Equality, patriotism, human life, quality of life, freedom, capitalism, religion. Which is more important than the others are? A person, a group, or a society is characterized by the values that guide it, and the priority it gives to those values. The same goes for every group and it moves in the space between conflicting values. Wait, did I say every group? My mistake, of course. There is one nation that diverges from this. It's Israel, of course.
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Here, the only thing that is important, that determines policy, that shapes our lives, is "public order." Everything else trails far behind. Values can be discussed. But public order must not be touched – it's sacred.
When the organizers of the 'flag march' that was cancelled on Jerusalem Day asked to hold it this week, an absolute ace was placed on the table. The march that celebrates the reunification of Jerusalem could not take place, certainly not along its usual route, because it could disturb public order.
This decision might infuriate people, but before we get upset, let's take a few minutes for reflection and informed analysis. What is "order"? And who is the "public" to whom the order is so important?
Let's start from the last, the "public." Well, the public being discussed is always the Arab one. No consideration is ever given to disruption to the Jewish public's order. As far as the authors of the small print of this particular value are concerned, the Jewish public can tolerate a lot of disorder, and restrain themselves, ignore and understand it. The Arab public, on the other hand, takes it hard when order is disturbed.
And what does the Arab public do in the face of "disorder"? It responds with more disorder; rioting, looting, lynching, and murder. A reasonable and proportional response. So it's no wonder that the riots at Damascus Gate, for example, are not considered a violation of "order." Whereas teenaged girls dancing with flags at exactly the same place is.
What offends this public? Jewish presence, for example. Especially one that demonstrates sovereignty over Jerusalem. Or at Gush Etzion junction. Or in Lod. Or Acre. Jaffa, too. It annoys and offends them, and we need to stop. There is a public, there is an order that it decides on, and the minimum we can do is maintain it. Otherwise, it will end badly. And it would be shame to mess up our pretty faces.
There are a lot of problems with this prioritization: problems that touch on values, morality, and nationality. The fact that we are paralyzed with fear that we'll be attacked if we walk past east Jerusalem carrying flags to mark the city's unification says two things: first, that we are caving in to mafia-like scare tactics, and second, that there isn't anything to celebrate. Half of Jerusalem is ruled by Islam, and we don't intend to do anything about it.
Claims are made, of course, that the move is for our own good, that it's in all our interest for Jews not to be hurt, and that's true, in part. Because as we see again and again, without exception, the more we bow our heads to the cause of "public order," the more Jews are attacked, and the opposite – the more we tell the truth, that we're here, and here to stay, the clearer it becomes to the Arabs.
Maybe instead of worrying about the tired old issue of public order, we could start thinking about establishing national order. That, at least, would lead to quiet.
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