Ok, this is becoming worrisome. Such waves usually pass after a week. Not this time.
MK Israel Hasson (Israel Beitenu) has submitted a bill, which will break the financial back of those the IDF has given up on. According to the bill, any governmental agency will be prohibited from funding show or events in which “derelicts” take part. The bill addresses events, including sports events, which are both paid for or open to the public. The airing of such insidious events will also be prohibited.
This bill is, on the face of it, in direct contravention of the Freedom of Profession Basic Law (basic law are what we have in lieu of a constitution, a pale imitation). This will not, in all likelihood, prevent its approval by the Knesset Members; only a few of them, whom a child could count, will have the public courage to stand against the Preservation of National Hardon Act.
Which means there will be appeals to the High Court of Justice, which will suddenly find itself in the unenviable position of having to decide whether to strike down a law enjoying fiery public support. It is reasonable to assume that it will need several years to reach a decision. If at all. After all, it needed five years to decide that the use of human shields by the IDF is forbidden, and 12 years to prohibit official torture.
Which means that in a while, agents and broadcasting services will be forced to start making black lists, on which will be the names of those whose performance is prohibited – and who will have no recourse but to forcibly switch professions. Lovely.
At the same time, the Hesder Yeshiva rabbis announced today that should General Ashkenazi be so bold as to lengthen the service of their fine youth from to 22 months instead of the current 16 months, they will not enlist at all. These yeshiva boys have one hell of a deal: you serve less than half the time mandated by law (which is 36 months), your service is conditional (as long as you like the politics of your orders, otherwise it’s mutiny time), you serve with the guys from your yeshiva, you spray rose scent about you and claim to be the cream of the youth, and then you have the nerves to make threats.
Every class of such “youth cream” costs the IDF more than the entire time unserved by all artists, in all of its history. But it’s hard to assume that Ashkenazi was bold enough, when he met with the rabbis, to call these semi-derelicts – who suffer from no health or mental problems, who have no excuse - to “lower their gaze”.
Because Ashkenazi, like any Chief of Staff, is a politician first and foremost. He knows the yeshiva militias hold political power, and that they are not shy about using it. The athletes, not to mention the artists, have neither political power nor patron, and they can be freely targeted, and score points in the public opinion on their backs.
As if one can still speak of “public” and “opinion” in the midst of his jingoistic wave.
And aside from that, the Darfur genocide has to be stopped.
(Written and published today in the Hebrew blog. Translation: Yossi Gurvitz)
