Matti Golan, former editor of Haaretz and Globes, sharply criticizes Defense Minister Barak’s imposition of his left-wing views on the right-wing government in an opinion piece published this week by Globes. Specifically, Golan says Barak must “cease and desist” his interference in the matter of Jewish neighborhood outposts in Judea and Samaria.
“The Yesha Council of Jewish Communities in Judea and Samaria is being very cautious in the question of removing illegal outposts,” Golan says in the lead paragraph. “The Council is not calling for protests, and is not initiating provocations. It is only asking the government: Please fulfill the nation’s will, as it was expressed in the elections, and allow the settlements in Judea and Samaria to grow.”
“They are right,” Golan continues, “and I say this without an iota of cynicism. The right-wing bloc won the elections, everyone agrees, right? So why do the opponents of the right-wing keep looking to Barak to torpedo the right-wing’s actions? And how does Barak dare to justify his entry into the government by saying he will block the right-wing? What does he propose instead – his own positions? These positions, and he himself, were roundly rejected by the public in the elections [giving Labor only 13 Knesset seats, down from 19 – ed.]”
Golan's views are themselves left-wing and anti-religious; he once wrote a play widely blasted as being "anti-hareidi" in which he depicted the apocalypse that he envisions if hareidi-religious Jews take over the country.
Golan is also a veteran media critic, having long hosted a media review show on television's Channel One entitled “Documedia.” After dealing with Barak in this week's column, he then turns his attention to the left-wing media:
“Barely a day goes by that articles don’t appear saying that right-wing initiatives, such as legislation against commemorating Naqba Day, will cause a catastrophe… How are they so sure? Perhaps the Naqba Day law will cause Israeli-Arabs to realize that they have gone too far, and that they will take stock of themselves – instead of us all the time doing that? From where does the anti-right-wing camp draw its absolute and in-their-face confidence that their way is better? Is there any proof that something has changed in the Palestinian camp during the non-right regimes?
"What else has to happen for those who keep screaming ‘catastrophe’ to realize that their opinions – which have been proven to be ineffective - might not be 100% right?
“So stop interfering, Barak, because you received no mandate to do so. Either join the majority opinion in the government, or get out… There were elections, the nation voted right-wing, so let them govern and implement their policies. Otherwise, how will we know if their policies are a ‘catastrophe’ – or maybe will actually save us from a catastrophe?”