January 17, 2003

"Elections in the Shadow of Death"

I was in Israel last week and stood at the site of the most recent murders. Two terrorists blew themselves up to kill innocent Jews and the foreign laborers who came to work for Jews. Twenty-two people died on that street. I called it "The Valley of the Shadow of Death."

A shop above me was damaged by one of the bombs, but the shopkeepers were already making every attempt to scrub the blood off the street and from the walls where it had splashed. It was as though they needed to remove every sign of the tragedy.

Israel's politicians were being just as quick to remove signs of the tragedy. Sharon's opponents in the forthcoming elections couldn't wait for him to report on the results of his meeting with his security cabinet before they smeared him with a leaked allegation. Arafat jumped for joy at his arch enemy Ariel Sharon being called corrupt--Arafat, who had been caught with his hand in the till to the tune of ten billion dollars that he snatched from the mouths of hungry Palestinian children and deposited in secret numbered accounts in Swiss banks.

The leak of the pending investigation in the midst of a critical election and a bloody war exceeds any charge of wrongdoing by the Prime Minister. It was a ploy to diminish Sharon, hitherto the image of integrity. The perpetrators must have known that Arafat would turn this into a great propaganda victory.

Even if the allegations against Sharon will be found true, they are minor violations of an absurd law against accepting campaign contributions from Jews who do not live in Israel. But the Prime Minister will be found innocent. The monies he received were loans, neither bribes nor campaign contributions.

On the other hand, Ehud Barak, who was formally charged with accepting contributions from foreign donors to his last campaign for Prime Minister, has neither returned the money nor faced trial. In addition, Barak and the Labor Party were accused of establishing phony nonprofit organizations and laundering millions of dollars in foreign contributions. Amram Mitzna,  Labor's leader, is guilty of doublespeak as he and his cohorts accuse Sharon of foul play when they themselves are guilty of violating Israel's campaign and election laws. Labor and Arafat are engaging in the same game. It is sinfully irresponsible on Labor's part.

Israel's election campaign should not be taking place. Labor was wrong to have broken the unity government and forcing Sharon to call for new elections. These are the worst times for Jews since the Holocaust. We cannot afford divisiveness and internal bickering. On the one hand, Israel is fighting for its survival, and on the other, Jews all over the world face a new and dangerous strain of anti-Semitism. Still, the old Jewish power game continues. What our enemies cannot do to divide us, we Jews are doing. Selfishness has blinded our politicians. They should be offering hope and solidarity instead of smear campaigns. This morning an Israeli Jew called me to exude, "Your American democracy can't compare to ours!" Since when is despicable behavior democracy? A democratic election should be free of innuendo, judicial leaks, and false accusations. It is a shame that many of Israel's voters will give their votes to Shinui, a party without a real agenda except forcing the draft of Yeshiva students. A vote for Shinui is a wasted vote because the party offers neither the experience nor the ability to lead Israel in the current war against terror.

I urge all Israelis to visit "The Valley of the Shadow of Death" before voting. Someone flashed a light while I was standing on that street. I could see damp blood. I hope others will look at the blood splashed on the walls and ask themselves which of the parties in the election has taken the time to notice the blood, and which has tried to remove every sign of the tragedy.

Shabbat Shalom