Netanyahu, the purveyor of hatred

[Violet_Crumble]

The campaign to promote the idea that the Palestinians are delegitimizing the "existence of Israel" has turned the critics of the right-wing government into Israel-haters.

By Akiva Eldar

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is nobody's fool. He certainly knows that photos of policemen dragging away civilians who have come to protest the occupation and the siege do not enhance Israel's standing as "the only democracy in the Middle East." He undoubtedly understands that horse-trading over terrorists' dry bones does not help rebuild the shattered remnants of trust between Israel and the Palestinians.

He also presumably knows that open conflict with the U.S. president is detrimental to Israel's long-term interests. And this expert on America most likely took into account that his refusal to meet with a congressional delegation of supporters of the dovish American-Jewish organization J Street did not reveal him to be an enlightened leader.


Netanyahu knows what he is doing. This is exactly what he wants.

<snip>

The well-orchestrated campaign to promote the idea that the Palestinians and their international supporters are delegitimizing "the very existence of the State of Israel" has turned all critics of the most right-wing government Israel has ever had into Israel-haters.

We respond to force with more force. We respond to hatred with more hatred. Who cares if Abbas has reiterated publicly that he recognizes the State of Israel within the 1967 borders as the state of the Israeli people? Why pay the price to free Gilad Shalit if the captured soldier's terrble suffering and Hamas' cruel abuse of his family ensure a continued supply of Arab-hatred? Who cares whether a respected group of former security officials has called for immediate implementation of the Shalit deal?

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/netanyahu-the-purveyor-of-hatred-1.372603

[shira]

1. The second sentence in the article is a riot....

"He certainly knows that photos of policemen dragging away civilians who have come to protest the occupation and the siege do not enhance Israel's standing as "the only democracy in the Middle East."

These civilians (rather anarchists who wish to create chaos in BG national airport) are not only against the 40 year occupation, but rather the 60 year occupation (Israel's existence).

As to protesting the siege, just tell it like it is. These anarchists are in favor of Hamas arming itself with any advanced weaponry it sees fit. If used to escalate the conflict and bring on more war, bloodshed, and chaos, then so be it.

And now they're so pissed their plans have failed (flotilla/flytilla) they've dropped all pretenses, proving they wish to see Israel destroyed via RoR...
http://www.paltelegraph.com/palestine/palestinian-refugees/9587-exclusive-a-flotilla-of-palestinian-refugees-to-return-to-palestine-israel.html

They know what they're doing and they know what they want.

Even Netanyahu doesn't approach this level of hatred.

[Violet_Crumble]

2. So anyone who protests the occupation is a pro-Hamas anarchist?

I mean, you just seem to lump everyone in one barrel and not be particularly bothered about *who* the individuals are or *what* they themselves believe as you regale everyone with wild horror stories about how THEY want to destroy Israel. And is anarchists!! the replacement for Commies!! now that the Cold War is a memory? ;)

Anyway, I didn't realise the Israelis who were arrested (Larry Derfner was briefly detained and put in a police van, btw) were far more hateful than Nutty. There ya go. And all this time I've thought that leading a government that passes undemocratic laws like the antiboycott bill, and let's not forgot his role in formenting the incitement that led to Rabin's assassination passed for just a little bit more hateful than a small group of Israelis getting arrested at Ben-Gurion airport. Silly me!

btw, speaking of hateful, did you read Larry Derfner's article 'Mobocracy at Ben-Gurion Airport'?

Only minutes after I got to the Arrivals hall, a few activists stood in front of the phalanx of reporters and cameramen, held up their little signs and started chanting “Israel Apartheid” and ”Free Palestine!” (I’d written previously here that they were foreign activists who’d just gotten off a plane; I’ve learned since that they were Israelis.) The cops tore the signs from their hands and started pushing them toward the exit. After the first couple of minutes of watching in shocked silence, people in the terminal started to boo. Men were cursing loudly – “sons of bitches,” “garbage,” and things in Arabic I didn’t understand.

A couple of dozen people, mainly men but also a few women, followed very close behind the tightly-bunched demonstrators, cops and reporters to the police van. “Throw them in the garbage,” shouted one woman. An old man tried to get at one of the activists, but the police stopped him.

I was there ostensibly as a journalist, and I was scribbling notes, but I felt cowardly not saying anything to these nationalist hooligans, so I started telling them in Hebrew, “What are these people doing?” The woman who wanted them thrown in the garbage said, “They’re hurting us!” I said, “They’re talking,” and the little mob turned on me, a couple of the men raised their fists. The woman told me, “Go back home, get out of here.” I said, “I live here.” The cops mistook me for a demonstrator, put me in the police van, but when I showed them my press card, they let me go.

