Justice Minister Yossi Beilin divulged a series of
revelations concerning the so-called "secular
revolution" that the chareidi community found
infuriating. The "revolution" was declared last
week by Prime Minister Ehud Barak and has aroused
the determined opposition of religious and
traditional Jews in Israel as well as elsewhere.
In his response to a motion to the Knesset,
Minister Beilin said that this was not a
spontaneous plan on the part of Barak, but rather
an old aspiration. "His reform wasn't invented this
past motzei Shabbos in a private home in
Jerusalem. Instead, it is something we have been
thinking about for many years," Beilin said.
"I can tell you that it has been on the Prime
Minster's agenda for a long time. I have had many
occasions to discuss it with him," Beilin
continued. "We discussed it two years ago when the
pact to draw the religious and the secular closer
was signed between former MK Alex Lubotzki and us,
and Barak told me then that in his opinion this was
the best course."
Beilin then explained the timing of the Prime
Minster's announcement. He said: "These are issues
that we can bring up more easily when we have no
coalition obligations. That is the truth. People
ask: Why now? Why are we bringing up the issue at
this time? We reply: It's not that we have suddenly
remembered it. It has been in our `drawer' --
mainly the `drawers' of our hearts -- for a long
time and has come to the fore now that we have no
coalition obligation: in other words, no
obligations to make coalition compromises.
"When we went along with the religious parties we
never claimed to be a religious party, but just
that in order to form a coalition and to achieve
our political purposes we are going along with such
a coalition. When there is no coalition, or when
the religious parties have left the coalition, we
are naturally free to pursue things we have
believed in for many years."
Beilin explained his objectives on the issue of
civil marriage to the Knesset. He noted that his
aim is to reach a situation in which marriage
registration will not require a rav. He said that
he is prepared for a compromise in which marriage
in Israel will be solely on a religious basis, but
that an option for another kind of registration as
a couple will also be available.
The UTJ Knesset members interrupted his remarks
from the sidelines, questioning the justice of his
claims for secular reform. The issue was raised in
the Knesset by the chairman of the coalition, Ofir
Pines, who determined that the issue should be
discussed extensively in order to reach a broad
consensus.
Rabbi Moshe Gafni (UTJ) said in reaction: "You are
speaking about issues which everyone mocks. During
the past year and a quarter we have sat with Barak
scores of times, and he never hinted to us about
his idea for a secular revolution. Why has he
suddenly brought it up? Very simply, Barak can't
pass any law in the Knesset today on any issue. For
this reason he is trying to divert public attention
and the Knesset agenda to other issues. His friends
all mock him behind his back and they don't have
the courage to tell him that. I am saying it for
them. Barak is not serious, and his proposals
aren't serious, either."
