I would put things in a different order. The number one issue is the judicial issue. Whomever controls Bagatz controls everything so it doesn't even matter who wins elections as Bagatz will strike down anything they are against.
The second issue is Arab emigration. Trump said Gaza should be depopulated but Israel did not take it seriously. As long as they are still there they will keep fighting. This applies to Yehuda and Shomron as well as the hostile Arabs you mentioned as well. It's the next potential Oct. 7
This is one of the shapes in which true victory can take form. As to Bagatz, you exaggerate their power. The government often passes legislation that contradicts other legislation so they could blame the courts when it’s struck down. It’s a trick they like to use to draw away attention from their failings.
Incredible! Israel has the same problems as the US, starting with paragraph one. You later nail the worst problem: The Social Democrats control over the education system in partnership with their “ collectivist rivals.” These are the ones who are really all Communists teaching students to hate our country, etc. I don’t know if Israel’s educators are dumbing the curriculum down like ours are. I don’t think so because I haven’t seen any Jews anywhere that are as dumb as our Democrat ( and much of our Republican) American students or leaders. AOC, a leading Congressional Democrat New Yorker ( who has embraced the Red/ green alliance) cannot find most countries in the world on a map, does not know much US history ( except for historical fiction) and knows nothing about civics. Did we adopt Israel’s suicidal philosophies or did Israel adopt ours?
Well, this was certainly a depressing essay. Uri suggests answers to these problems, but without a more coherent governing coalition that doesn't yield immense authority to smaller Haredi or Arab parties, the problems will only grow. In an odd way it seems the constant attacks by hostile neighbors and terrorists helps to maintain a semblance of cohesion.
Haredi welfare state was originally nothing but a bribe for Haredim to support newly independent State of Israel or at least not to actively act against it . That innocent bribe, with the time and political fragmentation degenerated into essentially hostage/blackmail situation where Haredi welfare state demands money and other "goodies" in exchange for supporting minority parties to be able to form majority governments . The hostage is the state and its mostly non Haredi citizens . Until Israelis vote decisively to give the secular party an absolute majority to govern without Haredi support the blackmail will continue and citizens will pay up .
I disagree with placing military under Honorary Mention less critical issues column .
The performance of the military before, during and after October 7 attack indicates the need for thorough reform . It is a critical issue, possibly more critical than Haredi welfare state issue .
Very informative, thank you Uri. Few Israeli writers mention the thousands of young Israeli Arab citizens who don't have to serve in the military at all. Is that topic too sensitive?
People mostly bring it up as a whataboutism when Haredi service is mentioned. As far as I know, the only party who talks about it in good faith is Liberman's "Israel is Our Home." I have written about it in the past. The Arab draft was declared in 1954. 90% of young Arabs signed up. However, the government got cold feet before it could be implemented. It was the decision of the government, not of the Arabs.
You are right, but I estimate that none of these issues will be addressed, except perhaps for Arab crime and the internal threat it poses. Why do I think this? Because the Israeli political system can never produce a government that can be held accountable. Extreme proportional representation entails coalition with execrable partners who do not belong together and increases the power of party bosses. Netanyahu is so detested by his political opponents that he is driven to alliance with haredi parties, but don't forget that Labour bought Shas to put through the Oslo Accords. Then there are the clowns who supposedly constitute the anti-Netanyahu bloc, whose makeup includes Yahsar with Eisenkot in favour of the discredited two-state solution and The Bennett-Lapid duo who sold out Israeli gas fields to Hezbollah Lebanon. These are the people whom the PEOPLE OF ISRAEL are going to vote into office because they too do not take seriously what must be done to save the state, make it secure and rid it of its enemies. One person who does understand that and says so is Smotrich and see how little support he garners. Indeed, he and Ben-Gvir are routinely vilified at home and abroad, while a seventy-eight year old grandmother has more sense that most of the citizens of the country. Do we really need a commission of inquiry into October7? Everyone knows the higher ups in the intelligence and defense sectors screwed up and dismissed the reports of the front-line, mainly female observers. But not everyone understands that nearly the entire population of Israel bought into the mowing the grass strategy which prevailed for years and years ever since the rotten Gaza Disengagement? Only in Israel was it acceptable to have people murdered in the streets by crazed Palestinians as the price for living in Manhattan by the sea. So will the Commission of Inquiry investigate the citizens of Israel who kept re-electing governments as they will continue to do in all likelihood this time around? What government gives another state right to sovereignty in its heart, as Israel does to Jordan over the Temple Mount, an outrage which apparently leaves most Israelis indifferent. And then of course there is the thorny issue of judicial reform, continually wrapped up in the haloed and hallowed cry of democracy when it is anything but that. The Israeli Supreme Court makes the American one look positively meek when it comes to judicial activism. Oy vavoy. Eizeh cherpa ubusha. And instead of saying out loud what any child would know the Israeli government is spending $150 Million on an American PR company to influence American youngsters to be pro-Israel. I would have charged them nothing more than expenses for my substack pieces. schecter.substack.com if anyone cares to read my texts.
