As if the problem was a miscommunication and not a deep disagreement about the future of the state, the Religious Zionist Party launched Operation Brothers Dialogue.
"It's time to talk!" declared the Knesset members and ministers, as in a quarrel between spouses in which one thinks it is only necessary to talk and explain, and the other does not know how to begin to explain the chasm that has opened.
I write with mixed feelings. Criticism of the government is always desirable, and (also) that's what journalism is for; And from my acquaintance with some of the working souls, I have no doubt about the purity of their intentions. Anyone who thinks that the attempts at correction or the cries of "brothers" are cheap manipulation is probably not really familiar with the religious Zionist sector.
But here you have to ask - what, actually, do you want to fix? Is this something you broke? And if so, isn't that something you should have noticed along the way? Like soldiers and commanders from the left who were filled with sorrow after military operations in which they were forced to shoot and kill, are elected officials on the right full of regret for the moral price of right-wing legislation? The former were called "shooting and crying," while our ministers legislated and cried. They are leading legislation that enrages hundreds of thousands of people — people who have the money and power to take down the country's bill in their hour of rage — and when they finish passing a battered, neutralized and almost meaningless version tooth and eye, they panic and go to check that they haven't gone too far.
Two things need to be said about that.
First, even your most loyal base squirmed uncomfortably in the chair. Not because of the reform, but because of the way you chose to pass it. After all, we wished for reform, we voted for it, and we would have done you death if you avoided it. But once you agreed that this vital reform would be bound up in securing the seat of a corrupt minister, and that the Override Clause would be bound up in the continuation of the severe discrimination in the obligation to serve in the IDF, what did you think would happen? You gave the opponents, who already resisted, all the weapons in the world to portray reform as a way to establish corruption as a governmental norm. Add to that the impolite conduct in Knesset committees and goofy tweets on Twitter. And yes, opponents of the reform should not be treated like porcelain puppets that hesitant to harm, but if you place yourself at the forefront of sensitive reform, we would expect a little more – what's the word? - Stately. In this sense, the circles of discourse are too little, too late.
It is worth taking a historical example from US President Franklin D. Roosevelt. During his presidency, he used to broadcast eye-level talks on the radio, called "fireside talks," in which he explained the main points of his policy on a variety of issues, mainly economic, and during World War II. Conversations have become a cornerstone of American political culture, teaching an important rule in government-citizen relations: Conversation should always accompany action, not compensate.
The second, and more important, thing that needs to be noted is that the attempt to reach a solution through dialogue meetings and dialogue, while not wrong, indicates a lack of understanding of how elected officials are supposed to act, even with regard to something vague like "unity among the people." That's not why you were sent to the Knesset, and not for that, excuse my rudeness, you get a salary from Israeli taxpayers. What you need to show now is not that you can reach 20 points on the map and talk to people without a kippah; What you need to prove is that a right-wing and religious government is interested in doing for the good of the country even in areas of consensus.
Give us a few months of intensive work to lower the cost of living, improve transportation, deal with the crisis in the education systems and reduce the number of murdered in the Arab sector. Precise and effective legal reform must be accompanied by actions that prove that this government, even in such a turbulent time, is committed to all citizens of Israel.
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