The banner of the war on corruption is a double-edged sword. Over the three years in which, as opposition chairman, Benjamin Netanyahu attacked then-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert over every subject imaginable, the only sentence he is remembered for is this: "A prime minister under investigation has no public mandate to make fateful decisions."
Now, it's Israel Democratic Party leader and former Prime Minister Ehud Barak's turn. Had he attacked Netanyahu over policies, issues pertaining to Right versus Left, religious versus secular, he might have had an easier time getting over the pothole he has recently encountered. But the only flag he has raised against Netanyahu is the banner of corruption and the glorification of democracy. Given that this has been the focus of his messaging on Twitter and WhatsApp, the pictures of Barak in New York, published by The Daily Mail, his face partially covered with a scarf as he enters convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's home are a deathblow to the Israel Democracy Party campaign.
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Regardless of whether he was trying to conceal his face or simply trying to stay warm in the chilly winter air, and regardless of whether those women photographed entering the building around the same time have nothing to do with him or not, the image reflected in the British tabloid's report is on the verge of the surreal. It is the farthest thing from the look of a legitimate candidate running in an Israeli election campaign. And even without the context, it is too bizarre for the Israeli eye to take in and just carry on as if it was nothing.
By the way, the conspiracy theory the Blue and White party has floated, which purports it was members of the Likud party and confidantes of Netanyahu that leaked the story to The Daily Mail is without basis - not that any of those people are incapable of doing such a thing, but just because it would not serve Netanyahu's interests. With the parties moments away from submitting their Knesset list, Netanyahu wants to see Barak as large and influential as possible. This is not only in order to steal precious votes from Blue and White, but also to allow for a possible collaboration with him following the election.
That is why Barak gave the speech of his life on Wednesday. His political fate hangs on a thin line between being and ceasing to exist, and Barak through this one speech tried to improve his standing moments before his exploits and image wiped him off the political map once and for all.
While Blue and White leader Benny Gantz opted to give the speech of his life above a large stage, with dozens of fired-up activists, the location Barak chose for his speech was a curious one: a steamy Tel Aviv club on the hottest day of the year. If beads of sweat could vote, Barak would have the largest party in the Knesset.
Despite everything, the club was packed to the brim, and many people were forced to watch from outside, and the enthusiastic outbursts, rounds of applause and boos all seemed absolutely authentic. Barak used gutter language to lay into Netanyahu, his son Yair and Netanyahu's close confidantes, like his former Chief of Staff Natan Eshel. Barak wanted to remind his supporters there is no greater opposition to Netanyahu than himself, but it is doubtful if his use of those vulgar words will help him shake the suspicions attributed to him in the British tabloid.
The candidate has no choice
They call themselves "hamitmodedim" ("those who cope or contend"). The conservative, and in particular religious, society, does not accept them due to their sexual preference, while the LGBT community denounces them. They are the gay and lesbian people who prefer not to take part in marches and demand rights and are torn and conflicted. They receive no support and are the target of criticism from every direction.
In August 2018, on the sideline of the internet, a small Facebook page by the name of "Confessions of a community of 'mitmodedim'" was opened. Its purpose, according to the page description: "This is the page for men and women dealing with being attracted to members of their own sex who do not chose to act on it, as well as for any person who feels connected to these kinds of feelings. People who seek change and want a safe and welcoming space that appreciates the special journey they have chosen to embark on. Here you can share the process you have gone through and are going through. Here you can also raise any questions or thoughts that may arise."
Over the weekend, the education minister, Rabbi Rabi Peretz, had the country in an uproar when he testified that he had sent some of his students to get the assistance they had sought. Immediately, he had a target on his back. But in practice, the ones that were actually hurt were those at the heart of this community of 'mitmodedim.' The greater LGBT community, which is supportive and empathetic when it comes to the fears and concerns of those individuals in the process of coming out of the closet out of empathy, does not show the 'mitmodedim' the same respect. As a result, many members of this community are forced to remain in the closet and are only willing to share their stories under the protection of the anonymous web
Not everyone is anonymous in this online community. Among the conversations and reactions, there are those who are willing to reveal their identity. The pain that is revealed between the lines is immense. One community member described how, up until recently, he "was very shy, and I knew that my shyness was such that it was stopping me from achieving my goals. I worked on myself, and even if I haven't made a 180-degree change, I have definitely made a 100-degree change. I am still a little shy, although a lot less. .. I was up until recently attracted only to men, and very intensely. Women disgusted me. I was in therapy where I learned a lot about myself, and today, my self-awareness is very high … I am still attracted to men, but much less so. I am not disgusted by women, and on rare occasions, I am even attracted to them."
The "mitmodedim" community's criticism of the LGBT community is sometimes harsher than its criticism of the religious community, from which many of it hail. "As if there is no option to deal," one writes. "Come out of the close or kill yourself. Come out. Come out. We will all like your post and we'll be happy. Look what an open and supportive community we are. If you don't come out, we will chase you. … You can try to get married, but we can assure you, it won't help. It's science, you understand? You're counting on psychologists? They will lie to you. Go to rabbis, the prayers – nothing will help. In the end, you will get a divorce and you will come out of the closet."
Members of the group say that following Peretz's remarks, their page has been inundated with posts. You will find no "conversion therapy" here. They don't like this terrible expression, it's negative and archaic connotation. They all agree: Such treatments, that include medication and electric shock therapy, are things of the past. But other treatments do exist. "I was never asked to do strange things like they talk about in conversion therapy," one community member testifies.
Peretz versus Shaked
In the meantime, Peretz has managed to apologize, but there are those in the national-religious community who believe that the repercussions will reverberate for a long time in the Habayit Hayehudi party. Peretz did not receive the full support of his friends and rabbis, even though it is reasonable to assume many of them agree with him, simply because the sticky situation Peretz has found himself in serves their interests. Many of them would like to see former Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked lead the United Right, and the only thing preventing that from happening is Peretz, who insists on remaining in the No.1 slot.
It is not just Habayit Hayehudi and the National Union parties that are waiting on Shaked's decision but also New Right leader Naftali Bennett. In the time that has elapsed since the repeat elections were called, Bennett has managed to deepen the rift between himself and the religious Zionist sector, with the aim of attracting an entirely different audience altogether, but without Shaked, he is running out of possibilities.
Unfortunately for him, Bennett is now at the mercy of his former New Right partner, Shaked. She can either bring him in with to the political alliance or leave him out. Shaked's inclination is for a union of parties that includes Bennett. That is a merger that could be for a slot on the Knesset list but probably not for a consequential role in the next government. Bennett will find himself at most the fourth in line, after Peretz, his fellow Habayit Hayehudi leader Bezalel Smotrich and Shaked. That is why Bennett prefers to have Shaked join forces with him and for them to run together, the way they did the last time around.
