Politics in Israel these days is a fierce battle between the generals of terrorism and the falcons of extremist policies which drives us to believe that a change in the governing structure of the Jewish state is at hand.
The need for change has become more pressing in light of the recession afflicting the Israeli economy. There is a rise in unemployment which in turn is spreading deviance among the working force and young people inside Israel.
The downturn in Israel began with the explosive Aqsa intifada more than two years ago — triggered by the butcher Ariel Sharon who later became the elected prime minister.
It is certain that the continuation of the intifada has pushed Sharon into excessive monstrosity. To squash the uprising he is using the army with the result that Israeli society is suffering economically and psychologically.
This is a reality and not an assumption. There are enough warning signals.
On the economic front, the Yedihot Ahronot newspaper says: The deteriorating situation has hit the Israeli tourism and leisure sector. A number of hotels and restaurants and cafes are deserted and an Israeli study has revealed that in the last two years one thousand cafes and restaurants have been closed due to the Palestinian suicide bombings.
According to the president of the Union of Israeli Chambers of Commerce Glizman, the Israeli economy will need a number of years to get back into shape and all this is due to the wrong policies of the government.
The number of tourists has dropped by 50 percent which has led to the closure of 25 hotels while 28,000 workers in the tourist sector have lost their jobs.
Under the heading “Israeli society is prisoner of fear”, the newspaper “Haaretz” described the effect that the intifada has had on Israel: It is possible to describe it as a balance of fears. On the West Bank and Gaza Palestinians do not go out on the streets for fear of being hit by tanks, a shell or rocket being launched by an Israeli warplane. Israelis are afraid of going out on the streets for fear of another suicide mission that may be attempted by a Palestinian.
The result of this fear and unemployment is that drugs, especially Ecstasy, have become the recourse of a great number of young people, conscripts and the unemployed. This is an attempt to escape the reality and pressures of the current state of insecurity. This drug brings momentary happiness but drives the addict to crime and violence.
Lately a new type of addiction has spread in Israel — addiction to laughing gas. Not an event or party goes by without the use of this gas that destroys the cells of the nervous system. Dr. Hayeem Sernat, dean of the dental school at Tel Aviv University, says the use of this gas paralyzes the body.
The soldiers of the Israeli Army are no different from civilians.
They too have fallen victim to this type of addiction. There is growing demand for drugs in general due to the soldiers’ unstable and insecure military situation.
Dr. Galser, president of the rehabilitation unit in the Israeli Health Ministry, says: The demand for alcohol has risen in Israel, especially after the start of Palestinian resistance operations. There has also been an increase in the number of Israelis visiting psychiatric clinics in the last two years.
Thus we find that the policies of Sharon have done great harm to Israeli society aside from the fact that he has not fulfilled any of the promises he made in his election campaign: That he will bring peace and security for Israelis and break the will of the Palestinians.
Now Sharon and his sons are involved in a corruption scandal. The case is currently under investigation. The police are investigating another scandal involving Sharon.
Now it is widely expected that this is the beginning of the political end of Ariel Sharon. It seems that the Israeli political strategists are convinced of the need for a change in government.
Does Sharon’s departure mean that the peace process will be back on course? No. Whoever takes Sharon’s place will not be any better than him. Everyone is committed to the same ideas, principles and aims.
Arab News Opinion 14 January 2003
