The Foundation for Constitutional Democracy

Eidelberg Report, Israel National Radio, April 7, 2008.

Part I

In Caroline Glick’s article “Fear of Democracy” (The Jerusalem Post, April 4), we learn that the UN’s Human Rights Counsel instructed its expert on freedom of expression to report to the Council on all instances in which individuals “abuse” their freedom of speech by giving expression to racial or religious bias. Since Egypt and Pakistan proposed this resolution, it was surely intended to stifle criticism of Islam.

This attempt to stifle freedom of expression, as Glick observes, violates Article 19 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights, which states: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”

The European members of the Council failed to oppose an Islamic inspired resolution that violates, as Glick says, “one of the most basic tenets of Western civilization.” (more…)

Before pondering the title of this short article, please read those sections of Israel’s Penal Law defining acts that constitute treason:

1. the category of acts which “impair the sovereignty” of the State of Israel—section 97(a);

2. the category of acts which “impair the integrity” of the State of Israel— section 97(b);

3. the category of acts under section 99 which give assistance to an “enemy” in war against Israel, which the Law specifically states includes a terrorist organization;

4. the category of acts in section 100 which evince an intention or resolve to commit one of the acts prohibited by sections 97 and 99. (more…)

Yamin Israel is often asked why it does not form an alliance with nationalist elements of the Likud. After all, doesn’t the Likud represent “the trunk of the nation,” as one prominent Likud member has emphasized?” Hasn’t Yamin Israel always sought to form a united front of nationalist groups? Aren’t Likud hawks like Moshe Arens tried-and-true nationalists?

These questions reminded me of an article I wrote in 1989, “Cops and Coddler.” It was during the first Intifada, and in power was a Shamir-led national unity government. A slightly shortened version of the article follows:

On 6 February 1989, Prime Minister Shamir declared, “The time has come for the world to finally understand that Eretz Yisrael can only belong to the State of Israel. Anything else is inconceivable.”

Four day later, Shamir’s statement was contradicted by his Foreign Minister, Moshe Arens: (more…)

Edited transcript of the Eidelberg Report, Israel National Radio, September 3, 2007.

The Norwegian scam is another name for the Norwegian Law now sponsored by Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Applied to Israel, the Norwegian Law would require Knesset members who become cabinet ministers to resign their seats, which will be filled by others members on their respective party’s electoral list. The Knesset would thus retain 120 members to focus on legislation and would have no ministerial responsibilities.

However, since the MKs who become cabinet ministers remain the leaders of their respective parties, Israel will remain plagued by multi-party cabinet government, only now the public will have to pay the salaries and perks for at least 24 more MKs—and that’s a lot of money.

As I have often pointed out, the system of multi-party cabinet government is intrinsically divisive, inept, and conducive to corruption. (more…)

Rabbis should not run for political office. Why not? Because politics is dirty, and rabbis can’t wade in dirty water without getting dirty and undermining respect for the Torah.

Besides, few rabbis, today, are qualified to conduct affairs of state. Hardly any have engaged in serious and sustained study of classical and modern political science, which is to say the great works of statesmanship.

Of course, this is also true of the laity, but when the latter’s intellectual and moral shortcomings become manifest—a common occurrence—this does not sully Judaism like the failings of rabbis. (more…)

Just as Shas is partly responsible for the Oslo Agreement, hence, for Oslo’s degradation of Israel, so it is partly responsible for making Shimon Peres, Oslo’s architect president of Israel—the latest degradation of the so-called Jewish state.

The Shas-Peres nexus goes back almost 20 years as may be seen in Attorney Howard Grief’s November 12, 1998 article “Why Israel Needs an Independent Counsel” (a proposal initiated by the present writer).

Grief made an exhaustive study of an improper relationship which existed between the Labor and Shas parties between 1988 and 1996 during which time Peres was the key player. (more…)

Revised transcript of the Eidelberg Report, Israel National Radio, Jan. 1, 2007.

In this report I want to warn people about various constitutions and institutional reforms which, whatever their merit, will nonetheless perpetuate the divisive and anti-Jewish aspects of Israel’s existing system of governance.

As a preliminary to my analysis, let’s consider the position of Michael Rubin of the American Enterprise Institute who worked in Iraq while it was deliberating on a constitution. One of his major concerns was the electoral system. Given Iraq’s ethnic divisions, it was all-too-easy to recommend election of representatives by party slates. Rubin wisely opposed this pernicious electoral system—the very system that has fragmented Israel since 1948 and has produced a government rated in international reports as one of the most corrupt in the developed world. (more…)

Some Simple But Sad Facts:

1) The government consists of an artificial coalition of rival parties each with its own agenda and priorities. (more…)

(abbreviated and edited for Internet).

MK Benny Elon calls for a bloc of right-wing or nationalist parties (read: Echud Haleumi—to which he belongs—and Mafdal) bloc to preserve settlements to, oppose an emerging left-wing constitution, and to bolster Jewish education.

This is not a program but a call to support motherhood. Elon does not have a constructive program. He, like all MKs, is primarily concerned to preserve his seat in the Knesset. I know this from having prepared a program for him before the 1999 elections, a program which, had he supported it, might have prevented Israel’s present plight. The program included, among other things, personal election of MKs to replace voting for boss-led party slates. (more…)

I urge you to study (and distribute) a superb and revolutionary article by my colleague Prof. Israel Hanukoglu, calling for the resignation of Mafdal (National Religious Party) and Ichud Haleumi (National Union) chairs in the Knesset (for hebrew readers). The article was published by Arutz-7. here.

