Now that a ceasefire has been declared on the northern front of the "Between the Straits War," the people in Israel want "to return to normal." Our reserve soldiers want to return to their families, their work and their studies. The residents of the north seek to restore all that they have lost. The rest of us want to hear the three pips signaling the hourly news without feelings of dread.
Yet, there is a new war to be fought, not against Arab aggression and terrorism - although that will break out in the not too distant future - but a peaceful war against "business as usual."
And what is "business as usual"? It would be the continued rule of the leftist elites - those who dominate the media, the universities, the judicial and legal systems, the cultural institutions, and the defense establishment - as if nothing has happened; as if they are unaffected by the latest disaster they have brought upon us through years of trying to shrink our borders and blur our Jewish identity.
The current war broke out with the elites at the peak of their power and influence. Ariel Sharon, who rose to the prime minister's office by defying these very elites, moved over to their side to save his skin. The expulsion of Jewish settlers and the suppression of the national religious sector - long top priorities of the Left - followed. After Sharon was incapacitated, the elites installed one of their lackies, Ehud Olmert, in the prime minister's chair. It wasn't long before we suffered the consequences.
Here's what a return to "business as usual" means:
Our politically compromised defense establishment will continue to prepare our armed forces for the next expulsion of Jews instead of for the next round of Arab aggression.
Our self-appointed, self-empowered Supreme Court will keep meddling dangerously in matters of security and personal belief, while evading its clear duty in questions of ethics and fairness.
Our mono-cultural communications media will continue to abuse its freedoms in order to deny the public the right to know, misleading it once again into the depths of war and terror.
Our education system will continue to denigrate the national and religious values that are the secret of our people's strength.
Our police will continue to brutally enforce the political interests of the current regime, while taking its cues from a sensationalist media.
Corruption and favoritism, which now permeate every level of our political and economic life, will continue to sap our national strength.
Settlers and their supporters will continue to be denied equitable access to legal protection.
If "business as usual" is the order of the day, then we will remain a nation that has lost its moral compass and its will to survive. Ehud Olmert's infamous words prior to the expulsion, "We are tired of fighting, we are tired of being brave, we are tired of winning, we are tired of defeating our enemies," will be remembered for accurately reflecting the spirit of a dying nation.
In the post-ceasefire era, must we settle for this debilitating status quo? No, but only if the national camp - religious and secular alike - stand firm in our determination to regain our rightful share in the leadership of Israel. This, in turn, requires rousing the public from its political apathy.
We know the Israeli public has lost its faith in the government, the judiciary, the bureaucracy, the police and the education system. They are no longer supremely confident that they can trust the safety of their soldier sons and daughters in the hands of the current military leadership.
In this discontent lies the seed of the kind of peaceful revolution that has overturned regimes far less democratic than Israel's. Unfortunately, recent experience has taught the public that they lack the ability to effect real change. On a number of occasions, the Israeli voter has given the right-wing an electoral majority, only to see the politicians they elected abandon their principles for the privileges offered by the leftist elites: money, power, prestige and even immunity from prosecution.
Yet, if the public expresses itself strongly and consistently enough, real change will come. The politicians will understand that the cost of alienating the public is much higher than the cost of defying the elites. They will get the message - "business as usual" must end: We can no longer pursue policies that make us appear vulnerable and uncertain of our right to exist, thereby inviting Arab aggression and terror.
In the new Israel the national camp envisions, our military will be tasked with relentlessly pursuing our enemies and destroying them. National and religious values will be restored to the entire educational system. As in other democratic countries, the Supreme Court will be chosen by representatives of the people and limited to interpreting judicial cases in the light of existing laws. Settlement throughout the entire Land of Israel will be a driving principle of national development. The media will be opened to all and will tell the whole truth to the public. Our bloated and corrupt public sector will be slimmed and cleansed.
Amichai Merhavia donned his uniform and went up to Lebanon, even after suffering from police brutality and learning that his settlement of Eli was slated for evacuation under the latest expulsion plan. He paid the ultimate price in defense of his fellow Israelis. His surviving comrades-in-arms from the national camp must not return to find that they remain outcasts in a country moving heedlessly down the road to self-destruction.
