The Foundation for Constitutional Democracy

In word and in deed, MK Aryeh Eldad [National Union/NRP] has been perhaps the most outspoken and courageous opponent of Israel’s withdrawal from Judea, Samaria, and Gaza. Many people look to him as a possible leader of the “nationalist camp.”

I place the words “nationalist camp” between inverted commas because there is no such creature. It’s merely an aggregation of individuals and groups which, year after year, have monotonously opposed the policy of “territory for peace.” Alas, these right-minded people not only lack a coherent, comprehensive, and realistic program to save Israel from the deadly consequence of the “peace process.” They also seem to be unaware that a nationalist camp cannot be truly nationalist unless the nation—the Jewish People—is properly represented in the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial institutions of government. The State of Israel has never had such institutions. Here I am merely paraphrasing what David Ben-Gurion wrote in his Memoirs. (more…)

Edited transcript of the Eidelberg Report, Israel National Radio, November 26, 2007.

1. Since the Camp David Summit of 1978, Israel has had no less than ten governments led either by the Likud, Labor, or Kadima. Whether “Zionist” or “post-Zionist,” “rightwing” or “leftwing,” all have pursued the same policy of “territory for peace.” All have contributed to the physical truncation and spiritual emasculation of Israel—and with the collaboration of the religious parties.

2. It were as if the same government had been in power for almost 30 years! Yet certain Knesset members—with the American presidency in mind—tell us: “How can we endure four years of Olmert?” This ad hominem argument betrays unforgivable ignorance about Israeli government as well as about American government. On the territorial issue, Israel has had 30 years of “Olmert.” (more…)

Edited transcript of the Eidelberg Report, Israel National Radio, November 5, 2007. This Report is an abbreviation of a 24-page policy paper, “The Fixation of Israel’s Elites on Land for Peace: Five Interpretations,” scheduled for publication by a major journal in December.

Part I

People everywhere are bewildered by Israeli politics. They cannot fathom the motives of Israel’s ruling elites, their addiction to the futile and fatal policy of territory for peace. What really motivates these politicians?

Some pundits say they are stupid or mad or suffer from a Jewish “death wish.” Others say that Israel’s dependency on U.S military aid compels Israeli prime ministers to genuflect to Washington. Let me offer an alternative explanation.

When I made aliya in 1976, I was amused to hear people say that the paramount concern of Israeli politicians is their “seats.” (more…)

Several years ago, the heads of Modern Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Judaism spoke of the need for Jewish unity. Lack of Jewish unity is especially obvious and needed in Israel.

Some critics asked: “Yes, we need Jewish unity, but for what national purpose? And what hinders Jewish unity in Israel?” Here I limit myself to the second question.

Perhaps it will be helpful to substitute for unity “friendship,” and inquire into what militates against friendship in Israel. (more…)

A. Democracy: Two Types

1. “Normative” or classical democracy: based on the idea of man’s creation in the holy image of God. This provides democracy’s basic principles, freedom and equality, with rational and moral constraints. (Freedom is not “living as you like,” and equality is not a leveling but and elevating principle. The holy nation is a “kingdom of noblemen.”)

2. “Normless” or contemporary democracy. No ethical standards. Freedom is living as you please, and equality leads to vulgarity via the equivalence of all lifestyles. (Moral equivalence: “One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.” Arafat is awarded a Nobel Peace Prize.) (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…)

It has been reported that left-wing extremists and Palestinian Arabs destroyed thousands of grape vines belonging to local Jews in Samaria yesterday.

This would never have happened if Israel had a truly Jewish government. It is precisely the anti-Jewish character of Israel’s government that encourages leftwing extremists (and Arabs) to destroy Jewish property—and with the obvious intention of eradicating Judaism in all of Eretz Israel.

We see here further evidence of the civil war mentioned in a previous article of mine—The War Between Jews and Jews. (more…)

Courtesy of  Free Republic.

Posted 15 August, 2007 by Mike Baker.

Through a chain of events and people I have met online, I became aware of the Middle East Radio Forum (MERF), hosted by Attorney William J. Wolf, based in Phoenix. I have listened from time to time, as most of the time we are out and about Sunday at noon.

Friend Dr. Steve Carol, retired historian, sent out an email imploring his email list to listen this past Sunday, August 12. I was home, so I did. I am very glad I did.

The guest was Professor Paul Eidelberg with the The Foundation for Constitutional Democracy, interviewed from Israel. The topic was “The lack of leadership in Israel and is a two-state solution possible?” (more…)

As you know, the slogan of the American Revolution was “No taxation without representation.”

Well folks, in honor of that Revolution, allow me to say that the taxation levied by the British government on Americans was nothing compared to the taxation Israel’s government inflicts on the Jews of this country—and yet these Jews also lack representation—genuine representation!

