled.

The far-right government, which apparently understood that its 64 Knesset members could not carry out a legal coup – because there are hundreds of thousands of protesters and there is one United States, and there is a democratic world that is horrified by the declarations and intentions – has decided that appealing to its voters through construction in the territories will be easier.

This week, following the passage of the repeal of the Disengagement Law in the Knesset, and without an orderly process to reestablish Homesh, the yeshiva that settled in Homesh was "evacuated" and moved from the private Palestinian area where the settlement is located to an area located a small distance away, but which sits on "state land" (contrary to what it seems, these are not lands belonging to the State of Israel, but lands located in territories occupied by us in the Six-Day War, and which are not under recognized ownership. These areas are administered by the Civil Administration, As part of the military apparatus established to hold the occupied territories until its termination).

Following the attitude of the settler leadership to all Israeli governments, including their dream government, as mandate governments that must be dealt with with "wall and tower" tricks, someone hurriedly erected a mezuzah in the new residence of the yeshiva, in order to give the return to Homesh a feeling of "we will not move from here."

But the mezuzot will not make the settlements part of the State of Israel, just as the blade of the plow did not determine the borders of the state. What will determine is demography, and the happy people who supposedly restored the crown to its former glory in the Homesh have no answer to the question of a Jewish minority's control of an Arab majority. It is sad that it is the American administration that occasionally reminds us of the danger to the existence of a Jewish and democratic state in the Land of Israel.

Present a candidate. Yair Lapid is right to place the election of an opposition representative to the Judicial Selection Committee as a condition for continuing the talks. The opposition is right to demand a speedy meeting of the committee after it is elected. Otherwise, what's the point of it?

In order not to be disgraced by the secret vote in the Knesset plenum, and in order not to harm the opposition's common denominator, anyone who considers himself a candidate can be allowed to do so in the framework of an early secret ballot, among members of the opposition only. Whoever is elected will be the only candidate.

Know when to retire. Dianne Feinstein has served in the Senate for decades. She is a respected politician who left her mark on the work of the upper house, especially when she headed the intelligence committee. At 89, she is the oldest senator, and some time ago announced that she would not run for another term. Meanwhile, her physical and cognitive abilities have weakened, and she is not responding to her party's thick hints to give way. It is virtually dysfunctional, preventing the Senate Constitution Committee from approving the appointment of new judges.

I know her well. I am sad to see her carried in a wheelchair with her face expressionless. I am saddened to see this handsome and wise woman in the winter of her life, clinging to the horns of the altar, proving once again how important it is for politicians (and not just them) to retire on time.

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