This is why the next war must be against "business as usual."
Yet, there is a new war to be fought, not against Arab aggression and terrorism - although that will break out in the not too distant future - but a peaceful war against "business as usual."
And what is "business as usual"? It would be the continued rule of the leftist elites - those who dominate the media, the universities, the judicial and legal systems, the cultural institutions, and the defense establishment - as if nothing has happened; as if they are unaffected by the latest disaster they have brought upon us through years of trying to shrink our borders and blur our Jewish identity.
The current war broke out with the elites at the peak of their power and influence. Ariel Sharon, who rose to the prime minister's office by defying these very elites, moved over to their side to save his skin. The expulsion of Jewish settlers and the suppression of the national religious sector - long top priorities of the Left - followed. After Sharon was incapacitated, the elites installed one of their lackies, Ehud Olmert, in the prime minister's chair. It wasn't long before we suffered the consequences.
Here's what a return to "business as usual" means:
Our politically compromised defense establishment will continue to prepare our armed forces for the next expulsion of Jews instead of for the next round of Arab aggression.
Our self-appointed, self-empowered Supreme Court will keep meddling dangerously in matters of security and personal belief, while evading its clear duty in questions of ethics and fairness.
Our mono-cultural communications media will continue to abuse its freedoms in order to deny the public the right to know, misleading it once again into the depths of war and terror.
Our education system will continue to denigrate the national and religious values that are the secret of our people's strength.
Our police will continue to brutally enforce the political interests of the current regime, while taking its cues from a sensationalist media.
Corruption and favoritism, which now permeate every level of our political and economic life, will continue to sap our national strength.
Settlers and their supporters will continue to be denied equitable access to legal protection.
If "business as usual" is the order of the day, then we will remain a nation that has lost its moral compass and its will to survive. Ehud Olmert's infamous words prior to the expulsion, "We are tired of fighting, we are tired of being brave, we are tired of winning, we are tired of defeating our enemies," will be remembered for accurately reflecting the spirit of a dying nation.
In the post-ceasefire era, must we settle for this debilitating status quo? No, but only if the national camp - religious and secular alike - stand firm in our determination to regain our rightful share in the leadership of Israel. This, in turn, requires rousing the public from its political apathy.
We know the Israeli public has lost its faith in the government, the judiciary, the bureaucracy, the police and the education system. They are no longer supremely confident that they can trust the safety of their soldier sons and daughters in the hands of the current military leadership.
In this discontent lies the seed of the kind of peaceful revolution that has overturned regimes far less democratic than Israel's. Unfortunately, recent experience has taught the public that they lack the ability to effect real change. On a number of occasions, the Israeli voter has given the right-wing an electoral majority, only to see the politicians they elected abandon their principles for the privileges offered by the leftist elites: money, power, prestige and even immunity from prosecution.
Yet, if the public expresses itself strongly and consistently enough, real change will come. The politicians will understand that the cost of alienating the public is much higher than the cost of defying the elites. They will get the message - "business as usual" must end: We can no longer pursue policies that make us appear vulnerable and uncertain of our right to exist, thereby inviting Arab aggression and terror.
In the new Israel the national camp envisions, our military will be tasked with relentlessly pursuing our enemies and destroying them. National and religious values will be restored to the entire educational system. As in other democratic countries, the Supreme Court will be chosen by representatives of the people and limited to interpreting judicial cases in the light of existing laws. Settlement throughout the entire Land of Israel will be a driving principle of national development. The media will be opened to all and will tell the whole truth to the public. Our bloated and corrupt public sector will be slimmed and cleansed.
Amichai Merhavia donned his uniform and went up to Lebanon, even after suffering from police brutality and learning that his settlement of Eli was slated for evacuation under the latest expulsion plan. He paid the ultimate price in defense of his fellow Israelis. His surviving comrades-in-arms from the national camp must not return to find that they remain outcasts in a country moving heedlessly down the road to self-destruction.
This is why the next war must be against "business as usual."