I read a police report Saturday evening that placed the number of protesters at that night's Tel Aviv demonstration at 100,000. The pictures I saw on various WhatsApp groups, taken by friends who participated, were also impressive. In this day and age, when a scathing Facebook post is applauded as activism, I commend those who are willing to get off the couch and take a stand for what they believe in. As a child born during the Oslo process in the 1990s who was raised in a yishuv – or if you prefer the hijacked term: "settlement" – I remember those days well, albeit from a very different perspective.

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The protest on Saturday was against judicial reforms proposed by Justice Minister Yariv Levin that aim to rein in the Israeli Supreme Court and make it more responsive to the legislature. Those on the right see this as a necessary move to rebalance the judicial and legislative branches of government. Those on the left see it as a blatant power grab by the ruling coalition. Though it's up to each individual to decide which side is correct, I believe some of the arguments being made by the left are disingenuous to the point of hypocrisy.

At the protest on Saturday, one huge billboard stated, "We are here because democracy doesn't end at the ballot box." This asserts that the idea of "majority rule" is not absolute. In other words, just because Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc won a clear victory in the last elections does not mean his government is free to govern with no oversight.

The billboard echoed the sentiment of the argument made by the President of the Supreme Court Esther Hayut in a speech several days ago, "Anyone who claims that the majority who elected their representatives to the Knesset were giving them a 'blank check' to do as they please takes the name of democracy in vain."

Hayut and others also believe that, if not for the power and independence of the Supreme Court, there would be no one to protect and uphold basic civil rights in the face of an aggressive and heavy-handed government.

Yet as a child of Oslo, born and raised in the dark years of rampant terror in which parents lost friends and friends lost parents, in which the obituary sections drove home realities that were decades premature, I have to ask myself: Does the Supreme Court really fulfill these functions in the name of protecting democracy and civil liberties? If so, shouldn't its decisions to rein in government policies be devoid of political bias?

In Oct. 1995, then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's government pushed the Oslo B agreement through the Knesset by a 61-59 majority. It did so by promising members of Knesset, from a right-wing party, positions in the government in exchange for their votes. Where were the calls for reining in majority rule back then?

At the time, the left was perfectly happy to win by the slimmest of majorities, however it was achieved. This was the case even though the ramifications of the vote were severe. They did not only threaten civil rights but the physical lives and safety of hundreds of thousands if not millions of Israelis.

Ten years later, I spent the summer of 2005 in Gush Katif in the Gaza Strip. I witnessed firsthand what it was like for the people there when Ariel Sharon turned his back on everyone who voted for him and rammed the disengagement plan through, firing anyone in his government who dissented.

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Yet for some reason, the Supreme Court, sans Justice Edmond Levy, decided that it was not its place to interfere. It stood by as the government sent soldiers to expel citizens from their homes, crushing any semblance of their civil liberties.

Sadly, we are still paying for this decision to this day, with Hamas now ruling the dunes where once our hothouses bloomed.

This two-faced approach proves that we should not blindly accept the rhetoric employed by the protestors. This controversy is not really about civil rights or the strength of Israel's democracy. It's about power. Political power and judicial power. It is about people who want influence over the future of the State of Israel even when the majority of the people chose not to elect them.

It's hard to contain the feelings that bubble up when I hear friends on the left who supported Oslo and then the disengagement talk about how the Supreme Court is the defender of civil rights in this country. The Supreme Court proved otherwise when it abandoned the people of Gush Katif. They proved that their own politics supersede their supposed commitment to upholding the civil rights of all Israelis, making this argument against the reform null and void.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

The post A child of Oslo watches the Tel Aviv protests appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

"During the violence of 'Operation Protective Edge' in 2014, young Jews angered by the overwhelmingly hawkish response of American Jewish institutions came together under the banner of IfNotNow to demonstrate their resistance through the beauty of Jewish ritual. Moved to act by moral anguish and inspired by Hillel's three questions, they organized Mourner's Kaddish actions in nearly a dozen cities across the country and lamented the loss of both Israeli and Palestinian life. They had three demands: Stop the War on Gaza, End the Occupation, and Freedom and Dignity for All."

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These young Americans, of course, have the right to express their opinion, but it goes to show the depth of the chasm that separates young Jews around the world.

While these young American Jews were angered by the "hawkish response" of the American Jewish institutions, young Israeli Jews were busy risking their lives to defend the Jewish state.

These young American Jews have clearly never felt that their lives are in danger simply because they are Jewish. While that is a wonderful thing in and of itself, if they had ever felt otherwise they might not be so quick to attack the only state in the world where Judaism is the norm.

American Jewish institutions are predominantly run by men and women who have been around the block a few times and are therefore more likely to have experienced said anti-Semitism. That may be part of the reason behind their support for Israel.

I am 100 percent behind all three of IfNotNow's demands.

The problem is that these American kids are behaving exactly like that – kids. The older you get, the more you realize that your actions have consequences. Often you have to put off immediate gratification in order to benefit in the long run.

I don't just want an end to one Gaza war. I want an end to all Gaza wars. To achieve that, we, Israel, must defeat Hamas.

The second demand is an end to Israeli military occupation. Great! It is ridiculous that over 50 years after the liberation of Judea and Samaria, and more than 20 years after the Palestinian Authority was granted autonomy over Area A, that I still live under military occupation.

If the mayor of my town, Efrat, wants to do pretty much anything, he doesn't go to the relevant Israeli ministry, he has to get permission from the army. It's ludicrous. So if IfNotNow wants an end to the occupation, I'm totally behind that. What I can't get behind is the racist idea that it is okay to forcibly remove only Jews from their homes in order to make the area Judenrein. I was born and raised here. I am as indigenous as they come.

Their third demand is for freedom and dignity for all.

Amen.

The sad part here is that I totally understand where these American students are coming from. I was raised with the same values. On the other hand, I am also a Middle Easterner, born and raised, and as such, I understand that most of the world doesn't operate under the same rules as the United States.

Coincidentally, this is one of the things that makes America so amazing – that it manages to sustain such a free and open society in a world that is quite often neither free nor open. From afar it seems like many in the United States take that for granted now, and therefore are more than happy to chop away at the very foundation of their society.

America became what it is because it was strong. Not because of Hollywood, not because of baseball. Because of strength. The era of Pax Americana has been one of the most peaceful in the history of the world.

If Israel is ever to live quietly, it will be through strength. Especially considering the volatile neighborhood in which we live.

IfNotNow attempts to erode Israel's support around the world and cast doubt on its legitimacy. Its does these things in the name of peace, but in fact, it is perpetuating war.

It is providing a tailwind to all those seeking to undermine and destroy Israel. The knowledge that any Israeli response will generate massive negative press, advancing its cause, motivates Hamas to fire rockets at Israel. Hamas knows its rockets won't topple Israel. It's playing a different game, and in their naiveté groups like IfNotNow play right along.

The support of the "hawkish" Jewish institutions promotes peace by strengthening Israel. IfNotNow was "moved to act from moral anguish" at watching Israel defend itself; I wonder how they feel about prolonging war and indirectly aiding terrorism.

But the craziest thing? It's not the members of IfNotNow, safely criticizing from thousands of miles away, who have to pay for their mistake. Instead, it is me and my friends, and all those who serve in the Israel Defense Forces, that have to pay for their meddling. We, and also the Palestinian people, who suffer under the yoke of corrupt leadership propped up by these Western groups.

And now you all know why my blood pressure spiked.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

The post Strength is Israel's only real path to peace appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.