Above all, it is Israeli society that has to take a hard look at itself. For so long, it has lived inside a bubble in which it can only see its side of the story: they hit us, so we hit back; we are under siege from hostile forces, we are the victim. In this mental landscape, even a Moldovan-born immigrant stripping people born in their own land of their citizenship can come to seem acceptable. What's needed is not just a change in the electoral system that would allow "strong government" of the kind Lieberman yearns to implement. What's needed is for Israelis to step outside the bubble, to begin to see the causes of their current predicament, instead of dealing again and again, ever more ineffectively, with the symptoms. Tuesday's election prompts no confidence that that is about to happen.
Gideon Levy: Does Zionism legitimize every act of violence ?
Since March 29th 2006
8 comments:
"... some on the Israeli left see a value in the country having a full-bloodedly rightist government. "Maybe we're like the alcoholic who needs to touch bottom before we can start the climb back up," was how one put it. Perhaps there has to be a crisis before there can be a recovery."
I concur!
Naj,
A rightist government is the same as a leftist government in Israel except that the masks will be taken off.
Freedland is ok but he's just another wishy-washy Zionist. With him it's usually about 'shared blame, shared pain', all in that typical apologist's parlance, designed to come across 'balanced' and 'humanistic' (trust me, I was a champion at that once).
The Lieberman (Biberman?) phenomenon could be very significant: rarely before has the 'transfer' issue penetrated mainstream Israeli discourse so much (previously the prerogative of Nutzis like Moshe Feiglin). We could be entering an end-phase of Zionuttery here, very dangerous indeed.
As per usual types like Herr Lieberman gets some criticism but also quite a few endorsements: the normalisation of Fascism, as it were (the Nazis were also elected and 'normalised'). See now also Abe Foxman coming to Lieberman's defense.
A morbidly accurate assessment I suspect Sophia.
i think Iran should take a long hard look at itself. Its leaders are arresting British sailors, denouncing established history about Holocaust, denying that there are gay Iranians, and building nuclear bombs for no reason.
exactly!
Isn't it easier to fight an unmasked enemy?
Anonymous,
I will never ever defend Hamas but it is hypocrisy to blame the misery of the Palestinian people on Hamas when there is much more to blame Israel for. I don't buy in your argument.
February 14, 2009 8:02:00 EST PM
Gert,
Freedland may be wishy-washy but his assessment is so accurate. I have not read any analysis like this one anywhere else. There is logic to everything in life, even to history and Politics. And the logic of zionism is self deafeat.
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