For over six months now, Israel has been in turmoil over the plans (which already were partially executed) to destroy the democracy in the country.
Israel has been a borderline democracy from the establishment of the State seventy-five years ago, but the current attacks on the judicial system will no doubt turn Israel into a dictatorship, a Halachic State, or both.
While demonstrations against the destruction of the judicial system have been intense and every Saturday bring hundreds of thousands of people unto the streets to express their anger and their worries, their demands are based on a big lie: “Israel is a Jewish and Democratic State”.
On the other side, the supporters of the “Judicial Reform” keep using a lie that is probably even more destructive than the lie of the Resistance, a lie that is the basis of the failure that Israel as a Democracy has become: “We are all Brothers”.
For a start, this ridiculous, racist lie, counts only the Israelis who are Jewish. The twenty percent of the population that is not Jewish is made to feel almost on a daily basis that they are not part of “the brothers”, and as far as Jewish Israel is concerned, they never will.
But even for the Jewish Israelis, “We are all Brothers” is a big lie that has been useful to those interested in a Jewish State (and not a Democratic One) and has resulted in our faulting democracy.
From the beginning of the State, the Askenazi and the Sephardic Jews have lived in different worlds and the conflicts between the two groups, based on religion, economics and politics have torn apart he sides, to such a level that “We are all Brothers” is not even believed anymore by the politicians that try to keep control over the deteriorating status.
Even if now Orthodox Religious parties and Fascist groups, part of them Ashkenazi and part of them Sephardi, form together the government, it is only because the Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, needed to form a government for his own personal reasons. And he has become the victim of his own scandalous behavior and his “partners” now do what they planned for years to do and he is helpless to prevent it unless he wants to break up his government.
So now, Israel is dealing with on one hand a group of fascist Jewish Supremacists, who intend to annex the Occupied Territories and turn Israel into a Fascist, Racist Apartheid State, and one the other side, with Orthodox Jews who do not even see people who are not Jewish, and will turn Israel into a Halachic State.
However, in the past weeks, a light into this utter darkness has appeared. A light that is getting stronger day by day and appears to be the ultimate solution to the existential crisis that Israel is going through: It is called “Separation”. Separation of the current State of Israel into two separate parts, the State of Israel and the State of Yehuda.
The State of Yehuda will become the Halachic State with the Jewish character of it being expressed by laws controlling people’s lives, from marriage, burial, food, transportation, status of women, status of LGBT people and more.
The State of Israel will become a real Democracy with equal rights for all citizens, freedom of Religion but without imposing religious behavior on others, respect for women and more.
Sounds like Utopia? Probably, since Utopias are ideas that do not turn into reality but Utopia is also something people will strive for and fight for. Moreover, reaching half and Utopia will still be infinitely better than what we have now.
The idea of the “Separation” is still in its infancy and many things have not been defined or even discussed. Nevertheless, the fact that people are willing to look at its options and possibilities is the beginning of it turning into reality, even if that reality at this point is very much undefined.
There are examples where such a separation (albeit mostly for different reasons) has been successful. Belgium is divided into two separate entities (Flanders and Wallonia) with a central system of various needs and services. Switzerland is divided into 26 cantons, where four different languages are spoken but that together form one State. The United States is divided into 50 States (and DC), each of which has its own government and other State institutions, but with a central (Federal) government in place, uniting them.
In the new Israel, will we have two independent States, or Cantons like in Switzerland? Will we have one judicial system or separate ones, with one central High Court of Law? Will each “State” have its own Army or will there still be one IDF? And who will pay for this army and who will serve in it? To whom will people pay taxes, to the “Federal” state, or to the separate parts?
Many issues will have to be discussed, weighed and decided, but when the people keep the general principle of Separation in mind as the guiding beacon, turning this Utopia into some form of reality is only a matter of time, and of hard work.
Should this Separation be done by consensus? It would be ideal but with the extreme differences between the sides, it appears neigh impossible. The State of Yehuda, which will have many Haredim, who do not work and are used to receiving support from the old State of Israel, will have a hard time supporting financially their Halachic State. And why should the new State of Israel agree to have their sons and daughters serve in the army and defend the State of Yehuda, if Yehuda cannot pay for the army and their children prefer reading books instead of serving their country.
It won’t happen tomorrow, or next month or even next year. Nevertheless, if Israelis want a State that is built on principles that they believe in and not on coercion by this or another part of the population that happens to be in power, it will happen eventually in some form, or Israel will not be able to exist much longer.
I hope you found this article interesting and I welcome any comments you may have.
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