Ten apologies that Israeli politics owes the public
An opinion column by attorney Ayelet Razin Beit-Or lists ten apologies that the Israeli political system owes the public during the Ten Days of Repentance: forgetting what the public is busy with, turning service into a sucker's question, turning the October 7 investigation into a political battle, normalizing inequality, the cost of living, neglecting the national trauma, demanding children to be strong, turning Israelis and Jews into targets worldwide, teaching Israelis to fear each other, and lack of accountability.
An opinion column by attorney Ayelet Razin Beit-Or, an expert in promoting gender equality and combating gender violence, published during the Ten Days of Repentance. The writer shifts the focus from personal introspection to the entire Israeli political system, listing ten areas where she says politics owes the public an apology. The apologies include: ignoring citizens' daily concerns (security, mortgage, cost of living); turning the issue of military and reserve service into a political struggle instead of a shared burden; turning the investigation of the October 7 disaster into a political battle over the committee's composition instead of a duty to investigate; normalizing inequality in service, education, health, housing, and personal security; the cost of living forcing families to forgo extracurricular activities and treatments; neglecting the deep national trauma of bereaved families, survivors of captivity, evacuees, and soldiers; demanding children to be "strong" instead of the state restoring their security; turning Israelis and Jews worldwide into targets of violence, boycotts, and exclusion; teaching the public to fear each other through divisive labeling; and a lack of genuine accountability. The writer calls for leadership that can say "we were wrong, we failed" and is willing to make amends, not just apologize.