An Appeal to All Feiglinites

by Prof. Paul Eidelberg (THIS ARTICLE IS REPRINTED BY ISILL WITH THE KIND PERMISSION OF THE RAPHI.COM) Friday, August 26, 2005 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. Urgently needed is the formation of a union of extra-parliamentary nationalist groups—but not merely to form another political party and compete in the next election. No! Since Feiglin errs by remaining in and thereby dignifying a corrupt party, so we must not dignify Israel’s corrupt SYSTEM of governance by merely running for a few seats in the Knesset. Indeed, just as Feiglin admits he will not take over the Likud in the very near future, so “just another” political party in the Knesset will lack the power to save Israel from the destructive consequences of a Sharon-led government, or a Netanyahu-led government, or an Uzi Landau-led government. These men are all tainted. None of them will prevent—indeed, they are virtually committed to—the further territorial shrinkage of Israel, to say nothing of their secular bias. I have in mind the development of an Alternative Force that competes for political power only after it delegitimizes the SYSTEM—a system that enables Knesset Members, Cabinet Ministers, and Supreme Court judges to ignore Jewish public opinion and convictions with impunity. The Alternative Force must operate on two levels: It must show how the politicians and parties that boast of representing the “nationalist camp” betrayed their supporters and the country by joining the Sharon government. The public must be told that these politicians and their parties signed a coalition agreement in 2003 that points to nothing less than Israel’s withdrawal from Judea, Samaria, and Gaza. But the public must also be shown how the existing party system facilitated this betrayal and actually undermines the Jewish character of the State. (My colleague, Professor Israel Hanukoglu, has written a superb paper on this issue which will soon be available to the public.) The question remains: How is one to form this Alternative Force? We have very practical ideas for this purpose, but it would be premature to publicize these ideas at this time. However, it should be obvious that so long as Moshe Feiglin remains in the Likud and lures many young people and activists into that party, this will make the formation of an Alternative Force all the more difficult. Meanwhile, he will not prevent the further truncation and suffering of Israel. We therefore urge Mr. Feiglin and his supporters to reexamine their position. Ask yourselves how many years will it take for you to gain control of the Likud—assuming that you have a realistic chance of doing so? Then ask: How much irreversible damage will be done to the State of Israel during this problematic period? After all, look how many Jews have been murdered and how many have now lost their homes while you have been in the Likud? And look how the very Judaism you extol has been undermined by this Likud-led or Peres-type government? So, I urge you to quit that corrupt party. In the name of Manhigut Yehudit—Jewish Leadership—join or form an effective Jewish Leadership by working with other nationalist groups to develop an Alternative Force. Stop dignifying a crooked party and a crooked SYSTEM of government. ***** Prof. Eidelberg, special to TheRaphi.com, is a political scientist, author and lecturer; co-founder and president of The Foundation For Constitutional Democracy and is the President of the Yamin Israel movement.