"Do we really need a commission of inquiry into October7?"
Obviously, yes. If nothing else then for people to understand where they were wrong all these years. Also, people should be held accountable for failures of this magnitude.
Seethe. Haredim will outlive the State in its current form just like they outlived all others nations that arrogantly thought they'll see the end of us.
Haredim haven't outlived anyone yet. They're a weird cult that was invented about 100 years ago. Even reform Jews are more ancient than the Haredim. In any case, you want to be a cunt, be a cunt. Just don't do it at my expense. Better yet, go be a cunt in Iran.
Respectfully Uri, Torah observant Jews have been around since Mount Sinai and have usually been the majority of the Jewish people since we became a nation.
Only in the last few hundred years did we see larger portions of Am Yisrael becoming less observant..
What you call Haredim I call Torah Observant Jews. The only difference are in the nuances, very slight..
If Moshe Rabbeinu came down to earth to visit which Jews would he recognise the most?
I’m not saying we don’t have our issues and the topics you bring up are genuine points for discussion. On the other hand, studying Jewish scripture will show you that success of the Jewish people in their land is proportionate to and mirrors our allegiance to G-d and His Torah. The argument that learning Torah gives positive energy and success to ALL in Israel isn’t one to be overlooked.
Isn’t there a difference between studying Torah and leaving others to defend you and support you? Doesn’t Solomon’s wisdom say something like “don’t work, don’t eat”.
I mean isn’t it the responsibility of a man to support his family. The responsibility of the woman to nurture and teach.
All men whether they are religious or not should be helping to protect their families and to feed them in my humble opinion.
Haredim live in the State exactly the same as all Jews lived in any hostile country, which is their claim to be the authentic continuation of the Jewish people.
The only difference is in the current State, while main population's culture is gentile, their bloodline is Jewish.
Said the people who dress like 19th Century Poles, speak a Germanic language, and consider the majority of Jews their enemies... As I said, you're a weird new cult. Barely 100 years old. You appropriated Jewish religious history the same way the Arabs appropriated Jewish geographic history. I wish Israeli really was a hostile country to you useless bloodsuckers. Right now, you're the most privileged minority on the planet yet you keep demanding more and more and more while spitting in the face of the people at whose expense you exist. But don't worry, your day will come soon enough and on that day I'll laugh so hard!
For thousands of years gentiles, and sometimes gentile-like Jews were waiting for our day to come. And our days came, roughly every 50-100 years, but never fully. In the end, all those waiters seem to disappear into history books. Who will remember the things you hold dear in 150 years? Your anime shows, your soccer stars, your Marvel heroes? I can guarantee that in 150 years, Jews will sit and learn Abaye, Rava, Rambam and R. Haim Volozhyn.
I would put things in a different order. The number one issue is the judicial issue. Whomever controls Bagatz controls everything so it doesn't even matter who wins elections as Bagatz will strike down anything they are against.
