Our gallant and gifted political analyst, Caroline Glick, Deputy Managing editor of The Jerusalem Post, has called for a popular uprising against the Olmert government. Her December 8, 2006 article “Jews Wake Up!” focuses on the existential threat looming over Israel by Iran’s nuclear development, which may yield nuclear weapons as early as March 2007, four months away.
What is more, some experts say that Iran, given the increasing range of its missiles, may soon have the ability to nuke European and even American cities! Hence Glick is all the more dismayed by the statement of incoming Secretary of Defense Robert Gates that the U.S. cannot guarantee that Iran will not attack Israel with nuclear weapons. This clearly implies that Washington will allow Iran to proceed with its nuclear development. Such being the case, Israel itself must terminate the regime of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to avoid a nuclear holocaust.
However, inasmuch as Israel is now led by its most inept government and worst prime minister, Ehud Olmert, the intrepid Caroline Glick concludes as follows:
GUARANTEEING our survival begins with each of us deciding that we are willing to fight to survive. And today the challenge facing us is clear.
Either the Iranian regime is toppled and its nuclear installations will be destroyed or Israel will be annihilated. The Jews in the Diaspora must launch mass demonstrations and demand that their governments take real action to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
The citizens of the State of Israel must also take to the streets. The government that led us to defeat in Lebanon this summer is leading us to a disaster of another order entirely. All citizens must demand that Olmert, his ministers and the generals in the IDF General Staff make an immediate decision. They now hold the responsibility for acting against Iran. They must either act or resign and make way for others who will.
America has abdicated its responsibility to defend itself against Iran and so left Israel high and dry. Nevertheless, the Jewish people is far from powerless. And the State of Israel also is capable of defending itself. But we must act and act immediately.
Like any profound writer, Carline Glick knows more than she is here saying, so allow me to add the following:
First, she is well aware of the present government’s timidity, especially one led by a gasbag like Olmert. We can expect nothing from a prime minister who covers his lack of courage by resorting to the old nonsense, “we have the strength to use self-restraint.”
Second, in urging the citizens of Israel to take to the streets, Glick is calling for a popular uprising—and I need not define what this means. She is also suggesting, on the surface, that massive demonstrations may impel Olmert and his spineless government either to take decisive action or resign. She knows better: no massive demonstration against any Israeli government has ever succeeded. How can it in this so-called democracy?
Third, she knows that a massive demonstration to succeed and accomplish her stated objectives, it must be galvanized and led by persons prepared to assume political power. Such persons must be known and respected by the Jewish people. They must be capable of arousing not only the people’s existential fears and contempt for the government—say their negative passions; but to prevent anarchy (usually followed by tyranny), those passions must be modulated by stirring Jewish ideas and memories.
Yes, but who are these heroic persons? In my December 4 report on Israel National Radio, I urged that “every effort must be made by patriotic groups to subordinate their agendas to the task of finding … a man of courage and wisdom to lead Israel against its implacable foes….This man must be …eligible to both observant and non-observant Jews. Beginning with a nucleus of three, let ten prominent Jews representing diverse professions and sectors of Israeli society unite and go on a ‘talent hunt’ for the man Israel urgently needs. Let the search and its purpose be advertised in the newspapers to reinforce what is already widely felt: that the Olmert government has utterly failed to protect the lives and property and honor of our people and must therefore resign.”
These men—I do not exclude women—must be prepared to form an alternative government. But now let me recall another proposal of mine. Suppose the ten men hitherto mentioned included eminent private citizens and retired generals of the IDF. Suppose they met with Mr. Olmert and told him that if his government and current general staff of the IDF do not resign, they will lead a sustained massive demonstration and/or call for a national strike.
Surely such a proposal is not quite consistent with democracy. Olmert might very well have these men held in administrative detention if not indicted for insurrection. You see the problem, don’t you? And you can be sure, so does Caroline Glick.
You want a positive recommendation? Pray! That’s the only recommendation I can make that precludes the typical response to my positive proposals: “We don’t have enough time.”
