The positive attitude the press, the television, and the
radio show toward Ehud Barak is widely known, especially to
Barak himself. The Prime Minister is well aware that the
media backs him fully, that they have adopted a biased,
partial approach to him, and that this was an important
factor in his being elected last May instead of the incumbent
Binyamin Netanyahu. Barak is trying his utmost to eliminate
any possible damage to his favorable media image.
Furthermore, the Prime Minister is taking special pains to
project the impression of being a revered leader immune to
any "mortal" criticism.
Despite media silence, there are a few reporters who wonder
about Barak's gaining control of Israeli public opinion
through recognized methods of massive brainwashing. Uri
Aurbach in Yediot Achronot, the largest afternoon
newspaper in Israel, writes sarcastically about a media
department in the Prime Minister's Office:
"According to what has been made known we are not talking
about a mere media department in the Prime Minister's office,
but a whole brigade or even division to deal with the media.
At this rate, Binyamin Netanyahu will be the only veteran
media expert not employed by Barak. The only amazing fact is
how Barak can make do with only 50 people in this media
department. According to my calculations, Barak needs 50
people just to help him with his speeches. A Prime Minister
of such a world power cannot limit himself to less than five
speech writers in every language. He can hardly survive with
less than ten permanent media investigators, another three to
four people to insert pesukim and Hebrew poems in his
speeches, not to mention about the indispensable typists,
five or six response writers for immediate reaction to the
most insignificant event or criticism, another two to three
to deny what was said or written in his name, four to five
experts of body language and advisors to teach him on which
side to be photographed, editors, proofreaders for
composition and punctuation mistakes, a special choreographer
for hand movements and the art of biting one's lips, and
naturally, at least one full-time permanent assistant to make
one of the following comments after each appearance: `That
speech was wonderful, Mr. Prime Minister.' `I received many
splendid reactions to your moving speech, Mr. Prime
Minister.' `This has never happened before! People are simply
calling all the time to thank you for your speech, Mr. Prime
Minister.'"
Uri Aurbach is considered a Rightist newspaper reporter and
is not afraid to express these contrary views. But even in
Ha'aretz, a popular Israeli morning newspaper, Yoel
Marcus, who is personally identified with the Left side of
the Israeli political map and asked his readers before the
last Knesset elections to vote for Barak, is worried about
the Prime Minister's intention to prevent any internal or
external criticism. Marcus writes:
"After the Norwegian law is passed and another 23 Knesset
members will have no desire to overthrow the government,
Barak will become the only ruler without a party breathing
down his neck and without a system of checks and balances. He
will rule, it would appear, with the help of a commando of 50
spokesmen and a war room operating 24 hours a day. This
frightening agency will ensure that the government speaks
with one voice, his voice, and we will gradually be
turned into brainwashed citizens."
I have not written the above without a firm
basis. Everyone has noticed the media silence of the last few
months. The current government has enjoyed special and
unlimited privileges. Barak has become a politician protected
from any criticism. His decisions are accepted indisputably
and his failures are not publicly discussed. Writers have
hidden their normally sharpened pens and are behaving like
trained dogs waiting for their master's commands. Many of
them are chained by the solemn promises Barak gave before and
after the elections to execute long-term positive changes,
and they are not ready to destroy the thesis they themselves
helped inflate. Except for a few minor critical notes that
these reporters write to show their apparent objectivity, the
media has been very supportive of the Prime Minister. They
forgive any of his mistakes. Any minute criticism is pushed
to one side and sinks into a deep pool of praise. From the
time of Ben Gurion never has there been an Israeli prime
minister privileged to have an "official" media like this
one, striving to elevate the ruler of the government, to show
only his favorable side, to promote almost messianic hope for
a better future, and to imbue in the nation with a reverence
bordering on blind worship and personality cult.
It is difficult to evaluate the degree to which this well-
oiled system is succeeding in its influence on public
opinion. One thing is for sure: It has done a good job
influencing Barak himself. He reads the flattering newspapers
and listens to the endless buzzing of praise from the "yes
men" around him. It is no wonder that he has started to feel
elevated above other mortals.
Chazal have taught us that a person's acts
must always be reviewed by others and he must love rebuke.
Only when man is under consistent supervision and
examination, when others check carefully whether his deeds
indicate any deviation from the truth, can he be saved from
errors. A person is naturally blind to his own faults and
must rely on external reprimanding and inspection.
This does not refer only to young students who need
supervision. Even gedolei Yisroel who refined
themselves for many years in Torah and yiras Shomayim,
appointed maggids to rebuke them after careful
examination of their deeds. They knew that a true friend
admonishes the one he loves.
