Ben-Ami has been, since the formation of Ehud Barak's cabinet, the Internal Security minister. He is the minister responsible for the Israel Police Force, among other things. When Barak lost half his cabinet due to his inept performance at the negotiating table with the Palestinians, Ben-Ami was also named Acting Foreign Minister. The addition of the word "acting" to the title is a mechanism that gets Barak out of hot water. In order to become a full minister, the Knesset needs to approve an appointment. By adding the word "acting" to the title, Barak created the chimera of temporariness so that he could get around a Knesset where he has the support of only 1/3 of its members.
Following Ben-Ami's nomination to the Foreign Ministry post, he has spent more time out of the country than in it. He has been hob-nobbing with world leaders in Europe and North America trying to convince them of something they already believe -- that Israel's position is the only tenable one in the Oslo negotiations. Following Arafat's complete refusal to accept the Israeli "concessions" of giving the Arabs just about everything they want, no government outside the Arab world gives Arafat any credibility in the negotitations.
Yet Ben-Ami insists that the word "Foreign" in his new title means that's where he should be.
At the same time, a group of Israeli Arabs who purport to be on quarter of the current government's support base, staged a rampage through their town a couple of weeks ago. Israel's Chief of Police for the Galilee region, Commander Alik Ron, led a force to quell the riots. During the course of the police action, a number of Arabs and a number of policemen were injured in a confrontation that was initiated by the Arabs.
MK Muhammad Barakeh of the Communist Arab Hadash party was at the riot and incited the crowd against the police. He then continued his incitement following the riot by blaming the whole incident on the police and urging his followers to resist the police at every turn. It got so bad that Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein, who is loathe to open any sort of investigation against supporters of Oslo, was forced to open one against Barakeh for incitement.
But it did not stop there. The Israeli media, always ready to jump on any Jew who stands up for our security in this country, had a field day assailing Ron and featuring many people calling for Ron's resignation. Very few voices supporting Ron were included by the media vultures.
All the while, Internal Security Minister Ben-Ami -- the man responsible for the Police Force -- was acting as Foreign Minister and continuing his hob-nobbery in New York at the United Nations. Ehud Barak had just been there to feel the glow of the "Milennium Summit". For what reason was Ben-Ami needed merely 48 hours after Barak had left?
Yet there he was in New York while one of the leaders of his police force was back home facing a public opinion firing squad without the backing of his boss.
Frankly, Ben-Ami should be ashamed of himself. He has let down his employees, and he has let down every single Israeli who believes that security is important.
Perhaps, however, this is not so surprising. After all, Ben-Ami is among the leadership of a political party that seems hell-bent on relinquishing whatever control it retains over Israel and over Israeli security. Given that this is the position of the current government, perhaps it is no surprise that Ben-Ami isn't here to deal with Alik Ron and Muhammad Barakeh. And if his trip is meant to convince other nations that Israel's position is the correct one, his mere presence outside of Israel speaks far louder than any words he could convey.
Copyright 2000. Yehuda Poch is a writer living in Israel. Reproduction in electronic or print format by permission only.
