“How is it
possible that an intelligent woman, such as you, “votes for Netanyahu?” asked
me one of my “enlightened” friends.
“The answer
is in your question and in one word, 'intelligent,'" I answered, without
flinching.
Allow me to take you back in time to 1977, the year Likud took over. At that
time, I lived in the US. I was young dreamer, a student at Berkeley, one who
wanted to be a pioneer in making the world a better place. In short, I was a
leftist.
After the
waves of the initial shock which resulted from that election have subsided, I
started to ask, “How did we lose that campaign?”
When I sobered
up, I asked, “Why did the Likud win?”
It took me but a short while to realize where I went wrong. Most of the those
who voted for Likud in that year, originated from the same countries that wish
to bring our demise. Those voters and their parents lived amid dwellers of these
countries, some of whom still loath us deeply.
Immigrants
from Arab/Muslim countries have mastered the frame of mind and modus operandi
of their neighbours in those countries. Most importantly, they knew best how to
stand up to them and what it might take to overcome them. I, a daughter of two
parents from Eastern Europe, was clueless on the subject.
Since that
day, I am a proud Likudnik.
With your permission, I wish to get back to the titular subject, “Why
Netanyahu?”
In our complex world, everything is relative. In order to grasp the subject of
relativity, one needs to go through similar experiences in order to establish a
firm opinion, and as much as possible, an objective one regarding those encounters.
As some of
you know, I have lived in several countries, all democracies. Their leaders all
had, of course, the same declared goal, to ensure the health and safety of
their citizens. In each of the countries that I lived in, I was involved,
through my work or other associations, with members of the government and other
agencies, in one way or another.
I followed
these leaders very closely and learned to know some of them very well.
I saw leaders who, through failed policies, destroyed their countries. On the
other hand, I experienced leaders who through the wisdom of their hearts
rebuilt it and turned them into superpower. I also witnessed insignificant politicians
using the system for their own benefit either through a populist approach or contributing
to vain hatred. At the same time, I saw monumental leaders whose guiding light
was the benefit and well-being of their nation.
So, please believe
me, the yard stick, the instrument of comparison, which I built over the years,
has helped me immensely, especially these days. It allows me to recognize the
best, relative to others that resemble each other in look and essence and are
clustered together in one group, nations with a democratic core.
Netanyahu stands out among these leaders. He is a
responsible prime minister. He is a devoted Zionist, loves his People, is aware
of their sanguineous history and, in my view, it is the care for his People and
its future is the seminal factor that
sparks him every single day.
So, I will continue to support him!
If I were to summarize the essence of this article, it will say that the 1977
change of government has made me a Likudnik. Life in various foreign democracies
and the way their leaders conduct themselves, is what has made me a staunch
supporter of Netanyahu.
Strengthening your hand, my Prime Minister.
