Perhaps, in that case, this week began with some very good news for Israel. Ehud Olmert decided to convene a meeting of several government ministers, mayors from the communities north and west of the Gaza Strip, and several ministry directors-general to discuss continuing government aid to the communities in question.
Given the vastly increased safety of the residents of Sderot in recent days, one wonders first of all why such a meeting was necessary. There is precious little meaningful government aid to be continued, so any discussion must almost necessarily have been quite short.
Apparently to fill the time, Olmert made the following remarks at the start of the meeting: "Throughout our history in this Land, during far more difficult times, we have never run away from our homes. We will not lend a hand to hasty actions that may be good for two or three days but which are liable to have destructive long-term effects. We do not want to take people out of their homes. Localized instances will be dealt with case-by-case but to load people on buses and whisk them off to five-star hotels? In no way is this Government policy."
When I read these comments, I could not help but be amazed at the incredible hypocrisy of our prime minister. Why, just for these comments alone he should be impeached. To provide any Knesset member who wishes to attempt such a maneuver with all the ammunition necessary, I will answer these points one by one.
First, it is simply untrue that "we have never run away from our homes". Twice in Israeli history, Israeli governments have driven Israeli citizens from their homes. First with the expulsion of Jews from their homes in Yamit in 1982, and second with the expulsion of Jews from 25 Israeli communities in Gush Katif and northern Samaria in 2005. The second of these forced expulsions was the brainchild of the man currently our prime minister – the very person who uttered such an absurd comment.
And beyond the expulsions, tens of thousands of Israelis were forced to leave their homes this summer as a result of the war launched on us by Hezbollah. The Olmert government's mismanagement of that war likely ensured that they will have to do so again in the not-too-distant future.
Second, for Olmert to say that he "will not lend a hand to hasty actions that may be good for two or three days but which are liable to have destructive long-term effects," is simply ludicrous. Not only have Israeli governments lent a hand to such hasty measures, they have been the ones to instigate them. The Oslo process has been arguably the single most destructive Israeli policy every adopted. It created deep schisms in Israeli society, and provided the grounds for the Israeli extreme left to marginalize, ostracize and demonize the most self-sacrificing, patriotic elements in Israel who saw the danger and did not keep quiet. There was the expulsion from the Gaza Strip last summer which, beyond being a continuation of the destruction wrought by Oslo, was both hasty and incredibly destructive, as the residents of Sderot will be more than glad to tell you today. And Olmert himself had a decisive hand in the latter.
To then say that "we do not want to take people out of their homes" is such a banal platitude that it would be funny if it weren't so sad.
Lastly, Olmert's summation that "to load people on buses and whisk them off to five-star hotels? In no way is this Government policy," should be enough to stir the ire of even the most forgiving of Israelis. Not only has this been government policy until not too long ago, but the last of those expelled from Gush Katif and northern Samaria to leave the hotels in which they were cooped up did so almost a year after the expulsions because the government authority charged with finding them new accommodations has failed its job quite miserably. To this day, 15 months after the expulsion, only one new neighborhood has received all the planning approvals necessary, while dozens more have not yet even been brought before any committee for approval.
But in Olmert's last comment, at least there is a grain of truth. The families expelled from their homes in 2005 were not put up in five-star hotels. They only got three stars if they were lucky, while many settled for school dormitories.
It has become quite apparent that Ehud Olmert has completely lost his grip on reality. He is in a state of panic at the mounting criticism he faces from all corners – a panic that is impairing whatever ability he ever had to properly run the country. The longer he stays in office, the greater the real existential danger to the State of Israel becomes.
If Olmert does not resign, then for the good of Israel, our representatives in the Knesset must force him out. The damage he has wrought, and the blind eye he turns to it, are more than sufficient grounds for new elections.
Copyright 2006. All rights reserved. Yehuda Poch is a journalist living in Israel. Reproduction in electronic or print format by permission of the author only.