So what do we see here in Israel? (more…)

Edited transcript of the Eidelberg Report, Israel National Radio, June 18, 2007.

On June 6, 2007, Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu was interviewed by Victoria Vexelman of the Russian Channel-7. I have an English rendering of excerpts of that interview and will comment on Netanyahu’s stated position on key issues.

Vexelman asked Netanyahu: “What is your attitude to the idea of a law to extend Israel’s sovereignty on those territories where there is no Arab population?”¹ [Vexelman apparently has in mind Israeli annexation of those areas of Judea and Samaria where Jewish communities are located, as well as those areas of Judea and Samaria where neither Jews nor Arabs are located. Jewish sovereignty over these areas would preclude the establishment of a Palestinian state.] (more…)

Interviewed last week in The Jerusalem Post, left-wing Professor of Law Uriel Reichman said that Israel’s system of government is seriously flawed.

Left-wing Political Scientist Naomi Chazan said as much of the system in the same newspaper.

Question 1: Is it not strange that two eminent leftists should affirm what the present writer, reputedly a “right-winger,” has been saying for two decades? (more…)

[Courtesy of YesOnThree.com. Bracketed material and emphasis inserted by PE.]

Why We Need It

Pierce County voters [in Washington State] demonstrated their overwhelming dislike of the pick-a-party primary by approving the “top-two” primary Initiative 872 in 2004. Voters were looking for a way to regain the choice of any candidate from any party they had with Washington’s traditional blanket primary. [Similarly, in Israel, citizens are compelled to vote for a fixed party slate—a formula for party oligarchy.]

Unfortunately, political parties successfully challenged the “top-two” primary in court (more…)

1. It is well known that Ehud Olmert, who is primarily responsible for Israel’s defeat in the Second Lebanese War, is the most inept and least respected prime minister in Israel’s history.

2. Therefore, in view of the emerging nuclear threat from Iran and the proximate threat of its proxies, Hezbollah in the north and Hamas in the south, Mr. Olmert is a clear and present danger to Israel’s survival. (more…)

James Wilson of Pennsylvania was one of six men who signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. His contribution to the deliberations of the Federal Constitutional Convention of 1787 was second only to that of James Madison. He was also the principal draftsman of Pennsylvania’s own constitution of 1790.

Mr. Wilson was one of the original Justices of the Supreme Court as well as one of the first professors of law. He was widely regarded as the profoundest legal scholar of his generation. (more…)

How do citizens of Israel elect the 120 members of the Knesset—their parliament? Before answering this question, certain facts need to be recalled.

First, Israel makes the entire country a single electoral district where parties with fixed slates of candidates vie for seats on the basis of proportional representation.

Second, given an electoral threshold of only 2% (of the total votes cast), a welter of parties compete in an election. (more…)

If we contrast Israel with its Arab neighbors, it would be a gross exaggeration to regard Israel as a totalitarian state, to say nothing of former president Jimmy Carter’s malicious and mendacious reference to Israel as an apartheid state.

Not only does Israel have universal suffrage along and with periodic multi-party elections, but its Knesset or parliament has three Arab parties. What is more, the leaders of these parties advocate Israel’s demise and have even urged Israel’s Arab citizens to emulate Hezbollah.

Arab MKs such as Azmi Bishara and Talib a-Sana can even incite Arab citizens to murder Jews with impunity. (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…)

The cabinet will soon vote on Avigdor Lieberman’s government reform bill. It is a dangerous bill tailored to Lieberman’s personal ambitions.

The chairman of Israel Beiteinu claims that his proposal for a presidential form of government is modeled after the America system. If so, I will have to trash my two books on the American Constitution and apologize to the political scientists that have either adopted or recommended these books in their courses on American government. (more…)

Having just received Freedom House’s 800-page volume Freedom in the World 2005, I can now update not only the number of democracies which Freedom House ranks “free” (as opposed to “partly free”), but also set forth how many of these democracies are smaller than Israel both in population and in size. This article refutes the contention that regional or multi-district elections in Israel would favor its Arab parties and disfavor its religious Jewish parties. Although more needs to be said about regional elections, this article provides a rational basis for further discussion.

It seems that many benighted Jews in Israel believe that their system of government descended from Mount Sinai. Their educators have yet to tell them their first and greatest prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, deplored Israel’s governmental system. He deemed it divisive and discordant as well as unprincipled and undemocratic. (more…)

Edited transcript of the Eidelberg Report, Israel National Radio, September 11, 2006.

If ever it was obvious that Israel is in dire need of reconstructing its system of governance, it is now—now that we have experienced the ineptitude of the Olmert government. We need a more democratic, a more rational, and a more Jewish governmental system.

First, we must make the government responsive and accountable to the people. This necessitates rational parliamentary election rules. There are two extreme types of parliamentary election rules. (more…)