Let me repeat - the police started off arresting the demonstrators, but very shortly their main task was to keep them from being assaulted. They had to hold back the herd = and that’s what these people were, a herd incited by the idea that these protesters, non-violent protesters trying to get to the West Bank, were a menace, an immediate threat to their security.

http://israelleft.com/2011/07/08/mobocracy-at-ben-gurion-airport

[shira]

3. The FGM crowd is against the 60 year occupation (Israel) not just the W.Bank

Why pretend otherwise?

And yes, they're pro-Hamas when, for example:

a) They're against Israel's existence.
b) They're against any Palestinian and Israeli cooperation or peaceful bridge-building.
c) They're in favor of Hamas loading up on advanced armaments due to their belief Hamas has a right to target Israeli civilians.

For those reasons and more (like the FGM proudly and shamelessly promoting antisemites like Gilad Atzmon) it's no wonder Hamas regards these bigots as their allies, rewarding them with medals of honor a couple years back. When a group shares Hamas' nasty goals and never condemn anything Hamas stands for then yes, they're pro-Hamas.

Also, Larry Derfner is wrong. No American (or any other western) airport would allow such disruptions and they'd be far less tolerant than the IDF wrt these hateful bigots and useful idiots.

[Violet_Crumble]

4. But the people arrested at the airport were Israelis...

You just lump everyone in some 'FGM crowd', who I highly doubt all think exactly the same thing. How about talking about what the OP was about? Y'know, Nutty being a purveyor of hatred?

So, what you got out of Larry's article wasn't disgust at the behaviour of a mob, but that protesters would get arrested at most airports? Well, thanks for pointing out the bleeding obvious, but seriously the behaviour of that mob was appalling. Also, I think you'll find the police were the ones who arrested people at the airport, not the IDF...

[shira]

5. And they were "non-violently" and directly protesting those in favor of the FGM/Hamas agenda, right?

I thought you were in favor of "non-violent" direct confrontational protest, no matter which side does it?

:shrug:

But seriously, there's no excusing the behavior of the mob. I can't blame them for their anger, however, given the demonstrators were supporting the bigoted and hateful FGM/Hamas agenda, whether they realize it or not.

Would you prefer that Netanyahu preaches love and understanding to those promoting the Hamas agenda? How exactly should he go about doing that?

[Violet_Crumble]

6. No, I definately don't support lynch-mob mentality...

And trying to lump everyone who opposes the blockade of Gaza as pro-Hamas is really silly, and an example of what the OP was talking about:

'The well-orchestrated campaign to promote the idea that the Palestinians and their international supporters are delegitimizing "the very existence of the State of Israel" has turned all critics of the most right-wing government Israel has ever had into Israel-haters.'

and

'The delegitimization of those who oppose the occupation and injustice is trickling down to the lowest-ranking police officer, as is hatred of the left. Israeli leftists from the Solidarity movement who stubbornly continue demonstrating in East Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan neighborhoods, activists in Breaking the Silence and volunteers with Machsom Watch tell of harsh verbal and sometimes even physical violence against them by the security forces.'

[shira]

7. The solution is simple. Demonstrators who oppose the 40 yr occupation, are for 2 states and...

....mutual cooperation b/w Arabs and Jews - but who are also against Hamas and their disgusting agenda - should be clearly distinguishing themselves from the sanctimonious bigots who deserve condemnation. At BG airport, those yelling "apartheid" and "free Palestine" made it clear they stand with sanctimonious pro-Hamas bigots.

Genuine peace organizations like OneVoice and PeaceNow distinguish themselves from these sanctimonious bigots so their demonstrators are not treated like garbage except by both political extremes.

What happened WRT your support of OneVoice? I don't see how you can support them and the FGM crowd, which opposes just about everything OneVoice stands for. You're playing both sides of the fence if you wish to pretend you support both movements. You say you don't support lynch-mob mentality but the FGM stands for much worse than that, not that you'll condemn or criticize them for anything they do/believe...so it's difficult taking you seriously.

[Violet_Crumble]

10. Saying 'apartheid' and 'free Palestine' makes it clear someone's a pro-Hamas bigot?

I guess you'll be adding “boycott the settlements!” to that list of things that make it clear someone's a 'sanctimonious pro-Hamas bigot'?

