You can call it a bad day for Israel: a leading politician, a former Finance Minister and Foreign Minister – two of the three most senior portfolios in any Israeli government – a man aspiring to be Israel’s first non-Ashkenazi Prime Minister, a man aspiring to be President of Israel, had to resign in disgrace. Women who have worked with him say that he sexually harassed them and attacked some of them. He is of course legally innocent, until the court says otherwise, but could not withstand the public outcry, and could not tolerate the thought of a thorough police investigation of this matter. Minister Silvan Shalom resigned – most observers believe – to try and prevent an investigation by signaling to these women that he was already punished, that there is less reason for them to file a formal complaint against him.
You can also call it a good day for Israel: once more it was proved that norms in Israel are changing for the better. That men – even the powerful and the well connected and the highly sophisticated men – can no longer harass women and get away with it. Once more it was established that the public is strong enough to make a politician leave even when the evidence has not yet reached the level appropriate for court – that there is a standard that goes beyond mere legality, and sees beyond procedural obstacles, and lawyerly arguments. More than ten women told a story about Minister Shalom that was troubling enough for him to leave even if not one of them was ready to file a formal complaint, for various reasons.
You can call it a bad day for Israel: Shalom had to leave just weeks after Member of Knesset Yinon Magal was forced out for reasons of some similarity. In both cases, political leaders were investigated, persecuted and executed by the press and on Facebook. They had little chance to defend themselves, they had no chance to resist the wave of denigration and condemnation based on – well – anonymous stories that were not investigated by anyone. Israeli politicians were taken down by social media. Even if Shalom is proven innocent, as he claims he is, he will still never get his job back. The circus lions have already devoured his flesh, to a cheering audience.
You can call it a good day for Israel: Shalom was no longer a man with a great future. His political power eroded in recent years, and the loss for Israel will not be great. In fact, his replacement at the Knesset makes his departure a somewhat timely and symbolic event: it is the soon to be Member of Knesset Amir Ohana. An openly gay Member of Knesset from the Likud Party. And that is important. It is important because it makes the issue of gay rights and equality not one of leftist liberals but rather one of the mainstream ruling party. It is important because it means that religious parties, Haredi parties, are now in partnership with an openly, proudly, gay Member of Knesset. It is important because of the educational value this has for both Israel’s left and right, and for its critics. The left will learn that it has no claim on being the only tolerant faction in Israel. The right will learn to live with gays and love it. The critics – assuming the critics of Israel even want to learn anything – will see that the Likud Party, and Israel in general, is not what they think it is. That Israel, while being hawkish indeed on many issues of security and foreign affairs, is really, truly, a very easygoing place for all people.
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