The Government must Rule

Every 4 years we have elections. Until now, in a democracy like Israel the outcome hasn't been certain. There's always been a good chance that the ruling party would receive enough votes to form a government but there's also always been a chance that one of the other parties, like Kadima or Labour, or even Israel our Home or some other party would win the elections.

In a democracy like Israel one never knew the result untill the final count was up. I was very happy to be living in such a democratic country. I would be very unhappy if this changed.

I would not like to live in a country where everyone is coerced into voting for a certain party and the outcome was certain. I like the feeling that new blood can enter the government and perhaps do a better job than the previous government. I like the feeling that people can express their feelings about the government openly and if they have enough votes they can topple the ruling government.

Since Israel has been in existence we've never been sure how long a government would last. There was always the danger that the government would pass laws that it's coalition partners didn't agree with and threatened to resign.

This was because the govenment was always ready to sacrifice itself for the sake of good laws that would be good for the country.

Laws were passed whether coalition members liked them or not and very often they didn't like the laws and they resigned and the government fell and new elections were held and the people had the chance to elect a government that really respresented their wishes.

Now this is changing. I believe the change began with Menahem Begin's ascent to power in the elections of 1977. He came along with a string of laws in 1977 to please the religious parties so that they would not resign from his coalition government.

Netanyahu has continued Begin's tradition of pandering to the religious parties. Since he's been in power all the laws have been passed without any murmur from the coalition members. This is because the government only presents laws that meet the approval of coalition members without considering whether a law is good for the country or not.

Netanyahu is using his position to entrench it. All his actions are directed at self aggrandisement. He and his cabinet ministers are on a campaign to show that they are the heroes of the nation. Him and his transport minister, Katz, for example place there names on billboards advertising the building of new roads, as if the nations owes them a debt of gratitude for the wonderful new roads that are appearing all over the country.

This kind of behaviour is dangerous because it's a publicity campaign to influence the nation to vote for him in the next election. Unfortunately people are gullible and hail him as the hero instead of criticising him for the things that aren't in order in the country, things that are making the lives of citizens uncomfortable.

There is no law to force desegregation of women on public busses. The law of no public transport on the Sabbath is a burden on people who can't afford cars. There is no law of non discrimination of women in advertising campaigns.

The government isn't ruling. It's simply making laws to keep itself in power. When the government doesn't rule chaos takes over and people start squabbling among themselves. When this happens its the beginning of the end of democracy.

Democracy and Anti - Democracy

The demonstrations taking place throughout the country and the publicity they've been getting makes it seem that the whole country is demonstrating and supports the demonstrators in their demands: cheaper housing, more help for young parents in bearing the cost of pre-school education and higher salaries for doctors.

From time to time other groups, like the elderly, holocaust survivors and the handicapped also participate.

Demonstrations are great because they bring problems to light and they might influence members of parliament to vote against the government which would bring about an election, but a democratic government doesn't resign because of a demonstration.

In the case of totalitarian governments, like you have in the Arab countries where many demonstrations have taken place recently, demonstrations are the only way to change the government.

If the government resigns because of this demonstration we would be like those totalitarian societies. It would mean the end of democracy in Israel. In a democracy We need to know that a true majority of the people aren't satisfied with the government before it resigns.

Demonstrations are legitimate and the government must listen to their complaints and possibly investigate making some laws to take care of the complaints. But resigning, definitely no, that would be anti-democratic.

A majority is decided according to the number of members of parliament who support or are against the government. That is democracy. Those members of parliament have been elected by the people and they constitute the will of the people.

A mass of people demonstrating doesn't constitute the will of the people.

Thank God we are a democracy, that's why I like to live in Israel.

People who demonstrate in a democratic society do so because they know that they can't topple the government by a representative majority of members of parliament.

Here, in Israel, a democratic society, a group of people are trying to topple the government by undemocratic means. It won't work because we aren't a totalitarian society as some tycoons who are supporting this demonstrations think we are.

As I say I don't oppose demonstrating for more benefits, higher salaries etc but I do oppose demonstrating to topple the government. That is an attempt to ruin democracy.

It's about time that the opposition went out to the electorate and worked at trying to woo more of them to support them in the next elections rather than throwing their weight with the tycoons in organizing gigantic demonstrations in an attempt to topple the government undemocratically.

I'm not in favor of Netanyahu's government and their policies but I am much less in favor of trying to topple them by undemocratic means. In fact I fear such means and will definitely not participate even though I agree that the cost of living is high and that we earn too little for the work we do.

No matter how many people demonstrate and no matter how violent they are      there's no way of knowing that they represent the majority of the people.  

If the people don't believe in the government which they've elected then obviously they must elect another government who they do believe in.

Democratic governments, however only resign when a vote in parliament goes against them, which means that they don't have a majority. A mass protest, no matter how big, can't prove to the government  that they don't have a majority to govern.

The Gaza debacle

Like most Iseaelis I believe in democracy. I think that even though we were disappointed that Hamas won the elections in Gaza in Jan 2005 we felt that at least the voice of the Palestinian People is being heard.

Naturally we didn't expect them to attack us the way they're doing now but we basically believe in the ultimate victory of democracy.  People who believe in democracy are patient and know that it takes time for all the people of a democracy to know that it's good to live in peace with other democracies.

I think that Ariel Sharon's policy to withdraw (2005) Jewish settlements from Gaza http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel's_unilateral_disengagement_plan was an expression of the optimism we had in Palestinian democracy. I think we believed that once they had acquired democracy the Palestinians would realize the advantages of living at peace with Israel.

Now, however, that the whole Arab world is demonstrating for democracy we should be less naive than Sharon was and should realize that the Arabs in Gaza are showing what the Arab world expects of democracy, namely national support for all out war against Israel.

The democracy they achieved already in Jan 2005 has brought them together in a unity of people with individual rights, who have each made a choice to make war against Israel. Unlike the previous situation where a tyranical leader made the decision and the masses blindly followed.

This doesn't happen in a democracy the mass doesn't follow blindy. Individuals, open minded with clear individual intention have the same goal.

This individual clear mindedness is what makes a war launched by a democracy much more fierce than a war lauched by a tyrant. Untill now all the wars the Arabs have launched have been wars launched by tyrants where the voice of the people was silent.

Now the voice of the people will speak. Individuals speaking like one man.

This is why a democratic decision to go to war commits each individual member of the group. Which means that each individual is prepared to bear the consequences.

This is why a democracy can't afford to launch an unjust war like tyranies may do. Tyranies fight unjust wars democcracies only fight just wars.

A democracy goes to war only if it's sure of it's justness.

The Arabs consider that they have a just cause for war. That's nothing new. Israel has always considered that it's justified in going to war. Israel has always had the power of the voice of the people behind every war. Now the Arabs want the voice of the people behind their war.

Now the odds are more even. It's a war between two democracies and God help the loser.

This is not some Arab tyrant who has launched a war in Gaza, it's the People of Gaza. The democratic state of Gaza who has launched a war against the democratic state of Israel.

Democracy is a power to be wary of; the Arabs have yet to learn the true price of democracy.

O' Arabs of Gaza please be careful of the power of democracy!!!!!