DEMAND
FOR YOUR RESIGNATION
Like the majority of Anglos I made Aliyah to a Jewish State under the
Law of Return. The latter right being only available to people who can prove to
the satisfaction of the civil authorities that they are Jewish. A large number
of my friends and acquaintances who also made Aliyah from the UK and other
democratic countries and who attended Hovevei Zion Beit Knesset where you are a
frequent worshipper are dismayed at the way chaos has resulted from your poor decisions
at a time of emergency.
In viewing the current political turmoil in the country one wonders
what you were considering when you made that ill-fated judgement to hand the
mandate to form a government to Gantz of the “Blue & White” party on the
recommendations of the various parties elected to the 23rd Knesset
as a result of the third election on 2 March.
Out of 4.55 million votes cast, 0.58 million were for the Joint Arab
list. On the basis that very few if not any Jews voted for this list, which
leaves 3.97million Jewish votes. Out of the latter 56.4 percent voted for
Nationalist Zionist/Jewish parties. It was with utter dismay that it was
learned that instead of considering the Jewish voters’ choice of government you
took it upon yourself to consider all the votes cast, including those of the
Joint Arab List amongst whose leaders is Ahmed Tibi, a past adviser to Yassar
Arafat. At the time the PLO, which Arafat
headed, was murdering and maiming Jews both in the Jewish State and Diaspora,
with impunity.
As I stated, only Jews have the
right to make Aliyah under the Law of Return to a Jewish State. This being the
case you should have, putting aside any personal animosity, handed the mandate
to the leader of the party with the largest number of seats in the Knesset. When
you made your decision, even aware that the current plague, Covid-19, could
affect the country, and given the two previous inconclusive election results,
it was incumbent upon you to call the parties together not to form a unity
government but a National Emergency Government as was done in 1967 when Begin
joined the existing government and cabinet without preconditions and without a
ministry as a Minister without Portfolio. The chaos resulting from you poor
judgement since you handed the mandate to Gantz, during this period of this national
and international emergency bodes ill for the citizens of Israel. Now that
Gantz has apparently changed his mind about running a government with the joint
Arab list and several of the parties that initially constituted the “Blue and
White” party, he has with his reduced minority demanded the senior ministries
in a proposed unity government – instead of joining the current interim
government as a minister without portfolio as Begin did in 1967.
It is understood from the media today that Mr. Gantz is seeking an
extension from April 13, the time he has to return the mandate you gave him to
form a government. As pointed out above, since his original “Blue and White”
party at the time of the elections has disintegrated his reconstructed “Blue
and White” party is even smaller. No extension should be forthcoming given the
numerical vote count of March 2. We
need a National Emergency Government to handle the current health crisis and
the future economic crisis that will ultimately result. The best thing for the
country would be if you took responsibility for your ill-fated judgement, did
not extend Gantz’s mandate and resigned forthwith.
Ben Gurion told Professor Chaim Weitzman on offering him the position
of the first president, you will be the titular head of the state but not have
any political prerogatives, akin to the monarch of the UK. I believe this is
also contained in the Basic Law of the State of Israel. Yet unlike Weitzman you
have taken the liberty at every available opportunity to make political
statements. Now is the time to relinquish your position for the benefit of the
country.