The second issue is Arab emigration. Trump said Gaza should be depopulated but Israel did not take it seriously. As long as they are still there they will keep fighting. This applies to Yehuda and Shomron as well as the hostile Arabs you mentioned as well. It's the next potential Oct. 7
This is one of the shapes in which true victory can take form. As to Bagatz, you exaggerate their power. The government often passes legislation that contradicts other legislation so they could blame the courts when it’s struck down. It’s a trick they like to use to draw away attention from their failings.
Great article, succinct. Thank you 🙏
Incredible! Israel has the same problems as the US, starting with paragraph one. You later nail the worst problem: The Social Democrats control over the education system in partnership with their “ collectivist rivals.” These are the ones who are really all Communists teaching students to hate our country, etc. I don’t know if Israel’s educators are dumbing the curriculum down like ours are. I don’t think so because I haven’t seen any Jews anywhere that are as dumb as our Democrat ( and much of our Republican) American students or leaders. AOC, a leading Congressional Democrat New Yorker ( who has embraced the Red/ green alliance) cannot find most countries in the world on a map, does not know much US history ( except for historical fiction) and knows nothing about civics. Did we adopt Israel’s suicidal philosophies or did Israel adopt ours?
Almost like a real country :)
Well, this was certainly a depressing essay. Uri suggests answers to these problems, but without a more coherent governing coalition that doesn't yield immense authority to smaller Haredi or Arab parties, the problems will only grow. In an odd way it seems the constant attacks by hostile neighbors and terrorists helps to maintain a semblance of cohesion.
Haredi welfare state was originally nothing but a bribe for Haredim to support newly independent State of Israel or at least not to actively act against it . That innocent bribe, with the time and political fragmentation degenerated into essentially hostage/blackmail situation where Haredi welfare state demands money and other "goodies" in exchange for supporting minority parties to be able to form majority governments . The hostage is the state and its mostly non Haredi citizens . Until Israelis vote decisively to give the secular party an absolute majority to govern without Haredi support the blackmail will continue and citizens will pay up .
I disagree with placing military under Honorary Mention less critical issues column .
The performance of the military before, during and after October 7 attack indicates the need for thorough reform . It is a critical issue, possibly more critical than Haredi welfare state issue .
Very informative, thank you Uri. Few Israeli writers mention the thousands of young Israeli Arab citizens who don't have to serve in the military at all. Is that topic too sensitive?
People mostly bring it up as a whataboutism when Haredi service is mentioned. As far as I know, the only party who talks about it in good faith is Liberman's "Israel is Our Home." I have written about it in the past. The Arab draft was declared in 1954. 90% of young Arabs signed up. However, the government got cold feet before it could be implemented. It was the decision of the government, not of the Arabs.
You are right, but I estimate that none of these issues will be addressed, except perhaps for Arab crime and the internal threat it poses. Why do I think this? Because the Israeli political system can never produce a government that can be held accountable. Extreme proportional representation entails coalition with execrable partners who do not belong together and increases the power of party bosses. Netanyahu is so detested by his political opponents that he is driven to alliance with haredi parties, but don't forget that Labour bought Shas to put through the Oslo Accords. Then there are the clowns who supposedly constitute the anti-Netanyahu bloc, whose makeup includes Yahsar with Eisenkot in favour of the discredited two-state solution and The Bennett-Lapid duo who sold out Israeli gas fields to Hezbollah Lebanon. These are the people whom the PEOPLE OF ISRAEL are going to vote into office because they too do not take seriously what must be done to save the state, make it secure and rid it of its enemies. One person who does understand that and says so is Smotrich and see how little support he garners. Indeed, he and Ben-Gvir are routinely vilified at home and abroad, while a seventy-eight year old grandmother has more sense that most of the citizens of the country. Do we really need a commission of inquiry into October7? Everyone knows the higher ups in the intelligence and defense sectors screwed up and dismissed the reports of the front-line, mainly female observers. But not everyone understands that nearly the entire population of Israel bought into the mowing the grass strategy which prevailed for years and years ever since the rotten Gaza Disengagement? Only in Israel was it acceptable to have people murdered in the streets by crazed Palestinians as the price for living in Manhattan by the sea. So will the Commission of Inquiry investigate the citizens of Israel who kept re-electing governments as they will continue to do in all likelihood this time around? What government gives another state right to sovereignty in its heart, as Israel does to Jordan over the Temple Mount, an outrage which apparently leaves most Israelis indifferent. And then of course there is the thorny issue of judicial reform, continually wrapped up in the haloed and hallowed cry of democracy when it is anything but that. The Israeli Supreme Court makes the American one look positively meek when it comes to judicial activism. Oy vavoy. Eizeh cherpa ubusha. And instead of saying out loud what any child would know the Israeli government is spending $150 Million on an American PR company to influence American youngsters to be pro-Israel. I would have charged them nothing more than expenses for my substack pieces. schecter.substack.com if anyone cares to read my texts.
