Eliad Shraga of the Movement for Quality Government and Rabbi Michael Melchior of the Civic Action Forum, along with Knesset members Einat Wilf, Shelly Yachimovich and Carmel Shama-Hacohen, have stepped up their advocacy over the last two days. They have succeeded in linking the popular protests gripping Israel with criticism of the tycoon class. Big business immediately issued a mollifying, exasperating statement about the need to help the middle class. This is the new bon ton. The tycoons realize it's a good idea to jump onto the public welfare bandwagon and pledge to do everything in their power on the nation's behalf. Except that they are the ones who have caused a large part of the nation's problems: when they refused to give the state a bigger cut of future natural gas revenues; when they sold one of their failing businesses to a pyramid group controlled by them but funded with public money, making the public pay for their mistakes; and when they asked for an exemption from repaying loans from the public even though they personally are still worth billions, but refuse to use their fortunes to repay their debts. Don't rely on other people, our sages said (Maimonides Mishne Torah, Matnot Aniim 10:18). But the tycoons have not taken this lesson to heart. When it was worth their while, they took from the public, and when the time came to repay, they were nowhere to be found. They asked for a haircut, a cute word that will soon sound offensive to Israeli ears because it means that some tycoon did not repay his loan. It's nice that the tycoons dispatched a letter full of understanding, concern and responsibility yesterday. They'd even be happy to prepare the government's 2012 budget. No, thank you, that will not be necessary. After all they are the ones largely responsible for the high costs that so rile the middle class. As a group of globe-trotting tourists told an Israeli in Thailand recently, Tel Aviv is the world's coolest city, but you can't even buy a beer there. Because it is too expensive. This letter is a public relations stunt, and one can only hope it doesn't succeed. Are the tycoons concerned for the Israeli economy? Then they should put their money where their mouths are and return the loans they took from our pension funds. Don't get a haircut. Keep your hair as long as Samson's, economically speaking, and take responsibility for your actions. This demand is not a substitute for the government's obligations to its protesting citizens. Nor is it a substitute for a call to the protesters to show responsibility, set priorities and restrain themselves, and not ask for everything all at once. The tycoons sent a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu? How nice. But before they do that why don't they send a signed check to Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz, or the people he represents, the Israel public. Then we can read their letter of goodwill with enthusiasm.
