Chananel Dayan was the unassuming star of this week's headlines. He is the answer to our frustration at the expulsion of Jews from Hebron or from any other place in the Land of Israel. At the widely publicized ceremony honoring Israel's most outstanding soldiers, Chananel, a soldier slated to receive the coveted award, refused to shake hands with the Chief of Staff, citing that he will not shake the hand of a man who was the chief commander of the expulsion from Gaza. Chananel's "refusal" is a guiding light for dealing with the destruction machine heading our way.

Will we know how to learn the right lesson from his story?

On the surface, why would the powerful IDF care if one simple soldier is willing or unwilling to shake hands with the Chief of Staff? "We will relinquish our honor and they will relinquish terrorism," Rabin and Peres cajoled the Israeli public at the beginning of the Oslo process. Israelis compliantly adopted an ideology void of honor (which of course created a serious void in human life). But in the case of Chananel Dayan, one simple soldier out of one hundred who slightly strays from the protocol of the ceremony sends the entire army and the entire country into frenzy. Why?

 

The Don at the Funeral
A familiar scene in movies about the mafia is the ceremonial funeral in the church. Everybody comes in their de rigueur black clothing to pay their last respects to the hapless victim of the latest hit. The crying widow is there, the sad orphans, the mafia don and last but not least -- solemn and respectful -- the hit man ordered by the don to get the victim out of his way. The widow and orphans know who the hit man is. But they follow the rules and keep to their role of mournful loved ones. No anger, no moral questions asked.  The very presence of the bereaved family at the funeral awards the "victim's validation" to the entire farce. For the don, this validation is invaluable. It is the solid foundation of the lie -- the weight that prevents it from floating up to the top of the water. Every mafia needs moral legitimacy. In exchange for his validation, the victim will be assured his relative comfort -- at least until the next time he irritates the don.

 

The Ceremony on Independence Day
Chananel Dayan was unwittingly cast in the role of the widow. In fact, all the Independence Day ceremonies this year attempted to portray business as usual. Business as usual -- who murdered and who was murdered, who drove Jews out of their homes and who was driven out, who is good and who is bad -- none of that matters. What really matters is that the show goes on and that everyone performs his role meticulously. Especially the victim. Everything is under control, everybody is comfortable, in the mafia it's business as usual --  thanks to the victim.

We can begin to prepare the next victim. Hebron, for example.

 

Needed for the Next Destruction: Chananel
Chananel is not needed to perform the next expulsion. Physically, all that is needed are brawny riot police. But Chananel is needed to lend legitimacy to the system and to validate the don. The don is not stupid. He will not send Chananel to expel his parents from their home. All he needs is for Chananel to be part of the game, even a passive part of the game. What do you think I want from you? All I asked is that you come to the church and cry. What? You don't want to cry over your father? You won't guard the settlements against terrorists? So what if I am expelling the residents of Beit El? You are not there. You are guarding a different settlement. How can you leave your fellow settlers defenseless?

The belief based youngster has to make a choice. He can no longer delude himself that he can influence the army from within. The theory that one can influence the army from within is like a rabbit that decides to influence the lion -- from within. However, the belief based youngster can still contend that that the net is also made of holes, and that in the army he will choose to be a hole. But that is not good enough. The holes are also part of the net. That being the case, today's belief based youngster does not have a moral possibility to serve in the IDF. If he does so -- he has formidable stock in the upcoming destructions.

 

And Who Will Guard the Country?
What if your car was stolen? Without it, you don't have the means to earn your living, and your entire lifestyle is drastically compromised. The thief also stole your credit card, and he is fueling the car at your expense.

Will you hesitate to cancel the credit card? Will you worry that the car will fall apart if you cancel it? Or will you say that at least the car will not be able to move and will not harm others?

True, without the army, our existence here is questionable. But the army is ours. We are the nation, but a small mafia has robbed it from us. (See Moshe Feiglin's article "The IDF: An Uncomfortable Analysis). The army will not fall apart if the belief base youth will temporarily defer their enlistment. On the contrary. Today the car is careering dangerously off the road because it has been stolen by irresponsible thieves. It is running over the nation (disengagement) and not doing what it is supposed to do (eliminating danger to Israel's citizens). If the car continues on its breakneck course, it will be demolished.

The moral fuel -- and much of the physical fuel -- for the hurdling car is provided by the belief-based public. If we want to protect our country and our settlements, if we want to protect the army, if we want to give the State and the army a chance to recover and to once again build the country, we have to defer our army service. The potency of a moral stance taken by an entire sector of society is something that we can only imagine. Just look at what the moral stand of one individual can trigger.

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