Q&A: Is Asa Kasher kosher?
Is Asa Kasher kosher?
Question
What does the Rabbi think about Asa Kasher’s remarks regarding the agreement with Lebanon? I saw that many people are attacking him, claiming that his words support a regime that is not democratic.
And this is what he said:
“If we were a properly functioning state, whose parliament had a patriotic opposition capable of discussing every issue on its merits, with the public good in mind, then the preference for debate and a vote in the Knesset over approval by the government would be justified. But we are not a properly functioning state—in our parliament there is an opposition that does not operate with the public good in mind, but only with notoriously reckless conduct for the benefit of a defendant charged with corruption, even at the public’s expense (for example, voting against a visa exemption for the U.S.), and therefore there is no point in holding a debate in the Knesset and it is proper to suffice with government approval.”
Answer
They sent me this, along with a response by Asher Cohen. I wrote on WhatsApp that on the face of it this is a problematic statement, and Asher Cohen is right. But that is only if the law required ratification by the Knesset for such an agreement. As long as the law allows the government to do this on its own without ratification by the Knesset, it is up to the government to decide whether to bring it to the Knesset or not. If in their view the opposition is not acting substantively, they have the right not to bring it to a vote. I do not see in this a moral problem, and certainly not a legal one.
Something similar would be not revealing security secrets to the Knesset if you think there is a chance that one of them would pass them on to the enemy. It is not exactly the same thing, but there is certainly a resemblance.