1.
On Sunday this week, something happened to me that I never believed would happen to me. I heard Reno Tzror's opening monologue on his show on GLA - you know that daily minute in which he
He makes a pathetic speech about how bad and corrupt everything is here - and I nodded in agreement.
He talked about the new government that was sworn in that day, about the multitude of files, about the invention of ministries, about the disdain for truly important ministries like education and transportation. "There is no connection between the public and the Merkava incident that we see in Jerusalem. It is a dance of politicians around themselves," he said, and I nodded enthusiastically, just like those listeners for whom on a normal day I feel so sorry. The ones who listen without a drop of self-criticism to the daily bitterness and nod: Oh, how bad it is here.
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What happened to me? Did I switch sides? Did I become part of the "sour ones," as Netanyahu defined them at the time? God forbid. The country is very, very good. Of course, there are things that need to be fixed, but overall the direction, contrary to Tzror's apocalyptic tone, is really positive. Except this time it's not the sour ones. This time it's the sour ones. Benjamin Netanyahu, the great leader, the statesman with a lot of rights, turned this great moment, which was supposed to be very happy for him and us, the day the government he headed was sworn in against all odds - into a day with a bad taste. Sour.
Let me put it this way: On the very day that Netanyahu came out of this big thing, he came out of this small thing.
2.
One of the ugliest phenomena in public life is the appointment of a person who is not suitable for the position, just for petty self-interested reasons. The sin is twofold: both in the appointment and in the non-appointment. After all, the person in office is appointed in place of another candidate, who is usually much more suitable than him. This is not considered corrupt, it is certainly not criminal, but in my opinion it is more dangerous to society than actual corruption.
Tell me I'm naive and that's how it's always been in politics? Well, then I'm naive, but that doesn't make such appointments legitimate.
Take the story of Yuli Edelstein and his appointment to the position of Minister of Health. Why does he, the Knesset Speaker who is a sergeant, need to move to the most pressing and urgent executive position right now? After all, Naftali Bennett agreed to step down from the Defense Ministry in favor of emergency care at the Health Ministry. It's not a prestigious office, it's not a coveted office, but Bennett wanted to take on the burden during this challenging time. It seems to me that he could have been an excellent Minister of Health.
Why not give him the position? For the benefit of the health system, for the benefit of the State of Israel? And the same goes for Smotrich in the Ministry of Transportation. After all, if a referendum were held, he would be re-elected to the position by an overwhelming majority, and continue his dedicated and professional care in this important ministry, which has a direct impact on saving lives (as the saying goes: life and death are in the hands of road infrastructure). But no. Smotrich will not be the Minister of Transportation or any minister at all in the next government.
Miri Regev did a favor and will accept this portfolio, but temporarily, until the rotation changes. Then, after a term that is too short, she will leave everything in favor of a position that is not suitable.
Here, the Minister of Foreign Affairs. And understand, I don't belittle the work of Miri Regev, and certainly not of Yuli Edelstein, but why put them in the wrong places, when they're not even their first choice? Not to mention Yoav Galant, a retired major general, such a distinguished military man that he should now be in charge of the education system.
One of the interpretations in the Gemara for the term "hard labor" during the Egyptian slavery is "that they exchanged the work of men for women and the work of women for men." Today it is no longer politically correct to speak like this, because it is forbidden to say that there is any difference between men and women, but the Gemara actually introduces a major innovation: What is hard labor? Work that is not suitable for the person who does it.
And some of the commentators emphasize: It's hard to replace men's work with women, you let a woman carry blocks all day, it's hard work. But on the contrary,
What's the problem? So we gave men women's work. So what. They have power. Less than them. So that's it, no. When a person is not in the right role, it's Sisyphean and futile drudgery.
And now calculate how many ministers are going to do hard work in the upcoming term. How much it's going to frustrate them, and the system under them, and basically all of us.
3.
But the most outrageous and worrying appointment is that of the Minister of Justice. Anyone who thought for a moment that Netanyahu has learned firsthand in recent times how important it is to fix the justice system
The trial, and here begins a critical process of change - a huge mistake. By appointing Avi Nissenkorn to this position, which has implications for all of our lives, the Prime Minister is sending (to the judges?) an unequivocal message: Friends, rest assured, I am stepping down from the reform of the system, it will continue to govern democracy as usual.
Listen to what the incoming Minister of Justice said at the ministerial exchange ceremony: "The Ministry of Justice is the protective wall of Israeli democracy. Recently, even this wall, although built for the sake of protection, has needed protection. I stand here today to pledge to you that from now on I will be your wall. You will receive all the protection necessary to
"That you can carry out your public mission professionally, without fear and with great pride.".
God forbid. What is this talk? A minister's job is to challenge the system, find its flaws, improve it, not defend it as a defensive wall in a way, like a foolish Hasid. Have we gone back to the days when Ayelet Shaked was a Shabbat mom in kindergarten?
4.
And speaking of Ayelet Shaked, it wasn't just all the inappropriate appointments that made me feel sour, but also those who ultimately weren't appointed at all, not even to the position of Deputy Minister for Community Strengthening and Promotion.
Many have said this, many have also rightly listed the many sins and failures of the Yamina party, and yet, the bottom line: the fact that Yamina is not in the government is a real fraud on the voters. Not just the voters of Yamina, but of the entire bloc. People voted for Likud or Shas or Tz because it was a package deal.
All these millions of voters knew without a doubt that Netanyahu would form a government with all his ideological partners on the path. With the bloc that would go with him through fire and water, three election campaigns.
And suddenly - the package was separated. And not for business reasons. Netanyahu, the responsible adult, was supposed to somehow resolve this crisis and not leave Yamina out, not just for them
But for him and for us.
5.
Well, let's end this rather depressing column with something else I didn't believe would happen to me: compliments on Benny Gantz's leadership. Man, what responsibility, what courage, what values. Israel above all. Wait, don't get me wrong, I'm trembling from the 13th of Kislev 5872, the date on which Gantz is supposed to be prime minister. I don't think he has the necessary abilities to be prime minister. But look at his speech this week in the Knesset. This is the real Benny Gantz. Finally, he's saying what he really believes in.
After all, he is a man of unity, of tradition, of connections. He was like that all his life - from his childhood in Kfar Achim, through his many years in the IDF, and ending with his public activity immediately after the liberation.
But then, one day, he somehow became friends with Yair Lapid and his hate campaign (did you hear him and Lieberman in the Knesset this week? Thank you, God, for saving us from these two people).
And now, with a brave decision, he cut it off, and came back to himself. There's a buyer for his political world in one hour. Do you hear, Boogie? It's not too late to return to who you really are (actually, maybe a little bit. I don't know).
By the way, have you noticed that suddenly Gantz stutters, stumbles, and gets confused a lot less? Well, of course. That's what happens when you speak the truth.
• The column is published in the newspaper 'Bisheva''
