National hysteria

The article “Netanyahu accuses Lapid and Gantz of seditious behavior” (December 6) is one of the most frightening items I have read. The explicit call of Lapid, who is still the prime minister of Israel, to civil rebellion and the scare-mongering tactics of Gantz, who is still defense minister (“We will cause [the country] to tremble”), as well as the open threats of Merav Michaeli (“Whoever raises their hand to harm democracy... will get the mother of all protests in the streets, squares and bridges”) demonstrate so clearly the unwillingness of these despicable people to accept a democratic election result.

I wonder if they too will “storm” the Knesset, copying the events surrounding Mr. Trump in the US. I watched Mr. Lapid on the news and saw the hatred and revenge-seeking expression on his face.

I really do not understand the national hysteria which has gripped a large proportion of our people over the period from the last election. This hysteria has also crossed borders so that now we have American Jewish leader Abe Foxman shivering in his armchair Zionist boots. Prophecies of doom, of the end of democracy, of a Talmud-based state, of attacks on women’s rights, and more – are being thrown around indiscriminately.

And why do I have difficulty in fathoming the logic behind these fear-provoking expressions of impending horror? Because in fact, the imminent upheaval in social norms and behavior is indeed a direct result of a healthy democracy. The personalities who will now lead the various aspects of Israeli life are those same people who enjoyed the majority of the national vote.

Are people objecting because the democratic system did not produce the required majority for their own opinions? Is it that which makes it undemocratic?

The writing has been on the wall for some years and now the people have given the mandate to the newly elected MKs to clean up this place, clean up the High Court interference in legislation, clean up the lawfare and return it to warfare, clean up the army and let the soldiers do their job without the fear of legal beagle ex-post-facto criticism, clean up the streets from parades which many people do not want their children to see, clean up the education devoid of Jewish values, which our children are receiving, clean up the purity of Jewish identity – the list goes on and relates to matters long overdue, and a general situation which has gotten out of hand.

So stop this hysteria and let’s wait to see what the new government will actually do, not pay attention to the venom that our erstwhile leaders spit out, nor to that which false prophets of woe bemoan in advance. LAURENCE BECKER

Jerusalem