THE FIFTH COLUMN

By Simon Fischler

Democracy is an integral part of Israeli society and government; it is also important that we Israeli citizens do all we can to protect this crucial element of our national project.

On the other hand there is absolutely no room for those who use the freedoms of democracy to hurt and destroy the state.

Haaretz has moved from being an important media outlet printing a fairly unbiased page, to a radical paper printing unfounded hateful rhetoric against the state and now to a fifth column.

The reaction of Haaretz to the breaking story of its apparent collusion in espionage with a radical leftist soldier who stole 2000 pages of highly classified military documents is in itself damning.

Last Thursday morning the paper went on a full force blitz accusing everyone from the IDF, the Israeli Government and people like me of being fascists because we find spying and espionage against the state of Israel unacceptable. They have hidden behind the word democracy, knowing full well that what they did would be categorized as outright treason in any other democratic nation.

Uri Blau took IDF documents of the most sensitive nature, documents that would never have been allowed into the hands of a journalist in the most open of democratic societies. Most importantly, he took these documents from an admitted radical leftist, who astoundingly happened to be a soldier in one of the highest offices of the IDF command.

One most wonder how the IDF let a soldier of Anat Kamm’s political views into such a highly sensitive position. Maybe it is because the IDF and Israel are both too democratic and too naively believing in the fairness of democracy that they would actually let someone like Kamm achieve the position she was in.

More significant, however, is the fact that Blau knew perfectly well that Kamm did this with intent to harm the state.That is traitorous behavior -- on his part as well as hers.

Blau is now hiding in London, refusing to return to Israel, lying about not having more of these top secret documents in his possession (Kamm allegedly burned almost 2000 classified documents onto a CD). Knowing he is in a hotbed of radical Israeli hatred (London), Blau is using this to his advantage and accusing Israel of attacks against journalism.

This last incident truly reveals how far across the border Haaretz and the people who write for her have gone. The paper, having lost moderate Ze’ev Schiff to old age, has lost all credibility even as a fairly balanced left-leaning media outlet.

Gideon Levy writes the most Anti-Israel rhetoric based on the most atrocious principles. He, like many of his kind, never backs himself up with facts and blatantly distorts the truth on a regular basis. Bradley Burston is a joke, a champion of self-hating Israelis, a man who skips over facts, or puts aside truths to blame Israeli, no matter how right she is and how wrong the Palestinians are.

Haaretz was bought by the owners of the New York Times. The Times, once supposedly a bastion of unbiased thought -- an amazing example of why the freedom of speech is so important -- has become Anti-Israel in a devious manner, partly explaining the change in Haaretz.

Maybe it is time for a private, independent investigation into wether or not Haaretz has jeopardized national security in the Kamm/Blau affair.

Haaretz, Blau and the rest of their crew are very lucky to be living in a country that is as free and democratic as Israel. Their callous and cynical abuse of Israeli democracy and its freedoms is one of the greatest challenges that Israel faces today.