Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem Blog

In addition to my work as a business coach, one of my interests is blogging about life in Israel. This is a country full of contrasts – over eight million citizens living in an area the size of Wales. You can see snow and the lowest place on the globe in the same day. Although surrounded by geopolitical extremes, Israel has achieved a decade of high economic growth. My work brings me in contact with an array of new companies, exciting technologies and dynamic characters. Sitting back with a relaxing cup of strong tea (with milk), you realise just how much there is to appreciate in the Holyland. Large or small operations, private sector or non profit, my clients provide experiences from which others can learn and benefit.

Last Wednesday,  Sgt Elor Azaria was found guilty of shooting dead a Palestinian terrorist, who was already incapacitated. The verdict, based on a 10 month military trial, sparked a sharp response from his supporters, which in turn prompted calls for an immediate pardon from many, including from the Prime Minister.

The weekend papers were full of commentaries. And yet by Sunday afternoon, the event had been forgotten. First, a junior Israeli diplomat had been caught on camera, explaining how he could help reduce the credibility of British politicians. What a fool! And then, terror returned to the streets of Jerusalem, as a terrorist drove into and murdered four soldiers.

The Azaria case had been forgotten, ostensibly. But it had left behind a terrible, yet hidden, cost.

Let us establish a few facts. First, dubbed a hero by family and fanatical supporters, Azaria is not a hero. In the heat of a moment, a soldier with an excellent track record up to then, made a mistake. His second mistake was not to own up to it, back to defend his offensive actions.

A third mistake was made by his commanding officer, who probably had not given clear orders. And all of this appears to have been compounded by a legal team, whose miscalculations ensured that Azaria gave contradictory evidence at the trial.

Just to make things worse, money was raised to support the family and the legal action. As of now, there is no transparent accounting of the sums. And the PR campaigner and former Member of the Kenesset, Sharon Gal, having helped the Azaria family at first, mysteriously went underground for a couple of weeks. Bizarre.

For the record, I fully agree with the journalist Sivan Rahav Meir. She individually read out the forgotten names on prime time of the Israelis killed recently by terrorists, defining them as the real heroes.

So why did the Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, and the Minister of Education, Naftali Bennett, and others rush out to call for a pardon, even before an appeal had been launched? Why did they not wait for the end of the legal process.

Their actions effectively called into question the trial procedure, which they are supposed to stand up for. Further, they undermined the authority of the Chief of Staff, and have yet to retract in public. In others words, at a time of immense pain for the country – a moment, when the nation was calling out for leadership – they were looking after their own constituencies. They sought to divide. That is disgraceful and unacceptable!

In particular, Netanyahu seems increasingly insular. He has reportedly compared his losing a previous election and having to leave the Prime Ministerial home to those settlers evicted from their houses by the courts. He is currently being investigated for allegedly asking a newspaper to curtail its criticism of him in return for favours for its owner. And so the list goes on.

The Azaria case was described in one headline as the ‘bullet that woke up the country’. In my view, that is not what has shaken everybody.

The complete lack of strong moral direction from the senior political leadership is creating a vacuum in society. Others are filling the gaps. The string of mistakes in the Azaria story exposed this gaping and widening hole. The establishment appears unable and unwilling to do anything about it, and that is what hurts more than anything.

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