The foundations of anarchism are growing stronger in Israel. These foundations can be found on the Right with the "price tag" movement (a reference to extremist elements within the settler population in Judea and Samaria who carry out acts of vandalism, intimidation and violence against Palestinians and Israelis in response to action by the government perceived as anti-settler), and on the Left with the "Leef tag" movement (a reference to social justice activist Daphne Leef). The perpetrators should not be discounted as merely disgruntled youth, bored rich kids or residents of marginalized neighborhoods. In a society without a long-standing and entrenched tradition of democracy, that democracy is fragile. It is often at risk. In a polarized, divided society, in which almost every citizen is positioned along one line of division or another, anarchic tendencies can quickly deteriorate into chaos. The phenomenon of anarchy has always been accompanied by a notion of revolutionary romanticism. After all, what is nobler than talking about social justice, equality and solidarity without the need for law or enforcing the law? Poets and writers have always been swept away in phony revolutionary fervor, because beneath the façade of this delusional Garden of Eden are inherent dangers that can shatter the social order and strip people of their personal security and property rights. In extreme cases, anarchy can even lead to civil war. In many countries around the world there are people and institutions that know how to immediately identify areas in which signs of anarchy are exhibited, and they promptly send experts and invest money into those areas in order to leverage that anarchy to topple existing regimes. Foreign powerful intelligence agencies join in on the anarchy party, and utilize it against government institutions without the anarchists knowing they are being used as pawns. In synagogues this weekend we read the Torah portion of Korach and his followers. Korach was one of the great anarchists, perhaps the first in history. Under a guise of seemingly legitimate claims for equality and fair distribution of governmental power, he tried committing a coup and creating a new social order to exclude the written or oral Torah. The Torah emphasizes, twice, that Korach's children did not die. They exist in every generation, donning different masks. They have resurrected themselves in Israel today. The images we saw from Friday's and Saturday's social protests are a harbinger of bad things. Enlightened England knew how to handle the violent protests in London. English courts know and understand that they are supposed to serve society. The first person to riot and damage property was charged, received a swift trial and was sentenced to four and half years in prison. His sentencing marked the end of the violent riots. Israeli society must give complete support to law enforcement agencies as they face these elements of anarchism. The police have the right to know without a doubt that they are serving the general public, which wants to live in an organized democratic country where everyone is subject to the rule of law, and freedom of expression cannot be exploited by destructive elements. The media in Israel, which last summer cheered and encouraged the so-called social justice movement due to its own non-altruistic interests, must internalize that the anarchists will not spare the newspapers. No one will be immune. As someone who has long studied the character and tendencies of Israeli society, believe me when I say I am not exaggerating. The writing is on the wall.
The sons of anarchy
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.
