President Herzog warns Israel’s greatest danger is internal division
"We are growing more distant from one another. The gaps between us are growing wider," Herzog tells Jewish delegation
Israeli President Isaac Herzog told some 2,000 representatives from Jewish organizations on Sunday evening that the greatest danger facing the Israel is its internal divisions.
While addressing the large delegation from the Jewish Federations of North America, The Jewish Agency for Israel, the World Zionist Organizations, among others, Herzog stressed that while Iran and other external threats are ever-present, “there is no greater existential threat to our people than the one that comes from within.”
"The fact is that between our Jewish communities, we are growing more distant from one another. The gaps between us are growing wider. On some of the most essential questions, we are unable to agree. But, more concerning, often, we are unable even to discuss," Herzog added.
The Israeli president, who has recently emerged as a unifying voice in Israeli society, said he is an advocate for dialogue but refrained from mentioning protesters outside the event hall who expressed their opposition to the government’s judicial overhaul plan.
By contrast, Julie Platt, chair of the Board of Trustees of the Jewish Federations of North America, explicitly addressed the angry protesters outside the venue.
“To the protesters outside: We see you, we hear you and we are inspired by your love for Israel,” stated Platt. She stressed that the passionate debate about the Jewish state and its future gave evidence to “how central Israel is to all of our lives.”
The vocal protests against his government’s legal reforms, prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cancel his scheduled participation at the event, which is considered crucial to the relationship between the American Jewish community and the State of Israel.
In the past, Netanyahu even used to travel to the United States to attend the event. However, despite spending much of his life in America and being fluent in English, a growing ideological gulf separates the conservative Israeli leader from the largely progressive and liberal American Jewish population.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
