1) Despite Sharon’s advocacy of a Palestinian state, more than 50% of Yesha voted for his Likud party in the January 2003 election. This contributed to the Likud’s winning 38 seats.
2) Suppose 20% of those who voted Likud had the good sense to vote for National Union and the National Religious Party. (Allow me to ignore Israel B’Aliya and Herut to simply this message.) The Likud would then have received only 30 seats. The division of seats between these three parties would then have been 30 to 23 (instead of 38 to 13). Sharon would then have had three or four fewer Likud cabinet ministers. If he was then foolish enough to adopt Labor’s disengagement policy, he would not have been able to get cabinet approval.
3) Therefore, many right-minded citizens who oppose this insane policy unwittingly contributed to its enactment! It is in this light that one should evaluate Moshe Feiglin’s current recruitment of right-minded citizens into the Likud.
4) Suppose, as a result of his efforts, the Likud, after the next election, has four MKs who identify with Feiglin. These new MKs will be on the bottom of the Likud party list. But by their addition to the number of Likud mandates, they will actually increase the power of Likud MKs on the top of the Likud list, hence cabinet ministers that do NOT identify with Feiglin.
5) Now, it’s pretty obvious that the Likud will lose seats in the next election—some polls indicate at least ten. Feiglin’s recruiting people into the Likud will not significantly alter this state of affairs, which means that his chances of getting into the Knesset are virtually nil.
6) But now, because the country is in a turmoil over Sharon’s expulsion-and-retreat plan this is precisely the time for BOLD action. I therefore urge Feiglin to pull Manhigut Yehudit out of the Likud on the grounds that most of its MKs have not only betrayed those who voted Likud in the 2003 election, but also because they are now tolerating the cruel dictatorship of Ariel Sharon, who is trampling on the rights and heritage of the Jewish people and committing the greatest Hillul HaShem—the desecration of God’s name.
7) Without his slackening efforts to defeat Sharon’s expulsion-and-retreat plan, I urge Feiglin to ANNOUNCE his INTENTION to form a Congress of National Salvation consisting of extra-parliamentary nationalist groups. This Congress will organize a nationwide grass roots movement—a Jewish National Movement—whose purpose is to gain commanding power in the next election by means of a “shadow government.”
8) The public must be given to understand that this “shadow government” is staffed by professional people who, regardless of their degree of religious observance, venerate the Jewish heritage. These professionals will head committees that parallel government ministries. They will design public policies which are recognizably Jewish and will therefore contribute to the restoration of Jewish national pride.
9) Feiglin will accomplish nothing lasting in the Likud, a morally and intellectually bankrupt party. As the Sages say, “you can’t make a crooked line straight.” Feiglin must get out of the Likud and start afresh.
A Message to Moshe Feiglin and His Supporters
From Prof. Paul Eidelberg
1) Despite Sharon’s advocacy of a Palestinian state, more than 50% of Yesha voted for his Likud party in the January 2003 election. This contributed to the Likud’s winning 38 seats.
2) Suppose 20% of those who voted Likud had the good sense to vote for National Union and the National Religious Party. (Allow me to ignore Israel B’Aliya and Herut to simply this message.) The Likud would then have received only 30 seats. The division of seats between these three parties would then have been 30 to 23 (instead of 38 to 13). Sharon would then have had three or four fewer Likud cabinet ministers. If he was then foolish enough to adopt Labor’s disengagement policy, he would not have been able to get cabinet approval.
3) Therefore, many right-minded citizens who oppose this insane policy unwittingly contributed to its enactment! It is in this light that one should evaluate Moshe Feiglin’s current recruitment of right-minded citizens into the Likud.
4) Suppose, as a result of his efforts, the Likud, after the next election, has four MKs who identify with Feiglin. These new MKs will be on the bottom of the Likud party list. But by their addition to the number of Likud mandates, they will actually increase the power of Likud MKs on the top of the Likud list, hence cabinet ministers that do NOT identify with Feiglin.
5) Now, it’s pretty obvious that the Likud will lose seats in the next election—some polls indicate at least ten. Feiglin’s recruiting people into the Likud will not significantly alter this state of affairs, which means that his chances of getting into the Knesset are virtually nil.
6) But now, because the country is in a turmoil over Sharon’s expulsion-and-retreat plan this is precisely the time for BOLD action. I therefore urge Feiglin to pull Manhigut Yehudit out of the Likud on the grounds that most of its MKs have not only betrayed those who voted Likud in the 2003 election, but also because they are now tolerating the cruel dictatorship of Ariel Sharon, who is trampling on the rights and heritage of the Jewish people and committing the greatest Hillul HaShem—the desecration of God’s name.
7) Without his slackening efforts to defeat Sharon’s expulsion-and-retreat plan, I urge Feiglin to ANNOUNCE his INTENTION to form a Congress of National Salvation consisting of extra-parliamentary nationalist groups. This Congress will organize a nationwide grass roots movement—a Jewish National Movement—whose purpose is to gain commanding power in the next election by means of a “shadow government.”
8) The public must be given to understand that this “shadow government” is staffed by professional people who, regardless of their degree of religious observance, venerate the Jewish heritage. These professionals will head committees that parallel government ministries. They will design public policies which are recognizably Jewish and will therefore contribute to the restoration of Jewish national pride.
9) Feiglin will accomplish nothing lasting in the Likud, a morally and intellectually bankrupt party. As the Sages say, “you can’t make a crooked line straight.” Feiglin must get out of the Likud and start afresh.
Posted by Tiburon at July 19, 2005 11:09 PM