If this holds true even for those who have reached sublime
levels in pure avodas Hashem, surely when dealing with
low-level politics, business and power, there is a vital need
for constant examination, without which it is easy for one to
deteriorate rapidly.
Maran HaRav Aharon Kotler ztvk'l said that even a
chareidi movement with all its activists and workers Torah-
observant, can only prevent itself from ideological
deviations and ensure it will function strictly according to
the light of the Torah and halocho when it is forced
to take into consideration the public opinion of the Torah-
observant who are subservient to gedolei Yisroel. He
writes:
"`For the bribe blinds the wise and perverts the words of the
tzaddikim' (Shemos 23:8) refers to wise people
and tzaddikim according to the Torah. People leading
any movement encounter endless challenges. A movement
desperately needs the disinterested opinion of Torah sages,
and without such an opinion guiding them, it is possible they
will make mistakes that will damage the objective itself. The
movement cannot see what awaits them in the future. Aguda is
lucky since it must take into consideration those associated
with it, a factor that obligates it to follow its objectives
and which surely must be in matters of cardinal importance"
(Mishnas Rebbe Aharon, vol. 3, Al Daas
Torah).
Even in recent times all nations have recognized the need for
checks on government. It is no secret that dictatorships and
despots were primarily concerned with choking off all public
criticism. They made sure to prevent any active opposition to
their government and to display those opposing their
government as being mentally insane. Communism succeeded in
controlling Russia for decades only because of their
continual brainwashing. Their control did not suffer from any
criticism and they enlisted the help of their official
newspaper Pravda.
We as Torah-true Jews do not consider even western democracy
as the ideally advisable lifestyle. Democracy has its own
disadvantages, but it has the great advantage of setting
restraining forces against rulers and those in powerful
positions. The possibility of exposing wrongdoing and
criticizing those in power prevents the government from doing
whatever it wishes.
From America come two well known sayings to demonstrate the
fear of a tyrannical government and how to prevent it. The
first saying is: "Power tends to corrupt and absolute power
corrupts absolutely." The second tells us: "Sunlight is the
best public disinfectant there is."
Indeed the way to prevent the creation of absolute power that
corrupts absolutely those in positions of power is the
ability to expose injustices and publicly condemn them.
What has happened in the State of Israel
these last few months shows its citizens they are living in
an imaginary democracy. If the strange and revolting behavior
of the judicial system and the police -- who have devoted so
much effort in investigating marginal infractions, if there
were any, of the past Prime Minister, but do nothing in
connection with the suspicions concerning the associations
that helped the present Prime Minister to be elected -- was
not enough, the earsplitting silence of the media with regard
to the mistakes of the current government is totally
unbearable.
We all know the type of aggressive attack the media would
have launched had the strike of the disabled people in Israel
and the crisis of its health system taken place during the
period of the previous administration. Now, in comparison,
there is complete silence, although the Prime Minister placed
these matters at the center of his election campaign and said
only a few months ago that the "concern for the weak" is at
the top of his list of priorities. Everyone is aware of this
but no one cites these slogans and speeches or plays the
recordings of the election broadcasts that could totally
confound the Prime Minister.
Even whimsical ideas of setting up a casino that had suffered
scornful criticism during the previous administration
encounter silence today. We still remember the media turning
a blind eye when a Likud activist was strangely killed the
day before the elections after a fight with a Leftist
activist. It is not necessary to continue to list the many
contradictions since they are well known.
We will only point out that secular politicians (even from
Ehud Barak's party) who want to criticize his way or style
have no choice but to contact reporters of Yated
Ne'eman! They pour out their hearts to us and say they
must come to us because the general media is not "overjoyed"
to allow them to express their criticism.
This immunity that the current Israeli administration and the
Prime Minister enjoy arouses much concern. History has shown
us what happens when rulers are immune to criticism and
employ media in the style of Pravda. The fear is not
only that "we have been turned into brainwashed citizens," as
the solitary reporter wrote. The atmosphere that allows a
politician to think he is more elevated than a mortal is no
less dangerous.
No one is infallible. Slowly the public will discern the
continual fallibility of the present government. Even during
their "hundred days of grace" many citizens were disgusted
with the pretentious behavior of the heads of the government
and the forgiving attitude of the media toward them. In the
past the Jewish people have suffered from leaders and
governments who thought they could enjoy unlimited power and
do as they wished. Heaven, however, soon showed them that
even they are mortals and their governments fell with a loud
bang.
