The Jewish year 5777, which ended Sept. 20, will go down in the annals of Israeli history as the year of the sins. The biggest and first sin was the indecent assault on the hope of peace. Not so long ago, we Israelis used to send greeting cards ahead of the holiday, wishing our loved ones a “good new year” and adding “a year of peace.” In recent years, and more so over the past year, those wishing others a “year of peace” are considered weird at best and radical leftists at worst.
The strategic discourse about the Israeli-Arab conflict, the occupation of Palestinian territory and the Israeli settlements on those lands has made way for strident arguments for or against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara. Common refrains include such questions as, “Does one unseat a prime minister over a few takeaway food trays?” alluding to a pending indictment against Mrs. Netanyahu over allegedly abusing state funds for catered food. “Do you have anyone better than Netanyahu [to serve as prime minister]?’’ is another often-heard question.
