I watched one of my favorite romantic comedies the other evening, Groundhog Day with Bill Murray. In the film, he plays a hedonistic weatherman sent to Pennsylvania to cover the Groundhog Day festivities. He ends up getting stuck there with his crew and reliving the same day over and over until he begins to clean up his act. Because he retains the memory of each day's events, this helps him evolve and eventually get things right.
More and more, the political comedy of current-day Israel reminds me of that movie with Bibi in the Bill Murray role. After all, the country, while desperate for change and real leadership, keeps returning to the same pathetic group of people that just keep digging the hole deeper and deeper and no one seems to be waking up and getting it right. Really now, did anyone truly believe that Bibi 2 was going to be any different than Bibi 1? Did anyone believe that the man who helped throw 10,000 Jews out of their homes in Gush Katif was suddenly going to toughen up on the issue of settlement building? Did anyone doubt that he and Ehud Barak would figure out a way to muzzle and neuter Avigdor Lieberman (not that Lieberman was going to be a figure of deliverance but at least he had the promise of some testosterone/backbone)? Did anyone believe that Bibi's speech at Bar Ilan was going to hold water? Menachem Begin may have started the recognition process of a mythical "palestinian" people by going to Camp David but Bibi seems hellbent on finishing it by openly proclaiming a two-state solution and naively expecting the world to buy into his fantasy of a demilitarized state. In the meantime of course, Ehud Barak meets with George Mitchell and then presto, hilltop communities, buildings, etc magically start coming down at the hands of a new elite unit being designed to take down Yesha.
And while all this is happening, good, misguided people like Ketzeleh, Michael Ben-Ari, Effie Eitam, and Aryeh Eldad stand yelling on the sidelines but are completely impotent to do anything. Why? Because instead of listening to what Feiglin was saying and joining the Likud, they took hundreds of thousands of good people into small, negligible sectoral parties that while comfortable in their internal sameness, would ultimately have no say in Bibi's plans. Just think what would have happened if these leaders and all their people joined Likud. Do you think Bibi could contemplate doing what he is doing now? Do you think that the settlement/settler hater Barak would even be in government? Imaging a top row leadership in Likud of Feiglin, Katz, Ben-Ari, Eitam, Eldad, etc. Right now, Bibi is both laughing at these people while grateful that they did not heed Feiglin's call. It just amazes me how often Feiglin is right about this and about Bibi's coming implosion. But you know, let me now quote a Manhigut supporter on Sarah Honig's latest column in the Jerusalem Post (which I highly recommend) that sums it up quite nicely:
"Reading Sarah Honig's insightful articles pushes the reader into a steep decline of despondency. Week after week her brilliant insights into the workings of the government puts the spotlight on the inadequacies of the Israeli Leadership. It only seems to be getting worse. Our Jewish Leadership is totally devoid of Jewish pride I thought that the bottom had been reached when not long ago a senior member of the government and entourage were forced to enter the meeting room through a kitchen door as the other party refused to sit with The Israeli contingent unless they complied with this outrageous request. Honig's article, IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF SAM LEWIS'S SUCK-UPS-JULY 10, recalling Prime Minister Begin's attitude toward the then US Ambassador Sam Lewis should (but won't) serve as an example to today's politicos. The more Israel acts like a powerless beggar, that's the way it will be treated. Before the elections, voters hoped that Netanyahu would have changed his stripes. Now, the electorate has seen him in action...no backbone, no Jewish pride and he FOLDED LIKE A FAN, in dealing with the American government.
Until we have a Faith-Based Government who believes in The People of Israel, The Land of Israel and Yes, The Torah of Israel, we will be the whipping boy of the world. Until we have a Prime Minister that speaks and believes in the value of Jewish Pride our country will go deeper and deeper into a culture that is valueless. There is a person who can bear the mantle of Begin; who can help Israel become a light unto itself, as well as the rest of the world. Moshe Feiglin can and will be a great leader. His values are |Jewish values and Jewish Pride is of paramount importance. Feiglin walks the walk and talks the talk...He has answers to many of our burning questions...With the hopes that The Israeli voters will recognize the uniqueness and abilities of this man, I remain yours, RUBY RAY KARZEN-JERUSALEM"
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