The Evil of Ideological Purity

Netanyahu during a vote in Knesset last March (JTA)

I don’t care how important an issue is to the ideology of their members. The idea of blocking roads and burning tires is not the way to protest a government whose policies are a threat to that ideology. 

This is why I condemn the extremist radical Chasidim of Meah Shearim or Ramat Bet Shemesh when they do those kinds of things during a protest. I don’t blame them for being upset at government polices that undermine their ideology. They have every right to protest.  

But taking it out on the public is the wrong way to express their anger. It not only inconveniences the public it endangers it. I can’t imagine what it must be like for an ambulance trying to get to the emergency room with a patient in need of life saving care, being stopped or slowed down by protesters. I can’t imagine what it must be like for health compromised residents in areas where there are toxic fumes from burning tires being inhaled. 

It  doesn’t make any difference to me how religious looking the extremist protesters are. What matters is their willingness to sacrifice the life and health of others for their own cause. That makes them irredeemable reprobates in my view.  They ought to be arrested and serve the maximum prison sentence allowed by law.

Only this time It isn’t extremist Chasidim doing it. It is the secular and Dati Leumi (DL or MO) left. From JTA: 

…protesters mounted demonstrations and shows of civil disobedience across Israel on what they are terming a “Day of Disruption.” Protesters have blocked major highways, burned tires and clashed with police, some of whom have been mounted on horses or used water cannons on the crowds. Dozens of protesters have been arrested. Further protests are due to take place at Ben-Gurion International Airport, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and elsewhere. 

Birds of a feather. The extremists of Meah Shearim and the extremists of the secular left are identical reprobates despite their polar opposite ideologies. They ought to all be locked up together. They will have a lot to talk about, and will have in common the belief that their government is denying them their right to live as they choose. 

Why is the secular left/DL protesting now? They want to make sure that their ‘lord and savior’ Israel’s Supreme Court remains untouched. That’s because the Court’s liberal ideology is what guides their decisions. An ideology that matches that of the protestors. They could not care less that those decisions hurt the religious or political right. They want things to remain the same. They consider their liberal ideology to be the moral high ground in that they value secular rights over religious rights in just about all of their decisions.  They don’t want that paradigm to be changed.

Had they won a majority of the seats in the Knesset that would have easily been the case. But they lost to a religious and political right. It’s their turn now. The Knesset reflects the will of the majority by virtue of who the electorate chose to represent them. That some might now be saying that had they known  this would happen would not have voted that way - does not hold water. The right did not keep their intentions secret. Now they are acting on it. 

As I’ve said many times in a democracy the majority rules. And in a just democracy the rights of the minority must be protected That’s why as I keep saying compromise where each branch of government does not have unlimited power - should be the goal 

Back to the protests.  Previous protests succesfully caused Netanyahu to delay the scheduled vote to - in essence - destroy the Judiciary. Which would have shifted power to the legislature (Knesset). The bill (or at least part of it) was resubmitted in a modified form. Which I assume does not fully shift power from one side to the other (don’t know the details). But the left will not have any of that. They want it all and are going to do what’s necessary to make sure of it. Same as the extremist Chasidim have done for their own interests.

I realize that not all protestors are violent. That is true with both these protesters and those of extremist Chasidim. But whatever the reason, the consequences to those who are violent ought to be the same.

I am sick and tired of the ‘my way or the highway’ attitude by ideologues on both sides of the religious or political aisle. I long for the day when - even as our values differ  - we can nevertheless all live in peace as brothers and sisters in the holy land. We should be able to give a little and take a little and learn to get along. Is that such an impossible dream?