Imagine an oncologist who diagnosed a patient with a cancerous tumor but chose to treat him with a sweet syrup of children's "Acamoli." Ridiculous, right? Well, that is exactly what the State of Israel did when it decided to allocate NIS 30 million for the benefit of victims of "extortion money" or "protection" in the accepted jargon.

First of all, let us defend the move: There are many farmers and business owners who need this compensation like air to breathe. This is because insurance companies refuse to insure them following repeated damages to fields, orchards, agricultural equipment, or businesses. In other words, the idea in itself is not inherently invalid.

Add to this the fact that this is defined as a "pilot" that will allocate the amount to a compensation fund at the Tax Authority for a period of only six months – and there we have a step that is seemingly not only legitimate and calculated, but even desirable.

If so, why the use of the word "seemingly"? Because such a step alone is nothing more than an election benefit, at best. Let us leave aside for a moment the way the money will be distributed (what are the criteria required for a business owner to prove that he is being extorted by crime organizations, refuses to pay them the protection money, and additionally, cooperates with the police?), let us assume the procedure is resolved.

There is still in the government's decision, at the request of the Finance Minister, an unequivocal admission of the state's failure to protect its citizens, a central clause in that "governance" it so frequently praises.

In other words, the Finance Minister's step would be legitimate if it were integrated with the Ministry of National Security, which would submit an emergency plan to curb the phenomenon. Only the minister in charge of the field, although he ran for the Knesset on a joint list with the Finance Minister, does not really function – except on social media.

Who gets screwed? As usual – those who need help the most. There are places in Israel, entire regions, where it is impossible to erect scaffolding to renovate a building without paying for dubious "security" services.

There are localities where it is impossible to park a car next to the house without being extorted by criminals – and there are agricultural lands – fields and orchards, that cannot be cultivated without paying "baksheesh" to whoever effectively controls the seemingly sovereign territories of the State of Israel.

This grim reality, which for a large part of Israel's residents is somewhat exotic, is daily life for others. Not everyone pays: Some chose to fight and stand up for their right to enjoy the fruit of their labor without dubious "partners."

A large part among them was forced to see the fruit of their labor go up in flames, a hint of things to come. Not only do they see it, but also the insurance companies, which simply refuse to renew their policy.

Let us return to the medical parable with which we opened. Giving a painkiller to a patient, as part of the treatment, is of course legitimate. For even if the source of the problem requires deeper treatment, there is no need for the patient to suffer unnecessary pain until a cure for his disease arrives.

That is to say, the problem is not with a financial mechanism designed to provide first aid to farmers and business owners harmed by gangs of violent criminals. The problem is that the same doctor chose to give a painkiller not in addition to a treatment designed to bring healing, such as surgery to remove the tumor or chemotherapy, but as a substitute for them...

If you will, there is here an essence of the characteristic operating method of this government, in a nutshell. In a country led by a government of officials who are not lacking in capabilities, a five-year plan to eradicate the protection racket would be presented:

Legislation with minimum sentences, effective enforcement (and not just symbolic as in the announcements of the Israel Police spokesperson, which constantly publicize what is nothing but a drop in the ocean), protection of the lives and property of those who stood up against the criminals, and yes – also a complementary compensation mechanism that will guarantee emergency assistance to those harmed in their pockets.

In the reality of this government, they aspire to fix fundamental problems with shoot-from-the-hip reactions. This is true especially regarding the actions of the Finance Minister: The government and his ministry failed miserably in the war against the cost of living? Let us double the amount of purchases abroad exempt from VAT... (a step that was disqualified by the Knesset).

There is protection that shuts down economic activity in certain areas? Instead of fighting the phenomenon, let us compensate (on a small scale it should be noted – NIS 30 million are a drop in the ocean of damage caused to the victims) some of the victims, a decision that is first and foremost an admission of the absolute failure of the law enforcement mechanisms.

Add to all this the fact that this is a "pilot" for half a year – meaning something that will end exactly when a new government is sworn in... and there you have compensation that amounts to an election bribe.

A step that is nothing more than a band-aid on an injury that requires surgery? Certainly, but if you will, there is also a more sophisticated parable here, not just a cruel joke at the expense of farmers and business owners in the frontier areas (mostly), but also on the state of the State of Israel.

Why? Because the Government of Israel is also extorted: From the outside, it was extorted for years by a terrorist organization and chose to hand over suitcases of cash to it, protection money for all intents and purposes.

Furthermore, the Government of Israel is extorted (with due distinction, of course) on the internal arena as well: Only yesterday, the Communications Minister admitted in his own voice that the payment to Shas for its support of the communications law he promotes will be through the "Kashrut Law," the one that will allow it to appoint unnecessary kashrut supervisors at a cost of NIS 700 million of taxpayers' money...

That is to say, when these are the amounts, why should we complain about NIS 30 million that the Government of Israel chose, at the request of the Finance Minister, to allocate to those who are crying out for a life-saving surgery and received a band-aid instead?