John Adams once remarked that the rule of the majority in a democratic society can oftentimes be as unjust, wrong, cruel and despotic as the rule of the worst dictatorial tyrant. As such, public opinion polls, even if we were to regard them as being unfailingly accurate in their results, are not necessarily founts of wisdom and sources of good policy advice.
Nevertheless, they do serve to give us some inkling of public opinion on matters of general civic concern. Many times in history, especially Jewish history, the general public has had a better sense of matters than did the established leadership of the society, John Adams notwithstanding. I was therefore fascinated by the results of a number of public opinion polls taken by the internet cover page of the main website of the Israeli Microsoft search engine. These polls are unscientific and the respondents to the polls vote on their own volition by pressing a button on the mouse of their computer. I am certain that large sections of Israeli society, such as the Haredim and the Israeli Arabs, are underrepresented in the poll results, as are undoubtedly the tens of thousands of Israeli homes who have no home accesss to the internet. Nevertheless, in spite of all of these caveats, in my opinion, the poll results do tell us something about mainstream Israel in the midst of our current anguish and difficulties.
On the question of whether or not the Tel Aviv municipality should have allowed restaraunts, pubs and bars to be open on the night of Tisha B'av, over ten thousand responses were recorded on this internet poll. Over 57 percent of the respondents disapproved of the municipality's decision and voted that these eating and drinking establishments should have remained closed on the saddest day of the Jewish calendar. A second poll dealt with the attitude towards the preemptive killing of Palestinian terrorists before they are able to wreak their murderous actions on innocent Israelis. This poll, which also had well over ten thousand responses to the question, showed that 91 percent of the respondents affirmed Israel's right to continue with these targeted killings. A third poll asked whether Israel should attempt to eliminate the rule of the PLO over the long-suffering Palestinians. Out of the almost 7500 responses received, over 79 percent were of the opinion that the Israeli government should attempt to bring down Arafat and his cronies from their perch of dictatorial, corrupt and violent leadership. On the question of the removal of the PLO from Orient House, which is the most recent poll posted on this website, as of this writing on Sunday, August 12, there were 3200 responses and over 84 percent of these responses approved of the expulsion of the PLO from Orient House and also approved permanent Israeli control over the building.
What are we to make of these polls and their results? Well, if they do truly represent mainstream, computer-literate, non-Haredi, Jewish Israelis, they show that people in Israel are vastly different than the media and the spokesmen for the liberal Left represented them to be. The "peace camp" that protests in front of Orient House with Hanan Ashrawi is contemptuously discredited in the eyes of most Israelis. Beilin and even Peres are no longer seen as the great architects of our future here in the Middle East. The Knesset opposition, led by Yossi Sarid, is completely out of touch with reality with its pronouncements about unconditional negotiations, completing the third withdrawal, etc. It is not that the ideas of the Right and Gush Emunim have triumphed. They have not, and there is no doubt in my mind that most Israelis are still prepared to approve of significant territorial concessions to the Arabs in return for a situation of true non-belligerency and security from violence. But it is certainly clear that the ideas of Oslo and the "peace camp" have lost all standing within mainstream Israeli society. For the true believers in those peace-above-all-else ideas, in giving further unilateral concessions and in granting secret letters of far-reaching compromises to Arafat and hiding them from the Israeli public, the moment of reckoning has arrived. The Labor Party has to reinvent itself or go the way of extinction of all dinosaurs. Meretz needs a realistic program of diplomacy and societal progress and healing and not just peace nostrums and Haredi-bashing. For, I may add, in spite of all of the ineptitude that the religious parties many times display, mainstream Israelis do not really feel themselves oppressed by "religious coercion" nor do they wish to be permanently disassociated from Torah and Jewish tradition. Perhaps, therefore, in these matters our leaders should listen to the polls. They seem to make common sense.
Shabat Shalom.
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Rabbi Berel Wein, noted author and lecturer, is founder of the Destiny Foundation, dedicated to educating Jews about their historical and ethical heritage (JewishDestiny.com ).
Nevertheless, they do serve to give us some inkling of public opinion on matters of general civic concern. Many times in history, especially Jewish history, the general public has had a better sense of matters than did the established leadership of the society, John Adams notwithstanding. I was therefore fascinated by the results of a number of public opinion polls taken by the internet cover page of the main website of the Israeli Microsoft search engine. These polls are unscientific and the respondents to the polls vote on their own volition by pressing a button on the mouse of their computer. I am certain that large sections of Israeli society, such as the Haredim and the Israeli Arabs, are underrepresented in the poll results, as are undoubtedly the tens of thousands of Israeli homes who have no home accesss to the internet. Nevertheless, in spite of all of these caveats, in my opinion, the poll results do tell us something about mainstream Israel in the midst of our current anguish and difficulties.
On the question of whether or not the Tel Aviv municipality should have allowed restaraunts, pubs and bars to be open on the night of Tisha B'av, over ten thousand responses were recorded on this internet poll. Over 57 percent of the respondents disapproved of the municipality's decision and voted that these eating and drinking establishments should have remained closed on the saddest day of the Jewish calendar. A second poll dealt with the attitude towards the preemptive killing of Palestinian terrorists before they are able to wreak their murderous actions on innocent Israelis. This poll, which also had well over ten thousand responses to the question, showed that 91 percent of the respondents affirmed Israel's right to continue with these targeted killings. A third poll asked whether Israel should attempt to eliminate the rule of the PLO over the long-suffering Palestinians. Out of the almost 7500 responses received, over 79 percent were of the opinion that the Israeli government should attempt to bring down Arafat and his cronies from their perch of dictatorial, corrupt and violent leadership. On the question of the removal of the PLO from Orient House, which is the most recent poll posted on this website, as of this writing on Sunday, August 12, there were 3200 responses and over 84 percent of these responses approved of the expulsion of the PLO from Orient House and also approved permanent Israeli control over the building.
What are we to make of these polls and their results? Well, if they do truly represent mainstream, computer-literate, non-Haredi, Jewish Israelis, they show that people in Israel are vastly different than the media and the spokesmen for the liberal Left represented them to be. The "peace camp" that protests in front of Orient House with Hanan Ashrawi is contemptuously discredited in the eyes of most Israelis. Beilin and even Peres are no longer seen as the great architects of our future here in the Middle East. The Knesset opposition, led by Yossi Sarid, is completely out of touch with reality with its pronouncements about unconditional negotiations, completing the third withdrawal, etc. It is not that the ideas of the Right and Gush Emunim have triumphed. They have not, and there is no doubt in my mind that most Israelis are still prepared to approve of significant territorial concessions to the Arabs in return for a situation of true non-belligerency and security from violence. But it is certainly clear that the ideas of Oslo and the "peace camp" have lost all standing within mainstream Israeli society. For the true believers in those peace-above-all-else ideas, in giving further unilateral concessions and in granting secret letters of far-reaching compromises to Arafat and hiding them from the Israeli public, the moment of reckoning has arrived. The Labor Party has to reinvent itself or go the way of extinction of all dinosaurs. Meretz needs a realistic program of diplomacy and societal progress and healing and not just peace nostrums and Haredi-bashing. For, I may add, in spite of all of the ineptitude that the religious parties many times display, mainstream Israelis do not really feel themselves oppressed by "religious coercion" nor do they wish to be permanently disassociated from Torah and Jewish tradition. Perhaps, therefore, in these matters our leaders should listen to the polls. They seem to make common sense.
Shabat Shalom.
-------------
Rabbi Berel Wein, noted author and lecturer, is founder of the Destiny Foundation, dedicated to educating Jews about their historical and ethical heritage (JewishDestiny.com ).