Beware the crisis

The rules of this game have been predetermined: The Likud and Habayit Hayehudi oppose a deal with the Palestinian, based on their belief that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is a peace rejectionist. Therefore, upon the coalition's inception in early 2013, it was agreed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would make an honest effort to strike a peace deal, leaving the Palestinians to their own devices, by which they would prove to the world that they do not truly seek peace.

Meanwhile, Habayit Hayehudi Chairman Naftali Bennett's radical statements and fellow party member Housing Minister Uri Ariel's construction tenders have gnawed at Netanyahu's efforts to portray Israel as being in the right in the eyes of the West; and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's biased statements have so far favored Ramallah over Jerusalem.

Bennett and Ariel and various Likud ministers and deputy minister have recently launched a borderline irresponsible campaign promoting extensive construction in Judea and Samaria and annexation of the settlement blocs, in violation of all of Israel's previous obligations. The move has made them heroes among their constituents, who relish hearing such radical proposals, leaving them blind to the lessons taught by history.

The United States is a unique, benevolent and democratic empire, which does not impose its will on its allies but allows them to argue their cases, as it prefers brokering deals to refereeing brawls. Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion defied the Americans by naming Jerusalem Israel's capital, by ordering the construction of the Dimona reactor and by launching Operation Kadesh in 1956 without informing Washington. But he never allowed Israel's disagreements with the U.S. escalate into a full-blown crisis. Prime Minister Menachem Begin followed suit. He defied the Americans by ordering the 1981 airstrike on a nuclear reactor in Iraq and by later embarking on the 1982 Lebanon War, but he too made sure never to cut the cord.

And now we see Bennett, Ariel and Likud MKs Danny Danon and Zeev Elkin bellow slogans that may one day drive the Americans over the edge and U.S.-Israel relations over a cliff. It would be a folly -- the perception of the unwavering U.S.-Israel alliance is a valuable strategic asset unto itself, which Bennett, Ariel and their associates are continuously eroding.

But they may soon find out that flexing their political muscles will come with a hefty price not just for Israel, but for them personally. Israelis may love seeing their leaders stand up to the U.S. here and there, but they dread an outright crisis, whose outcome is a great unknown. Bennett, Ariel and Likud MKs Ofir Akunis and Tzipi Hotovely may then find that those turning their backs on them in the ballot box will not solely be the residents of Beit Shean and Raanana, but the residents of Ofra and Efrat as well, who will undoubtedly say that cooler heads must prevail, and that these MKs' reckless rhetoric has made it impossible for them to sell their high-tech products overseas. Out of Ariel "the evil shall break forth" (Jeremiah 1:14) -- their evil that all of us would be made to pay for.

Asserting authority

The ultra-Orthodox, national-religious and secular lifestyles are vastly different, especially in the way they perceive the concept of mutual guarantee. For the former, there is a rabbi and a yeshiva head whose words they must heed, and while this has its advantages, it also has its drawbacks.

Hooligans and outlaws in Tel Aviv and Sodom are held personally responsible for their actions, and should they happen to be minors, the police will involve their parents. That is not the case in Yitzhar, where the rabbi and council head are those to whom you turn to for answers.

This is akin to the burden equality law: unless the haredim are able to meet the draft quotas imposed on them, their entire community would be made to pay. The same must apply for the settlements. If the rabbis in Yitzhar are unable to assert their authority, the state must do so by suspending the services afforded to the settlement. No more education and infrastructure service, and no more building permits.

It is true that the other side of mutual guarantee spells collective punishment, and for that the rule of law should repent, but those who have failed to curb the settlers' "price-tag" violence are now paying the price by having military property vandalized. In the absence of a firm hand against such actions, this week's clashes will not be the end of it.

Are all equal before the law-

For the past eight years I have been haunted by the question, how was I oblivious to the fact that Ehud Olmert was a crook? At times, I even joke about whether the statute of limitations should be applied here. Many have accepted my explanation, while some have continued to ask about it, which is a shame, but understandable. I suppose I have earned it.

Those who have refused to accept my explanation are divided between those who are truly righteous, some colleagues who refuse to let it go, and a group of Olmert's friends, who have stuck by him. I cannot help but wonder why they insist on reproaching me for failing to see alleged offenses that have never matured into a conviction in a court of law, while they insist on remaining oblivious to criminal acts backed by evidence, testimonies, indictments and convictions. Are all really equal before the law? How can they, in good conscience, discriminate like this? A fifth question for the Passover Seder.

טעינו? נתקן! אם מצאתם טעות בכתבה, נשמח שתשתפו אותנו