Are Israelis capable of being a united people?

On June 16, 1858, a young, then aspiring U.S. senatorial candidate named Abraham Lincoln gave a stirring address, for which he would be remembered. Knowing the serious danger posed by the divisions caused over the highly-charged issue of slavery, his speech, was meant to stress the need for unity as he emphasized the principle that, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

Never were truer words uttered or sentiments which are now so applicable to the Jewish state, often referred to as the “House of Israel.” Although this biblical expression, conjures up a unified and bonded bloc, known for its cohesive harmony, the massive divide, which began to appear prior to the October 7th massacre has, once again, returned. Its intensity, so great, threatens to take us back to the biblical days of the divided Kingdom of Israel in the north and Judah to the south, occurring during the 10th century BCE.

In those days, power struggles between rivaling tribes, as well as a government of indifference, after the death of King Solomon, was largely responsible for the split.  Similarly, thousands of years later, we’re seeing a repeat of the same.

It was in January, 2023, when much of the Israeli public reacted harshly, taking to the streets to protest what they felt was a dangerous power grab by a newly-elected ultra-Orthodox government coalition, which sought to dramatically change the face of Israel, having the potential to badly impact minorities and the majority secular population.  

As angry daily protests became commonplace, many believe that this giant rift convinced October 7th mastermind, Yahya Sinwar that a weakened Israel would be an opportune time to attack, and so it was. Of course, the onset of a brutal war has the tendency to unite a country, inasmuch as there is a new external enemy, making the one from within less lethal.

So, for a while, everyone worked together, in a coordinated effort to make sure our soldiers were well-fed, that farmers were helped with their crops, since foreign workers went home, and whatever other tasks could be managed in order to help the war effort.  

Consequently, those massive protests and angry voices, which had threatened to tear us apart at the seams, subsided. For most of us, it was the one bright spot in the war, after having endured 10 months of great civil unrest.

But once a stalemate took place to release the hostages, protests reappeared, pitting two sides against the other. One group was committed to doing whatever it would take to free those who were slowly dying in the hellish Hamas tunnels, while the other side was determined to continue the fight until every last terrorist was eliminated.

Of course, both of these positions had their merit, and it was often impossible to condemn either camp, because no one really knew which path would serve our interests best. That is why the temporary ceasefire came as a welcome reprieve, because although an exceedingly high price was paid to return 25 living hostages and the remains of eight others, we were, once again, united in our joy and celebration over these survivors who were given a second-chance at life.

Now that the war has been reignited over the impasse to release the remaining hostages, as a result of unacceptable Hamas terms, we find ourselves, yet again, bitterly divided – not only on the hostage front but also due to same political issues which were trying to be pushed forward before, but which are more problematic than ever because of an ongoing war.  

In a recently televised N12 interview, Supreme Court Justice Aharon Barak spoke about this very subject, warning everyone that this could easily be the undoing of the Jewish state. 

To briefly explain, some of the points of contention, the prime minister has decided to fire Shin Bet Security head, Ronen Bar over what Netanyahu calls a crisis of confidence in his leadership. 

Writer, Yaakov Katz hits the nail on the head when he says, “No one disputes that Bar, as the head of Israel’s internal security service of October 7, bears responsibility for the intelligence failures of that day. But why remove him now? Is this, as Netanyahu claims, about trust – about restoring confidence in Israel’s security leadership during wartime – or is this, too, a decision with a heavy dose of political interest?”

Willing to accept the prime minister’s decision, Ronen Bar has agreed to step down once he completes the ongoing investigation known as “Qatargate,” an inquiry into the connection between Qatar lobbyists and the allegation that some, within Bibi’s administration, accepted money in return for their promoting a positive image of Qatar, as being a helpful party to hostage negotiations. If government ties to these funds can be proven, it will uncover corruption charges of the highest order. 

In an 11th hour move, Israel’s Supreme Court froze the firing of Bar until April, and if Netanyahu and his coalition choose to disregard that decision, it is believed that a massive uprising of citizens will do all they can to paralyze the country until they bring down the government for not abiding by the authoritative powers of the judiciary. 

Bar has been accused of having knowledge, the night before October 7th, that an attack was imminent but failed to notify the prime minister, who contends that had he known what was being planned, he could have stopped it by mobilizing the military before it ever took place. This assertion has allegedly been labeled a fabrication by many government ministers who reporters claim are unwilling to come forward to tell the truth.

Add to that, a no-confidence vote of Gali Baharav-Miara, the Attorney-General, who will likely side with the judges. Her reaction is that the government is seeking to place itself above the law. And this is the problem. Netanyahu’s detractors view him, together with his coalition, as doing their utmost to escape scrutiny and accountability by removing every legal guardrail that is in place. 

In short, Israel is imperiled both from within and from hostile external forces – all of which could do great harm to the Jewish nation. For now, we remain bitterly divided, but if forcefully attacked, that could all change in a moment.  

The good news is that God is still looking out for His people and has promised to never allow the destruction of their homeland even though there appear to be very rough times ahead. We’re at the point where only the Almighty can unite us in the midst of such ominous threats!