Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar - Dror Eydar

by Dror Eydar

It is not the prime minister's alleged corruption that threatens our future but rather the Left's insistence on challenging the people's democratic choice.

Israelis protest against corruption in Tel Aviv on December 2  

Photo: Reuters

1.

In days to come, when your son asks you "where were you when all this happened?" You will be able to say, "at least I tried." It has been more than 20 years since the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and the evaporation of the leftist dream – that inviting murderous gangs from Tunisia into Israel will yield peace. In those 20 years, the Israeli Left, from its various power centers, has been going after the one person it views as the main culprit behind their ongoing defeat: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Democracy, in the sense of respecting the rule of government and accepting the will of the people, couldn't be further from this bunch. They can't accept the notion that the right-wing riffraff can choose their leaders. The battle is not over corruption or proper governing practices, as they would have us believe. The battle is over the most important issue here in the homeland of our forefathers: Our freedom to choose our own future, and to choose who will lead us there, on the basis of our own independent thinking and not because someone manipulated us and tried to circumvent the democratic process and change the decision made by the majority.

2.

There are at least two sides to the truth. If there are corruption allegations implicating the prime minister, it stands to reason that there are allegations to the contrary, doesn't it? As long as no indictment has been filed, no trial has been conducted and no judge has handed down any ruling, the presumption of innocence obligates both sides to be presented. This is all the more true when the suspect is a prime minister, because a prime minister is not a private person but rather an elected figure. A majority of the public wanted this man to lead them. A majority that is far greater in number than all his opponents. Accusing him of these crimes casts a heavy shadow over his voters, too.

Now take a look around at all the journalists, news websites, radio stations and television channels in Israel. Do you see anything remotely resembling equality in the representation of both sides? Do you see any kind of decency toward the prime minister? Not even an iota. Justice doesn't stand a chance in such a hostile environment. Netanyahu has already been convicted in the media's court. Now the police investigators, the prosecution and the judges are left with no choice but to convict as well, in the face of demonstrations and pressure for months on end. In fact, Netanyahu was convicted all the way back then, more than 20 years ago. The first Israeli-born right-winger to defeat the Left's prince. The old Left was outraged for having the country taken away from them.

3.

Now people are taking to the streets every week, expecting us to believe that they are really protesting against "corruption," as they claim. These are the same people – or the political descendants of the same people – who waged a propaganda campaign in 1992 against the government of then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir under the slogan "we've had it with the corrupted," and gave us the Oslo government.

When the ideological arguments run out; when the geo-political reality turns the tables on the bizarre policies that would see an Islamist terror state on the hills of Judea and Samaria; when the economy increasingly rejects the vestiges of the leftist socialism that tied it down for so many years and grows correspondingly stronger; when the world's nations fall all over themselves to strike diplomatic, economic and security relations with Israel and the doomsday prophecies of global isolation are proven wrong; when the U.S. threatens its allies at the U.N. that automatically voting against Israel will come at a price (where did you go, Obama?) – what ammunition do they have left?

What is this corruption they speak of? Look around you – Israeli politics are far cleaner than they have ever been. Bribery affairs, which, in the past, would have been swept under the rug, are now exposed daily. Even outrageous behavior by clerks, who abuse the public, are now on the public agenda, if not in the mainstream media. And if not there, then certainly on social media.

4.

So what do Netanyahu's critics want us to believe? That he sold out the country for a handful of cigars? That's all. They wrap this inanity in a thousand words and quotes, but in the end, all that is left is the big empty balloon: Netanyahu received cigars as a gift from a friend, and in return, Netanyahu gave his friend nonsense. You see? He wanted a kickback for selling out the country and the kickback was cigars.

A cigar is not a bribe. A cigar is a cigar and a friend is a friend. This is not something that should topple a government. It's not something that crowds should protest in the streets, and certainly not something over which to self-righteously declare "we've had it" in interviews. We all need a psychiatrist to rid our psyches of the barrage of idiocy that we have been subjected to since the last election. This idiocy aims to seal our minds off from independent thought, and forcibly impose on us the opinions of the opponents – who also serve as investigators, prosecutors and judges.

I have written about the pressure being applied to investigators and the State Prosecutor's Office to indict and prosecute the prime minister. But this pressure is unnecessary, seeing as the head of the Israel Police major crimes unit currently investigating the prime minister, Maj. Gen. Roni Ritman, accused Netanyahu of orchestrating a sexual harassment complaint against him. These are not mere rumors. Even the police commissioner alleged that powerful figures had joined forces to conspire against Ritman. This is a far more serious allegation than a smoking cigar. If there is justice, let it be served immediately. If what the police brass are saying is true, why isn't the police investigating these serious allegations? And if what they are saying is idiotic to the point of corruption, how can we trust that these people are conducting the investigation against the prime minister fairly and appropriately? Incidentally, this week, the High Court of Justice reinforced the female officer's sexual harassment complaint when it censured the police commissioner for deciding to cover for Ritman.

And there are two other women calling the integrity of the investigation into question. One is a police officer working on the team investigating Netanyahu, who, at the same time, called on the public to demonstrate against Netanyahu. The other is Ritman's wife, Michal, who served in the major crimes unit until recently, and posted incendiary comments on social media like "Never before has there been a prime minister who divided and fragmented the Israeli public as much as this." (Someone please tell this woman what went on here at the time of the Oslo agreements.) And these are just the tip of the iceberg. What does this do to public trust, in such a sensitive investigation?

5.

It is not just on the Left that a yearslong campaign is being waged against Netanyahu. In fact, purists from the Right are now joining the Left's cause against the conservative right-wing camp. A coalition of purists and crooks. They, too, don't want a prime minister who receives cigars from friends. Perhaps they will get their wish and replace Netanyahu with a leader who, carried on the waves of hate, will bring us a new Oslo. these things may seem far off, but they could change in the blink of an eye.

And no, dear friends, the Right will not be deposed over corruption, because contrary to the constant propaganda, the leadership is not actually corrupt. Anyone who lost their way will resign following a fair investigation and trial. But the Right could potentially be deposed by traitorous intellectuals, who, at the moment of truth, joined the undemocratic efforts to manipulate us with lies and subterfuge and to delegitimize the people's democratic choice. The Right could be deposed by the cowardice of some of its own spokespeople, who opted to withdraw from the fight and capitulate to the immense pressure from the Left (while being warmly embraced by the media for their "courage"). They left Netanyahu to bleed, but there is no need to get all worked up. We will be fine without them.

Dror Eydar

Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/2017/12/22/sometimes-a-cigar-is-just-a-cigar/

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