In order to neutralize the cabal, Netanyahu and his minions have come up with a simple solution: to adopt the "French Law." This is now the main effort of the Israeli government and the Likud party, to the detriment of everything else. It says simply that no criminal investigation or prosecution shall be conducted against a "sitting prime minister."
On the face of it, there is some sense in this. Our prime minister must conduct the affairs of the state, plan the next war (there is always a next war) and promote economic growth -- all functions which suffer when he is fully occupied with dozens of criminal cases. But on second thoughts, it means that a criminal can serve in the highest office and that the prime minister -- he and nobody else in the country -- is exempt from investigation.
True, according to this law the investigations are only postponed until the prime minister becomes a normal citizen again. But Netanyahu is in his fourth four-year term, and all the signs are that he fully intends to have a 5th, 6th and 7th, if God -- may He be blessed -- prolongs his life accordingly.
No other leader in the democratic world enjoys such a privilege, except one. It is called the French Law -- but there are huge differences. The French law does protect the president from prosecution while in office -- but not the prime minister. Also, and that is a very big also, the terms of office of the French president are limited to two -- so that the postponement is not too long.
AT THIS moment, the entire government machinery is being mobilized to turn this legal abomination into law.
Some of the Likud's coalition partners are balking. This coalition consists of many parties -- six, if my count is right -- and if one of them abstains, there may be trouble. At present, two have announced that they are giving their members "a free hand."
Incensed, Netanyahu's chief whip is threatening to break up the government and declare new elections -- a dire threat to all coalition partners, who may face perdition.
In the Likud party itself there is not a single voice of dissent, not a single brave rebel like the two Republican senators who defied President Trump this week.
But President Rivlin condemned the proposed law in the strongest terms, and the Attorney General called it "absurd."
SO WHERE do I agree with Netanyahu? On one point: he attacked the left for possessing a "factory of depression," which creates a sour mood.
In Hebrew we have a term for sour foods, such as pickled cucumbers. It may be loosely translated as "souries." Netanyahu said that the left is creating a public "mood of souries," in order to topple him.
Some readers may remember that I have accused the left of the same malaise, but from a different angle. There is a mood of depression within wide stretches of the Israeli peace camp, a mood of desperation, indeed a sour mood.
This mood leads to the impression that we can do nothing to save our state, which is being led to disaster by Netanyahu and his minions. A rather convenient mood, since it means that we can do nothing and need not risk anything, because the battle is lost anyhow.
Some draw the conclusion that the battle must be fought somewhere else, far away from us, such as the fight of the BDS for the boycott of everything Israeli. These days the battle has reached absurd heights, when a US town that was grievously hit by the hurricane announced that its citizens will receive compensation only if they undertake not to boycott Israel. Indeed, a country of unlimited absurdities.
(By the way, Haaretz disclosed this week that our government has hired an international US law firm to fight against BDS.)
A SOUR mood does not create fighters. A happy mood creates fighters. When the situation is bad, when it looks hopeless, a bunch of happy warriors can turn the outcome of the battle.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
2
1
1
