Thursday, August 03, 2006

The last honest Israeli politician

The JBlogosphere is buzzing over Prime Minister Olmert's statement that we must win the war in the North so that we can acomplish the much more important goal of giving the Arabs Judea and Samaria.

Jameel (eee, it always seems like I'm picking on him. I'm not, really, it's just that he expresses things better than your avereage blogger, so he's very quotable) wrote:
And you know what? Olmert is entitled to his political opinion as Prime Minister, and he is even entitled to try and push his plan forward.

However, to do so now, during wartime, intentionally targeting the settlers who are showing incredible loyalty to a State which turned it's back on them last year, who are fighting as one in a war of survival for the Jewish State -- shows incredible cynicism, small mindedness, and I'm sad to say...evil.


Interviews with Knesset members from NRP/NU echoed the sentiments -- Olmert can keep on planning, but he should shut up until the war's over.

My question is--why?

So that we (the settlers/the national religious camp which supports us) can go up and die to defend the country? Olmert is being remarkably honest, especially for a politician. Launch the announcement and damn the consequences.

When will the national religious camp stop closing its eyes and pretending everything's all right until someone shows up on the doorstep with an eviction notice? If you're going up north to serve, if you're going to throw yourself on a grenade to save others, you should at least know that you're doing it to throw your own wife and kids out of your home, not for some idealistic hope of making Israel safe.

Does anyone think that telling Olmert to shut up until the war's over will change his mind about carving the heart out of the country? If not, why shouldn't we encourage the emperor to walk around in his new clothes? It'll give us a fighting chance of showing the country and the world what lousy taste he has in tailors.

Knitting as a metaphor:
100_0821

2 comments:

Jameel @ The Muqata said...

Hi Moze -

1. Great Metaphor :)

2. I don't think anyone has any illusions about what Olmert is really up to. However, I think that the most surefire way to LOSE this war, is for Olmert to destroy our moral. "Hey, why don't you go ahead and die for the country, and then as a prize, I'll kick your widowed wife and children out of their home as well..."

Since 30-50% of the IDF's infantry officers and soldiers are religious, Olmert is a total idiot to be speaking the way he is. We'll have plenty of opportunity to blame him after the war, but IMHO, I think that during the war, we should aim for the lowest common denominator of unity possible.

All I wrote was to lambast Olmert now...I wasn't writing that we should stick our heads in the sand about what he has planned for us.

Again, during a battle, you can't criticize too loudly, or we'll lose regardless...

Shavua tov!

Moze said...

Um--you think Olmert really is planning for us to *win* the war? Meaning disarm and disband Hezbollah and Hamas, and not allow them the chance to attack us again, from anywhere? Offering them launching pads so close to Tel Aviv/Jerusalem/Ben Gurion seems to me a clear indication that if we're lucky we'll go back to the way it was in May.