Now, dialogue
We are entering perhaps the most crucial era of the State of Israel's history.
Many in our community have felt a palpable anxiety the last 11 weeks over what has been going on in Israel.
Week after week, we’ve looked at videos and photos of the ongoing protests against the governing coalition’s judicial overhaul plans. We’ve heard government and opposition MKs trading insults instead of ideas. We’ve read about IDF reservists refusing to show up for duty, making the state’s defences vulnerable. We’ve heard President Isaac Herzog warn the country is heading towards a civil war.
For those who love Israel and care for its future, it has been an exhausting and fraught period.
The Israeli government’s announcement this week that it will – finally – pause its legislative blitz to engage in dialogue is welcome news indeed.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The real hard work is yet to begin.
Herzog urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his political opponents Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz to begin negotiating immediately. We are glad this call has been heeded to begin the process of healing Israel’s scars.
Logical arguments have been aired about the need for some level of judicial reform. If all parties are genuine in their desire to engage honestly, a balanced outcome can be achieved that satisfies all sides of politics and protects the rights of all Israelis.
Canadian luminary Irwin Cotler in this week’s AJN tells of the robust process his home country went through when drawing up the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. We hope to see Israel undergo a similar, thorough undertaking that takes into account the views and needs of all sectors of Israeli society, from which the nation can emerge stronger.
And we hope all Israelis will engage peacefully in the debate. Seeing hundreds of thousands of people with their flags demonstrating each week has been uplifting. But we do not condone violence that has marred some of the demonstrations – both at the ongoing anti-overhaul protests and this week at pro-overhaul rallies.
We are entering perhaps the most crucial era of the State of Israel’s history. The nation is at a watershed. How the competing sides come together now to engage in dialogue will define the character of the state of generations to come.
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