The article shows how the two parties mentioned above betrayed the national camp when they signed the coalition agreement with the Sharon Government after the January 2003 election.

It also calls for a national primary before elections to rid Israel of the notorious corruption that has become a commonplace in Israeli politics. To this end, it emphasizes the necessity of having members of the Knesset individually elected by, and accountable to, the voters in constituency or regional elections. (more…)

Although I have always been skeptical of Moshe Feiglin’s effort to take over the Likud Party—comparing it to a virgin trying to make a brothel chaste—nevertheless, I have always wished him success in his mission impossible. (more…)

I do not doubt Moshe Feiglin’s good intentions. I only question his practical wisdom. Please suspend, if only for a few minutes, your preconceptions and consider the following:

By remaining in the Likud and luring people to register for that corrupt party, Moshe Feiglin is preventing the formation of the only political instrument that can possibly remove Israel’s present leadership and change the SYSTEM that entrenches this leadership in power—BEFORE Israel suffers more irreversible damage. (more…)

Good News!

Israel is going to be saved from its present tyranny by Moshe Feiglin and his Jewish Leadership Movement (Manhigut Yehudit)!

And how is this miracle to come about?

Easy. They tell us there are only 137,000 Likud members*—so all we need to do is finagle more Feiglinites into the Likud, get a majority, and take over that corrupt party. (more…)

1. Needless to say, there is plenty blame to go around for the tragedy of Gush Kativ. Gush Katif, whose 800 cows constituted the second largest dairy farm in Israel. Gush Katif, which produced 95% of all Israel’s exports of bug-free lettuce and greens, 70% of all Israel’s exports of organic vegetables, 60% of all Israel’s exports of cherry tomatoes, and 60% of all Israel’s exports of geraniums. Gush Katif, whose total sum of exports from greenhouses was $100,000,000, which is 15% of the total agricultural exports of the whole state of Israel—this Gush Katif is gone—given to Arab terrorists now boasting of their victory over Israel. (more…)

It will be shown in this article that National Union (Ha’ihud Ha’Leumi) and the National Religious Party (Mafdal) split the “nationalist camp” and are very much responsible for Israel’s precarious situation. Let’s begin with hard data. (more…)

Israel National Radio: Arutz-7, presents “The Eidelberg Report,” August 8, 2005.

1. Benjamin Netanyahu has resigned from the cabinet. On what grounds? He said that Sharon’s disengagement plan will undermine Israel’s security. Unlike his father, Prof. Benzion Netanyahu, he did not say Sharon’s plan is immoral, a crime. Why not? Isn’t it a crime to expel Jews from their homes and farms? Isn’t it a crime to destroy their schools and synagogues? Isn’t it a crime to tear babies from the arms of their mothers? Isn’t it a crime to move a family with six children from a 200 meter home and squeeze them into a 40 meter prefab? Isn’t it a crime to make survivors of the Holocaust once again displaced persons? Isn’t it a crime to make settlers here and there homeless? Isn’t a crime to give Jewish land to Arab terrorists? Isn’t this crime defined as treason by the Penal Code? (more…)

Make no mistake: The State of Israel is disintegrating.

While we must do everything possible to prevent the expulsion of Jews from Gaza and Northern Samaria, we must not be totally preoccupied with this immediate and urgent problem. A small group of persons is needed to think ahead and to think in larger and more positive terms, otherwise we shall limp from crisis to crisis until the nation utterly collapses.

Be cautious about certain persons now vying for leadership of the Likud. (more…)

Judging from various articles, Israeli nationalists, looking forward to the projected 2006 Knesset election, have not learned a lesson from the pernicious results of the 2003 election, from which this country is now suffering. Hence this article.

Certain opponents of Prime Minister Sharon’s Gaza disengagement/deportation plan may be shocked to learn that they themselves enabled Sharon to foist this plan on Israel. How? By urging people, in the January 2003 Knesset election, to vote Likud and not “waste” their votes on a small party. (more…)

Israel’s Problem, and Getting Back to a National Camp
A WORKING PAPER PREPARED BY THE FOUNDATION FOR CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRACY

PART I. DIAGNOSIS OF ISRAEL’S MALAISE

1. In 1992, two Arab parties with five Knesset seats made the Rabin Government and Oslo possible. Seven years later three Arab parties had 10 Knesset seats. In two decades, the democratic principle of one adult/one vote will transform Israel into an Islamic dictatorship. Long before that, however, Israel will succumb to a Lebanese-type civil war. Yet no party in the Knesset has the courage to address this ominous state of affairs. (more…)

Israel’s Problem, and Getting Back to a National Camp
A WORKING PAPER PREPARED BY THE FOUNDATION FOR CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRACY

PART I. DIAGNOSIS OF ISRAEL’S MALAISE

1. In 1992, two Arab parties with five Knesset seats made the Rabin Government and Oslo possible. Seven years later three Arab parties had 10 Knesset seats. In two decades, the democratic principle of one adult/one vote will transform Israel into an Islamic dictatorship. Long before that, however, Israel will succumb to a Lebanese-type civil war. Yet no party in the Knesset has the courage to address this ominous state of affairs. (more…)