I honestly don't know what you consider to be the political extreme in Israel, if it's not this current government, which is the most RW in Israeli history, and which contains people who support bigoted and discriminatory laws against the Arab citizens of Israel and who support the expulsion of Arabs from Israel...

Nothing happened to my support of OneVoice, and I oppose the blockade on Gaza. I really fail to see a reason why I can't. Also, you clearly weren't reading the other thread where I did criticise the FGM for not being more careful about who they invite to speak, otherwise you wouldn't have said I haven't criticised them. And fyi, I don't *pretend* to support anything I don't.

Apart from that, I think LB summed up the problems with accusing people of supporting a particular agenda whether they know it or not really well.

Anyway, I guess I'll just have to resign myself to you telling me yet again that it's difficult for you to take me seriously. It's going to cast a heavy pall on my upcoming day and I'll lose sleep over it, but somehow I'll struggle through in the hopes I can recover months or years in the future!

[shira]

11. Well, those types are almost always for 1-state, RoR, BDS, Hamas' right to resist...

...and no cooperation b/w Jews and Arabs.

:eyes:

I would say it's politically more extreme to be for all that rather than what Netanyahu has said he stands for. After all, adopting almost every hardline Hamas position is far more Rightwing than anything Nutty currently advocates. It doesn't get more Rightwing and intransigent than Hamas.

OneVoice is against all that. That's why I asked you how you could be for both OneVoice and the FGM. There's not really anything in common between the two. Larry Derfner has called the FGM people moral cowards whose politics he disagrees with. He knows the difference. I'm surprised you don't. Are you for all those positions mentioned above?

Why are you against the blockade when that means Hamas will acquire more advanced weaponry, which will only bring more war and bloodshed? Could you explain your position there, please?

And I'm not for the Knesset boycott bill. I'm looking forward to the Israeli Supreme Court quickly shooting that one down.

[LeftishBrit]

8. I strongly object...

to the idea that ANYONE deserves anger for 'supporting ANY agenda, *whether they realize it or not*'. People can ONLY be accused of supporting an agenda if they *do* 'realize' it, and consciously support it. Under other circumstances, people can perhaps be accused of naivete in not realizing how their cause may be twisted in support of a bad agenda, but not for 'supporting it without realizing it'; otherwise one is in the dangerous territory of guilt-by-association.

It is like right-wingers nowadays accusing anti-war protesters of 'supporting the hateful Al Quaeda agenda, whether they realize it or not', or right-wingers 40 years ago accusing protesters against the Vietnam War by accusing them of 'supporting the Soviet agenda' or right-wingers 65 years ago accusing opponents of the British Empire of 'supporting tyrants and civil war in the new countries'. In all these case, there are/were doubtless SOME people who supported such things, but that does not justify equating all protest with the bad 'agendas'. It reminds me of the Bushies' 'You are either with us or with the terrorists'. And for that matter of the sort of hardline anti-Zionists who equate all support for Israel's existence with support for violence toward Palestinians.

'Would you prefer that Netanyahu preaches love and understanding to those promoting the Hamas agenda?'

I do not think that Netanyahu is capable of convincingly preaching love and understanding to anyone, or that any *real* Hamas supporter would listen if he were, - so no. But if one must start on that road of looking at potential consequences rather than intentions, Netanyahu is assisting the Hamas agenda as much as anyone by helping to harden Palestinian attitudes. Just as Hamas are assisting Netanyahu's and the Israeli Right's agenda by helping to harden Israeli attitudes.

Finally: there is a difference between the Israeli government taking a harsh attitude toward foreigners who come to Israel to protest, and cracking down on Israeli leftists. The first is IMO regrettable; but all governments have a legal right to exclude non-citizens whom they consider undesirable, even if one may think that they are wrong to do so in a particular case. It is the latter - cracking down on left-wing *Israeli citizens* - that is IMO fundamentally anti-democratic and McCarthyite.

ETA: I see from your other post that you are NOT lumping the likes of OneVoice and PeaceNow in with those who oppose a two-state solution. I apologize if I implied that. But many on the Israeli Right *are* essentially doing so.

[shira]

9. OneVoice, PeaceNow & their supporters should be disgusted at the FGM and its associates

....who are demonstrably pro-Hamas, which calls into question their Leftwing advocacy since Hamas couldn't possibly be more hideously to the Right than they already are.

On his blog, Larry Derfner wrote that he thought these supporters of FGM/Hamas are moral cowards and he opposes their politics. However, he's for lifting the blockade even if that means Hamas loads up on more advanced weaponry.

Do you disagree?

Or do you somehow find common ground with these so-called "Leftists"?