Can it get much worse?

Israel has been undergoing a severe crisis of governance since 1992. Only Netanyahu's 1996-1999 term as prime minister was somewhat better. Rabin, Peres, Barak, Sharon, and Olmert have behaved in astoundingly irresponsible ways. Just lately with the "truce" with Hamas it's reached a new nadir of frightening proportions. As Debkafile summarizes below, not a few people in Israel are aware of this. What's lacking is activism by the citizenry to say enough is enough. People ask me about this--why the citizenry doesn't rise up, with demonstrations and protests, and demand a change. The answer is that an unhealthy listlessness has set in. Another answer is that no democracy has ever been under such persistent attack for so long; this, combined with catastrophic leadership, may be the outcome--tuning out.

As Debka notes:

Gaza truce faces increasing domestic fire in Israel

June 22, 2008

Shin Bet director Yuval Diskin reported more smuggled arms from Sinai were reaching Gaza in the first 72 hours of the Israel-Hamas truce and Palestinian combat training had been stepped up. Mahmoud Abbas’ rival Fatah had taken a serious beating.

Justice minister Prof. Daniel Friedman called the Israel-Hamas truce deal “a first-class strategic blunder.” He condemned the decision to reopen the crossings, especially the Rafah border terminal on the Egyptian border, without obtaining the captured Israel soldier Gilead Shalit’s release, as “mayhem” in governance.

In tones of “I told you so,” Israel’s military intelligence (AMAN) director, Brig. Amos Yadlin reported Sunday, June 22, the Gaza truce in force since Thursday had fulfilled all Hamas goals: ending the siege, opening the door to international recognition of the terrorist group and a permit to continuing building up arms.

In his briefing to the Knesset foreign affairs and security committee, Brig. Yadlin warned that the Palestinian fundamentalists were now advancing on their next objectives, the West Bank takeover a year after their coup in Gaza, followed by the whole of Israel.