Shaked (L) and Regev (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky, Ohad Zwigenberg)
Howard Epstein – LETTER FROM ISRAEL BRING ON THE LADIES
Amongst all the news – or noise – about satisfying Hamas over how much money they should be provided with by Qatar in order not to go to war with Israel once more – after only two months of “peace” – fighting along the Gaza/Israel border (which may yet claim the life of Border Police Officer St.-Sgt. Bar-el Shmueli, wantonly shot in the head last Friday), over the augmented risks to Israel of the world’s policemen (America) going AWOL and concerning reports of Iranian progress toward a nuclear breakout, one could be forgiven for forming the impression that there is no domestic news in Israel. Indeed, it has long been observed that all policy in Israel is foreign policy, and the news almost fully coincides with that. Nevertheless, there was a significant domestic story last week in the Jewish State and it is worthy of consideration.
On Sunday, 22 August, the cabinet of the Israeli government approved the reduction in the age of exemption for ultra-orthodox men from IDF service to 21 (rising over the next two years to 23). Prime Minister Bennett said (and it is worth setting out his statement in full):-
“For decades the State of Israel has consistently chosen to cut off its nose to spite its face, ie out of anger over ultra-orthodox who do not serve … , they were also compelled not to join the labour market until they were older. Today, we are putting a stop to this and opening the labour and employment markets to ultra-orthodox young men. We are removing the impediments and allowing freedom of choice for many thousands of ultra-orthodox young men, without coercion ….. This is the long and correct road on behalf of the national interest. Integrating the ultra-orthodox sector into the employment market is a goal of the highest order, for all of us. I am personally moved; this is a historic move for the future of Israel.”
It is indeed a major step forward in the process of bringing together different parts of Israeli society.
Interestingly, outside the ultra-orthodox communities, Israelis, especially the school-children do not need to be told that there are no differences between them worth mentioning. Kids of Ashkenazi and Mizrachi (eastern) heritage see no differences: dating, and ultimately marriage, between them, is common-place and unremarkable. That is unless you are Miri Regev MK, who has her own, political agenda. A former Minister of Culture, and Minister of Transportation and National Infrastructure, she now set her sights higher. She aspires to be prime minister and recognises that her route runs through the leadership of Likud.
On 14 August, Regev announced her intention to run in any competition to succeed Netanyahu as leader of Likud. So far, so bland, but Regev can never resist the opportunity to play the Israeli race card and asserted: “The time has come to have a Sephardi prime minister. I think the Likud rank and file must vote this time for someone who represents their class, their ethnicity and their agenda.” She went on to say that, if she does not become the leader of Likud, she may form her own party. Since there are already 39 political parties in Israel, what difference would one more make? Well, we can do without one founded on ethnic differences of which most Israelis are normally unconscious.
In case you were wondering just how far to the right Regev lies, Haaretz described her in 2018 as “Israel’s Trump in High Heels”. (It does not bear thinking about, does it?)
And do not for a moment think Regev is the only female politician well to the Right in the Knesset. Ayelet Shaked, the current Minister of the Interior, made it clear last week that she will bring down the government of which she is part, in the event that the current foreign minister, Yair Lapid (who will be PM within a couple of years pursuant to his deal with Naftali Bennett) even dreams of moving towards a two-state solution with the Palestinians. Shaked is a considerable force in Israeli politics, and much more so than Regev, having brought into being the Nation-State law, and a law limiting the powers of the Israeli Supreme Court.
When one considers Israel’s neighbours, whose female members of society – around 50% of the population – have almost no profile in public life, one can only take pride in the first pioneers here, over 140 years ago, for treating their women as essential members of the work-force, thus almost doubling it at a time when manpower was in short supply. This did not mean that there was complete equality of opportunity or reward, but the talent that might have been wasted was promoted for the good of society. The tradition persists to this day.
The Taliban could do worse than reflect on this as they subjugate, torture, rape, murder and otherwise oppress Afghanistani girls and women in their benighted country.
© August 2021 – Howard Epstein
