Headlines (and advertisements) from this weekend's press speak volumes

Two ads, back to back in Yedi'iot, reveal a lot about what's brewing under the surface

I was speaking with an accomplished filmmaker the other day, and we were chatting about the current state of the Jewish people. “Do you think that we’ve learned anything in the past 2,000 years?” he asked me.

The question stopped me in my tracks—I’d never thought about things quite that way. I’m not sure of the answer, but what is clear is that the Jews have a way of repeating many of the same mistakes time and again. In 50 CE, as it became clear that Jewish life was unraveling, the Jews were too busy turning on each to prepare for the Roman onslaught that would soon see Jerusalem destroyed, the Temple burned and sovereignty ended for 2,000 years.

It kind of reminds one of 2023 before October 7, when the country was consumed by infighting over judicial reform, even as Hamas and Hezbollah were steadily getting ready. And it kind of reminds one of Israel today, when still at war on numerous fronts, internal division is once again wreaking havoc.

We begin this week, in order to give a taste of what’s in the air here, with a few glances at this weekend’s Yedi’ot Ahronot, Israel’s best-selling daily newspaper.

The key issue on the front page—not surprisingly, and as we’ll see right below—was the Hague’s decision to issue arrests warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant (other warrants could follow, including stealth warrants that are not announced, making it dangerous for many IDF officers to go abroad).

But after the front page, we get a sense of the internal issues roiling the country, leading to ads by Israel’s leading law firms and a public group that more or less represents the “opposition.”

מכת האג — The Hague Strikes

From Friday’s front page of Yedi’ot:

A series of columns about the arrest warrants issued by the Hague appeared throughout the paper, but here, on the front page, the editors included a key paragraph from each column that makes clear what the writer had to say.

From right to left:

Nahum Barnea: The warrants are absurd, but so was the response

Netanyahu and Gallant were hit yesterday with arrest warrants by the international court at the Hague. The warrant is clearly absurd, but so was Netanyahu’s assuming the position of victim, comparing himself to Dreyfus.

Nadav Eyal: The response to the warrants—A Commission of Inquiry Now

Israel was just hit with the most serious legal blow it has suffered since the state was created. Israel must do whatever it can to get these warrants annulled, and the way to do so is through a real and independent Commission of Inquiry, which Netanyahu has consistently refused to create.

Sima Kadmon: The only tool against the Hague

It is humiliating to see the Hague’s ruling. One can easily understand the claims of anti-Israel sentiment, even anti-Semitism. On the other hand, it’s impossible not to be reminded of the clear advice that the Attorney General gave Netanyahu—to establish an independent Commission of Inquiry as an effective tool against the Hague.

Ben-Dror Yemini: For the world, it’s permissible; for Israel, it’s forbidden

On October 7, Hamas carried out the worst pogrom since World War II. How would the countries of the West have responded to a pogrom like that? We know the answer—until it comes to Israel. To every other country in the world, it’s permitted. To Israel, it’s forbidden.

Yuval Elbashan: Always the easiest target

It was inevitable. The Court at the Hague sought to show that it was not biased, and that it can take action not only against Russia, but also against the West. And there’s no target easier than Israel, which, here again, is forced to play the perennial role of the Jew—the one who is always guilty.

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I’ll be traveling this week and next, so our schedule of posting may be slightly adjusted. As always, though, podcasts will appear on Wednesdays as regularly scheduled. Other columns will be sent out, as well.

At present, what’s planned is:

Monday: the recent brouhaha surrounding the comments of a leading Israeli journalist that Ron Dermer isn’t really Israeli in the full sense of the word, and why that matters now.

Tuesday: Annexation, reservists and a non-denominational rabbinical school: all parts of the mosaic that makes up this fascinating place

Wednesday: Our “State of the State” podcast, this week with Professor Gil Troy.

Thursday: A much forgotten historical moment in which the Thanksgiving holiday played a critical role in the creation of the state of Israel.

Two ads from this weekend’s paper also speak volumes. The first is a call from Israel’s leading law firms, directed to the government, demanding that it not fire the Attorney General. The AG has been at odds with the government since judicial reform, and has insisted time and again that Netanyahu should form a Commission of Inquiry regarding October 7, which the PM has refused to do.

Now, with the ruling of the Hague, it appears that her advice was even more worth taking seriously. The government’s response in the past week? To explore the possibility of firing her.

Israel’s leading lawyers are alarmed.

The Text of the Ad Above:

We, the leading law firms in Israel, wish to express our unequivocal position on the matter of the legal standing of the Attorney General.

In recent days, there has been an increase in the attacks, threats and incitement of ministers and MK’s from the coalition against the Attorney General.

These people are unwilling to suffice with threats to her job and stature (which would be very serious in their own right), but they have also adopted language that encourages physical violence, which raises the spectre of genuine danger to her physical well-being and security.

This conduct is evidence of an ongoing attempt to tie the hands of the Attorney General so that she cease and desist from fulfilling her role and from continuing to advocate for the rule of law and democracy in Israel.

We were horrified to hear hints from the Prime Minister’s circles and those of his ministers about the possibility of firing the Attorney General. A decision to fire her would cross a red line regarding the legitimacy of Israel’s government. Taking a step such as that at a time when Israel is mired in a difficult war on a number of fronts would be a direct assault on the security of the State!

We call on the government and the members of the coalition to come to their senses, to end the dangerous undertaking they have begun, to fulfill their obligations as representatives of the public who are committed to the rule of law and not to those seeking to undermine it.

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The following ad needs no explanation:

WE ARE THE MAJORITY

• 76% of the nation has lost faith in the government

• 80% of the nation is opposed to draft dodging [DG - by the ultra-Orthodox, primarily]

• 66% of the nation is opposed to the judicial reform

• 93% of the nation is in favor of a governmental Commission of Inquiry [DG - regarding the failures of 10/7]

• 64% of the nation is in favor of ending the war to bring back the hostages.

ISRAEL WILL BE VICTORIOUS

[published by the group Chofshi Be-Artzeinu, “Free in our Land”]

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