John Milton’s epic poem, Paradise Lost, conjurors up for me a tale that is not unlike the current malaise here in Israel.
The poem concerns the biblical story of the Fall of Man: the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan and their (Adam and Eve) expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Milton's purpose, as stated in Book I, (The first version, published in 1667, consists of ten books with over ten thousand lines of verse) is to "justify the ways of God to men".
Leaving aside the "justify the ways of God to men", this is what I see.
Simply put, the government has lost its way. It has no direction, no purpose, no leadership, no spirit, no drive. While Satan, in the form of prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, teases us, toys with our lives without regard, and by default endangers our very existence here in (our) Paradise.
Far fetched, maybe, and while Israel may not be Milton’s Paradise, we have over the past years enjoyed, certainly in part to Benjamin Netanyahu a rise in living standards, improved quality of life, and to a degree peace and stability.
And then, out of the blue comes along COVID19, a plague of some would say Biblical magnitudes.
While we are particularly enamored with our Satan, we have for the most part been content and therefore look to him once again to save us, and in turn receive, from some, our adoration.
This he does and is duly hailed a hero, a guardian angel, a king.
Our jubilation is short-lived. We celebrate too early our salvation. And, the deadly plague comes rolling back to mock us.
We turn again to our Satan to save us, to lead us in this monumental fight of our lives. And yet, when the going gets tough and we anticipate the tough getting going, all we see round us is turmoil, headless chickens running every which way. We are lost, without leadership, without a compass, for many, without hope.
How did this happen, did we put our faith in the hands of a false prophet?
I believe the answer is yes. Our Satan, driven by his own, some may say evil ambitious, his agenda, his need for hero worship and recognition, has suddenly lost his way. And we are sufficing. And the people are rising against him.
But who is to blame?
OK, it’s easy to blame Netanyahu. He long warned us against the second wave of COVID19, and I guess, we did not listen, take notice of the warning. So shame on us.
Also shame on us for voting in droves, blindly like sheep to the slaughter for Netanyahu and Gantz. True, as we voted in round three, there was no writing on the wall, we had, as far as I can tell, no inclination that Gantz would stab a portion of his supports in the back and switch sides. Was he a “fifth column” all along. Was this his plan from before the third round of voting, his “Plan B”? Did he see himself as a modern-day Quisling out to save Israel from itself? Guess we’ll never know?
A recent BBC article on Netanyahu is worth a read.
Entitled: “Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu: Commando turned PM” - https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-18008697 -
the piece describes Netanyahu as a “shrewd political operator”, which is more than can be said of Gantz (or the man in Washington). Netanyahu, in the same article, is labeled as “one of Israel's most controversial leaders”, a "magician for his knack of winning elections”, and “fighting for his political survival as he prepares to stand trial on corruption charges”.
Is Netanyahu, and his poodles supported by “her indoors” and the “boy wonder” solely to blame for the current situation? Or should we, must we, shoulder a good portion of the blame for supporting this Satan time again? The answer is clear.
In a rant a few days ago, Public Security Minister Amir Ohana called out attorney general – “Ohana blasts ‘arrogant’ Mandelblit for failing to probe incitement against PM” - https://www.timesofisrael.com/ohana-blasts-arrogant-mandelblit-for-failing-to-probe-incitement-against-pm/
In the article, Ohana, a lead Netanyahu poodle earlier in the week called participants in a Tuesday mass demonstration against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “anarchists, while claiming the level of incitement currently being directed at the premier and his family dwarfs what was seen in the lead-up to former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination”.
Mr. Ohana, like so many, would-be politicians suffer from selective memory, remembering what he wants to recall while conveniently forgetting the whole picture.
Being a few years older than Mr. Ohana, I call vividly the events leading up to the murder, it was not an assassination, of Yitzhak Rabin. And. If the gentleman wishes to check his facts and review the media reports of the period, he will see that his “boss” played a leading supportive role in the slaying of Rabin.
Let’s turn to Osnat Mark, an up and coming Bibi wannabe poodle. Last week she raged against “radical leftists”.
“Likud MK says economic demonstrators all belong to violent ‘radical left’” - https://www.timesofisrael.com/likud-mk-says-economic-demonstrators-belong-to-violent-radical-left/
It’s clear that Osnat Mark wants to make a name for herself, maybe even challenge Miri Regev for her “queen of mean” crown. The truth is, however, that Ms. Mark is so out of touch with what is happening around her that she can’t see the provable “wood for the trees”
No doubt there were some “radical leftists” in the demonstration, that is the point of a demonstration. Does Ms. Mark anticipate the organizers asking are you a member of the “radical left” or a down at hell self-employed? What a load of BS.
And his is the face of Israel 2020 – Osnat Mark. unbelievable.
Written nearly two weeks ago, Wednesday, July 8, 2020 – David Horovitz’s text is so very relevant - https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=wm#inbox/FMfcgxwJWjBjJnJFgDrWgNbzRJktfDfj
So, who is to blame for a Paradise that is slipping away – us or Bibi.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s cheerful advice to us six weeks ago to “go out and get life back to normal, have a cup of coffee… drink a beer… have fun,” was, to put it mildly, premature.
So, he is to blame? Not quite. We are also meant to be reasonable adults, able to weight the pros and cons of any situation. Netanyahu, worried about the economy, borrowed from the Donald J. Trump songbook, and look where it got us. Look where it has got the US?
Miki Zohar this morning called for “protests to be outlawed amid pandemic” - https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-ally-calls-for-protests-to-be-outlawed-amid-pandemic/ In his opinion, its “absurd to allow demonstrations while businesses are closed even if they adhere to virus guidelines”.
Fair point dude, but you are forgetting the notion of “free speech”, or is this an idea that you don’t adhere to when it comes to your boss? And what happens post COVID19, does the ban stay in place? Democracy is under attack by these poodles.
(Rhetorical question; who from Tweedledum and Tweedledee takes the lead, Zohar or Ohana, or maybe they are joint chief poodles?)
It’s not too late. We are fast approaching five minutes to midnight but there is still time to save Paradise if we want to. The question is how, and do the majority of wallies in Jerusalem want to? Sometimes I get the impression that they would be happy to Israel fail. And, so there is no misunderstanding, I am not referring to the Muslim MKs.
Think on!