Israel's coming civil war
The picture is of a
wrapped cloth towel (what we now refer to as wipes, but used to refer to as wet naps). For the Hebrew-impaired, the caption reads "when the Haredim go out to work, you'll sweat less." It's being handed out by the 'youth' of Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid party.
In other news, Rabbi Aaron Leib Steinman has called for a
mass prayer rally against the government (link in Hebrew). And an online
poll taken at a Haredi website in the aftermath of the Supreme Court decision to stop all fund transfers to yeshivas finds that 47% want to raise funding for the yeshivas outside the government, 25% are calling for civil rebellion, 20% want to send all the slackers to the army, and just 8% say that while it's forbidden to maintain any contact with the Zionists, it's also forbidden to use violence. The latter view is probably the closest to that of the Haredi leadership.
Ouch.
By the way, if the real goal is to get the Haredim to go out to work (which is what Naftali Bennett claims), the fastest way to do it is to (a) drop the army from the picture and (b) find them jobs.
Labels: Haredim, IDF, Israeli civil war
Is this how a civil war starts?
A reminder to all that I am in Boston and therefore posting will go a bit later today (and start again later on Saturday night).
I have often heard that the dispute with the Arabs is the best thing in the world for Israel, because it keeps us from having a civil war with each other.
This is a video of a protester named Moshe (if you can't tell from the accent, he's Russian) at Thursday's Haredi demonstration in Jerusalem against the sudden blocking of yeshiva funding and the arrest of an AWOL yeshiva student.
Let's go to the videotape. More after the video.
It's not just the 'Haredi street' that speaks this way. Here's United Torah Judaism MK
Yaakov Asher.
Hareidi MK Yaakov Asher (United Torah Judaism) accused Finance Minister Yair Lapid of retroactively canceling the funding for all yeshivas this week to spark protests between
hareidim and police as a political ploy: "he doesn't want us in the
army, he wants hareidi violence on the streets. That gives him
mandates."
...
MK Asher warned of a "long period of pushing the hareidim to the wall that will bring extremism. This is how the 'hilltop youth' phenomenon started when the right-wing felt pushed to the wall."
Unfortunately, Asher is likely correct. More
here. Here's the real '
threat' that Yair Lapid is fighting.
The future of the State of Israel lies with those who are committed to
Jewish observance and tradition in some way that can be deemed
significant. This certainly does not mean that all Israelis will be
fully observant, orthodox, or hareidi in the foreseeable future; but
there is no future for those with an exclusively secular ideology.
Nearly one third of all first graders in Israel today are enrolled in Hareidi schools. Close to 60%
of all first graders are enrolled in Hareidi, Hareidi Le’umi
(Nationalist Hareidi), or Dati Le’umi (Religious Zionist) schools. It is
routine for religious/hareidi families to have 6-10 children. It is
rare to find a secular family in Israel with more than one or two.
I didn't write that. More
here.
Sounds like someone is trying to get an early start on a civil war. And for those of you who are dati leumi/Modern Orthodox and think this doesn't affect you (except to the extent that it's about getting the Haredim into the army)... when they're 'done' with the Haredim, you're next.
Labels: Haredim, Israeli civil war, National Religious, Yair Lapid
Like Gush Katif or like Amona?
There have been a lot of foreboding items in the media lately about how the government is going to expel all the Jews from the village of Migron, and how it's going to be like the 'disengagement' from Gaza. But the pictures that go with those articles are typically not pictures of Gaza. They are pictures of the
violent expulsion of Jews from Amona that took place shortly after the Olmert regime took power six years ago. And the prospect of another Amona should cause far greater concern.
"This is not another outpost eviction," he said. "Migron is a community. This is an unprecedented eviction compared to everything we have done until now."
The officer further estimated that unlike outpost evictions, the destruction of Migron will not be over in one night. "I think the reaction of the settlers will also be more meaningful," he said. He added: "This step will also hurt the security aspect" – possibly meaning that IDF forces will have to be set aside to deal with Jews, thus compromising the anti-terror effort.
The officer admitted that the press coverage of the Jewish riot at the Ephraim Brigade Base had been disproportional. "The subject received greater attention because of the spotlight that was pointed at the area that night. Events like this have happened in the past."
The officer said that the IDF is worried about the rise in terror attacks on motorists in Judea and Samaria. Both rock attacks and firebomb attacks are increasing, he said.
The technique of throwing rocks from inside a passing car at another car is relatively new, he said. "The phenomenon started last August. There appears to be a cell in Gush Etzion, and another one in Binyamin, that we have not yet put our hands on. The murder of Asher Palmer and his son gave terror groups a boost."
Another dangerous and new terrorist technique, he said, is that of terrorists disguised as Israeli police who put up roadblocks and use a police strobe light to complete the illusion. The purpose seems to be abduction of Jews.
What could go wrong?
Labels: Amona, Gaza expulsion, Israeli civil war, Migron
IDF trying to avoid civil war
An IDF commander seems to be coming under fire by YNet for issuing orders to
avoid firing on Jews under all circumstances.
A company commander in Golani's 13th Battalion instructed his soldiers that under no circumstance are they to fire at Jews ahead of a possible clash with settlers, Ynet learned Monday.
Following the raid on the Ephraim Brigade base last month during which one officer was lightly injured, former Defense Minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer advocated shooting at anyone who puts the lives of IDF soldiers in danger, regardless of religion or citizenship.
On Thursday, a day after the security forces and Civil Administration evacuated the Mitzpe Avihai outpost, Golani soldiers were briefed by their company commander. "We're in for a rocky Saturday, so stay alert," he told the troops. "In any case, no matter what happens, let the world burn down for all I care, nobody opens fire at Jews! We don't want a civil war."
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit said in response: "This was a briefing for an operation in which the IDF served as the third security element. The briefing was held in accordance with a reasonable threat evaluation and in keeping with fire protocol."
I'm glad someone is still showing some common sense.
Labels: IDF, Israeli civil war, revenants
