MK (Yahadut HaTorah) Rav Yisrael Eichler used the Knesset debate over the appointment of Avi Dichter as the next minister for homefront affairs to attack the Israeli media, explaining the damage to Israel’s security by the leaks and reports by the media are unprecedented in the state’s history. Gafne added the damage to the state by Russian spy Yisrael Bar, a close friend of the late Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion did not do as much damage to Israeli interests as the media today. He feels the left-wing controlled media is the nation’s worst enemy, responsible for leaking too much information to Israel’s enemies.

Eichler told MKs that there is no other country in the world that permits its own media to compromise its own defense and security interests as in Israel. He pointed out that historians will never understand what took place this year vis-à-vis Iran. “They will not believe their eyes regarding the reports pertaining to Iran” he exclaimed from the podium.

Eichler added that one cannot condemn the media without pointing a finger of blame at the military censor, the IDF and government, for they approve any and all reports released that address security matters. He explained that before we can address the external enemy, we must address the “enemy from within”. Eichler added that it is no coincidence that those leading the battle against an attack against Iran also lead the battle against the chareidi tzibur inside the country, those who recently called “to pull out the eyes of the chareidim” and how the media enjoys quoting the anti-Semitic statements released by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He spoke of those who provide information for the Iranians, the very same people who are at the heart of the conflict inside Israel, adding when the Iranian defense minister announces Israel is split and factionalized within; he knows what he is talking about.

“…We must realize the children in talmidei torah are our bracha and those who incite against them, referring them as our existential threat in actuality create a real threat to our future survival”.

He pointed out that thousands of children study in caravan structures and are in real threat should the enemy launch missiles into Israel. “When we address the Iranian threat we must remember these caravan classrooms too, and not when the missiles begin falling but also when scud missiles land in the north and south too.”

Eichler addressed the homefront command’s responsibility regarding personal protection kids, the gas masks, speaking of the system’s inability to distribute masks to all residents. He added that if hundreds of millions on gas masks, then it is unacceptable that bearded citizens will not have masks that accommodate beards.

“It’s bad enough that special ed and chareidi children are excluded from the education budget. It is bad enough that in every budget the chareidi taxpayer is discriminated against. But to exclude bearded citizens from the gas mask program is simply abandonment. No one can tell me that they are protecting the chareidi tzibur.”

Eichler turned to Dichter, whose appointment was approved, calling upon him to make sure all citizens are provided with gas masks, including those with beards for if not, he is abandoning the homefront and not protecting it.

After completing his address, Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin told Eichler than after the First Gulf War in 1991, then State Comptroller Miriam Ben-Porath addressed the gas mask issue and today, 21 years later, the state has not complied with her instructions.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)