                       A Voice from Hebron
                      by Gary M. Cooperberg
                          May 24, 1995
                    The Tail that Wags the Dog


     It finally happened.  The Israeli "let's make a deal" system of government, masquerading as
democracy has openly shown us how two parties made up of only four Arab members of Knesset can
actually dictate Israeli policy!  It is only because our entire Knesset is made up of factions whose only
priority is gaining or maintaining a position of control, that such a situation exists.  
     Clearly, neither Labor nor Likud wanted to back down on the decision to expropriate land
in Jerusalem for the public good.  But, equally clearly, both Labor and Likud demonstrated that their
struggle for control has priority to the good of the nation.  This demonstration did not fall on deaf
ears as we already see more demands being made by the Arab factions which are being further
augmented by the Meretz faction.  In any normal society this would be a sure fire formula for
anarchy.  By American standards, as an example, there is the elastic clause in the constitution which
legitimately give the right to abolish the government to the people, whenever they feel that it no
longer serves their interest.  The whole concept of the democratic system of government ist that
government exists to serve the people, and not the other way around.  
     The Israeli form of "democracy" is an outright mockery of this very concept.  After the people
vote for whom they wish, they often don't even get what they voted for, even when their party
succeeds.  For example, people who voted for and got Raful and Tzomet, had their choice changed
for them when members of that party broke away, formulated the new party of Yehud and joined in
the coalition with Labor in return for a cabinet position.  That is not democracy.
Further, even assuming that it is fair that the marketplace bartering to achieve control which does not
represent a majority of the electorate, how can anyone accept the right of any leader to go behind the
back of the nation and make decisions which are clearly dangerous to the very existance of the
nation?   
     We reached an all time low when Rabin shook hands with Arafat.  It has been a downhill ride
ever since, including the peace treaty with Jordan.  Now we have decended even further into the pit
of self contempt when we have openly permitted our enemies to dictate policy within the government. 
What I have been saying all along should now be obvious to all.  There is not one Knesset party
which puts the interest of the nation above its own craving for power.  The only exception are the
Arab factions, but their interest is in a different nation altogether.
     From the very inception of the new Jewish state our self image has always been that of the
shtetl beggar.  Rather than recognize the miracles performed for us by the Living G-d of Israel, we
figured that we owed our existance to American dollars.  Thus every move we ever made, military
or otherwise, has always been measured by the yardstick of how the United States would view the
move.  
     While we have the potential to be the example for the world of how nations can govern
themselves and provide a high quality of life for all of its inhabitants, we have rejected that noble role. 
In its place we have adopted bits and pieces of the worst society has to offer, attempted to mask the
stink with a thin coat of paint and call it "democracy".  I suppose we should be grateful that they at
least haven't tried to call it Judaism.