"Do we really need a commission of inquiry into October7?"
Obviously, yes. If nothing else then for people to understand where they were wrong all these years. Also, people should be held accountable for failures of this magnitude.
More importantly, mistakes like this should be avoided in the future. But who will hold the Israeli people accountable?
Gosh... sounds like a preface to a pogrom!
What a totally random thing to say…
It's obviously not random at all.
"Right to exist" isn't legal. Ask Palestine. New piece, link in bio. #KairosII https://austinsikora.substack.com/p/right-to-exist-isnt-a-real-legal?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=32cg97
Seethe. Haredim will outlive the State in its current form just like they outlived all others nations that arrogantly thought they'll see the end of us.
Haredim haven't outlived anyone yet. They're a weird cult that was invented about 100 years ago. Even reform Jews are more ancient than the Haredim. In any case, you want to be a cunt, be a cunt. Just don't do it at my expense. Better yet, go be a cunt in Iran.
Respectfully Uri, Torah observant Jews have been around since Mount Sinai and have usually been the majority of the Jewish people since we became a nation.
Only in the last few hundred years did we see larger portions of Am Yisrael becoming less observant..
What you call Haredim I call Torah Observant Jews. The only difference are in the nuances, very slight..
If Moshe Rabbeinu came down to earth to visit which Jews would he recognise the most?
I’m not saying we don’t have our issues and the topics you bring up are genuine points for discussion. On the other hand, studying Jewish scripture will show you that success of the Jewish people in their land is proportionate to and mirrors our allegiance to G-d and His Torah. The argument that learning Torah gives positive energy and success to ALL in Israel isn’t one to be overlooked.
Isn’t there a difference between studying Torah and leaving others to defend you and support you? Doesn’t Solomon’s wisdom say something like “don’t work, don’t eat”.
I mean isn’t it the responsibility of a man to support his family. The responsibility of the woman to nurture and teach.
All men whether they are religious or not should be helping to protect their families and to feed them in my humble opinion.
Haredim live in the State exactly the same as all Jews lived in any hostile country, which is their claim to be the authentic continuation of the Jewish people.
The only difference is in the current State, while main population's culture is gentile, their bloodline is Jewish.
Said the people who dress like 19th Century Poles, speak a Germanic language, and consider the majority of Jews their enemies... As I said, you're a weird new cult. Barely 100 years old. You appropriated Jewish religious history the same way the Arabs appropriated Jewish geographic history. I wish Israeli really was a hostile country to you useless bloodsuckers. Right now, you're the most privileged minority on the planet yet you keep demanding more and more and more while spitting in the face of the people at whose expense you exist. But don't worry, your day will come soon enough and on that day I'll laugh so hard!
For thousands of years gentiles, and sometimes gentile-like Jews were waiting for our day to come. And our days came, roughly every 50-100 years, but never fully. In the end, all those waiters seem to disappear into history books. Who will remember the things you hold dear in 150 years? Your anime shows, your soccer stars, your Marvel heroes? I can guarantee that in 150 years, Jews will sit and learn Abaye, Rava, Rambam and R. Haim Volozhyn.