For many years now I have been visiting the Jewish communities of the USA once every few months, a fascinating mosaic and a variety of vibrant Jewish life that exists there. Over the years I have often found myself having difficulty explaining one Israeli policy or another, but I always knew how to present the righteousness of the idea of the Jewish state Now it becomes impossible.
Naturally, I get to meet the more involved communities, those connected by a courageous bond with Israel. People who visit Israel, donate to Israel, make sure to pray for peace and also admire it. Now they look at us with a shocked and anxious look, like an adult looking at a child who has lost it, and ask: “What the hell are you doing?”.
This is the older generation, the one that still sees the existence of the State of Israel as a visible miracle and also a kind of insurance certificate for all Jewry in the world. Now they are watching us burn this insurance certificate, and don’t understand.
For years they have been trying to infect their children and grandchildren with their enthusiasm for Israel. They celebrate their Bar Mitzvah at the Western Wall, send them to great enterprises such as Taglit and even serve in the IDF. Now, they say, the children ask them: “What is there to admire about this country, which is becoming bigoted, racist and undemocratic? What can we answer them?” For the first time I find myself without answers.
It is impossible to explain to the descendants of the Jews who fled the pogroms in Europe, that today it is the Jews who are carrying out pogroms in their Palestinian neighbors, moreover with the backing of ministers and Knesset members. How do you explain a recommendation by a senior minister in Israel that the IDF, under the eyes of Diaspora Jews, will commit a war crime and wipe out a Palestinian village?
“Leave it, the way you’re going, you’re losing our children,” they say, “but you’re also going to lose the entire United States. If the next American presidents can no longer say that Israel and the US share common democratic values - you will be left alone.”
And really, if this government managed to lose former ambassador David Friedman, a full-on right-wing Zionist, we’re going to lose everything. This is not only the destruction of the institutions of the Israeli state and society – it is the destruction of the essential supports for our existence.
A self-destructing nucleus
It is not clear if the destruction can still be stopped, but the coup d’état is approaching the moment of decision. The protest, as impressive as it is, will not be enough to stop the run amok of this crazy government. Some appreciate, or rather hope, that this government will fall apart by itself, from the frantic movement of all its parts in directions that are all bad.
But if we look at the history of coups in non-democratic countries (and unfortunately, we are one step away from being included in this unflattering definition) – the body that decides the results of the revolution is the army. Where the army deploys determines which side will win the revolution.
Although only a small minority of Israeli society continues to serve in the reserves, the IDF still relies on the reserve army, and especially in its most vital formation: the air force. What has been happening in the last two weeks in the WhatsApp groups of the reserve pilots, who are the main strength of the air force, indicates that they are getting closer to a breaking point.
Among the pilots, three groups can be distinguished, two of which are already taking an active position. The first group is of gray refusers, and it numbers dozens of pilots who simply announce that they will not come to the upcoming training or the operational alert. They justify it with personal reasons, without declarations and ceremony.
The second group is the group of freezers. Any reserve pilot in the Air Force may announce that he is freezing his operational qualification for a period of time. It is a mechanism designed to allow the reservists to devote themselves to their civilian activities for a certain period, after which they have to retake the operational competency tests. Here, too, there are already dozens who have announced a freeze.
The third group is the group of pilots who are considering openly and clearly declaring the cessation of their flights as a protest against the coup d’état. They are still debating whether to take this drastic step, but this week’s arrest of Idan Shimoni, a fighter helicopter pilot in the reserves, may be their catalyst.
In Israel it is forbidden to publish how many pilots there are in the air force on each plane, but I can say that if 150 pilots stop flying – our air force will not be able to go to war, certainly not to attack Iran. The “minister of lies” can continue to call them anarchists, but Israel cannot exist without an air force. as simple as that.
What will the Prime Minister do when the Chief of Staff comes in and tells him that the entire Air Force is demobilizing equipment for a wide-scale war or an attack on Iran? The way it has been seen in recent days, he will tell himself that he will be able to prevent a wide-scale war, will wait a bit with the plans to attack Iran, and in the meantime there is no real threat to the Persian Gulf His and his wife’s.
But such a protest move by Air Force pilots would be like throwing a stone into water, which creates ripples. This year, the IDF called 66 reserve battalions to guard the seam line and security in Judea and Samaria. How will security look when half of the battalion does not show up for call-up?
And what is saddest is the way they see us in Tehran, Beirut and Gaza. Our advantage over the environment has always been in solidarity and unity of purpose, and now the neighborhood looks and sees us divided, disintegrated, divided and fighting each other. The Iranian regime can stop investing huge inputs in nuclear, and just sit back and watch us. The kernel of self-destruction is already sprouting within us.
The writer is the military commentator of News 13
[email protected]