Kadima's disciplinary committee has put the interest of its faction before the interests of the nation and disgraced the very code of Jewish ethics. I supported the boycott law because I believed it was the right thing to do. The boycotting of any group of people, be they Arabs, Ethiopians, new immigrants or settlers, is an act of bigotry. As a Jew I cannot oppose a law that fights against public discrimination. The debate about the settlements [in Judea and Samaria] is legitimate and democratic, but reacting to that debate by boycotting the general settler public furthers the divide between democracy and racism. My fellow [Kadima] party members know that the boycott law is important for Israel, but bowing to pressure from leftist groups that encircle us, Kadima backtracked and opposed the law. My colleagues also know that the law protects me, my children and my grandchildren against sanctions, because we ourselves are settlers. They know that casting my vote against the boycott law is like walking into the town square and begging my neighbors to levy sanctions on me. My fellow party members, with hardened hearts, force me to look at our party leader Tzipi Livni, and to innocently ask her, "Here is the fire and wood but where is the lamb for sacrifice-" Her reply would be, "Kadima will show you the lamb to sacrifice, MK Schneller." Can our moral code bear the weight of a disciplinary request that would force me to harm the morality of my grandchildren, let alone that of myself- I did not vote for the boycott law because I am a democrat and I respect the decision of my faction. It was enough for me to stay away from the Knesset and avoid the vote entirely. Kadima must reassess its leadership methods, and make the interests of Israel and our Jewish morality its top priorities. The desires of the party, as well as Tzipi Livni's personal stake in maintaining her own Knesset seat, should only come into play after these issues are dealt with. As I write these words, I can glance over at my settler grandchildren and feel sure of my Jewish morality. This morality within me is the strongest interest I carry. I will always be a Jew, a Zionist and a democrat, even if these pieces of my identity mean I will once again be faced with sanctions from within my own party.
Kadima should put the country first
מערכת ישראל היום
מערכת "ישראל היום“ מפיקה ומעדכנת תכנים חדשותיים, מבזקים ופרשנויות לאורך כל שעות היממה. התוכן נערך בקפדנות, נבדק עובדתית ומוגש לציבור מתוך האמונה שהקוראים ראויים לעיתונות טובה יותר - אמינה, אובייקטיבית ועניינית.
