Gideon Levy Opinion It's Not Netanyahu. It's the Nation
Opinion
One can lash out at the prime minister as much as one wants to — he deserves it. But ultimately one should remember: It’s not Benjamin Netanyahu. It’s the nation. At least most of the nation. All the displays of evil in recent days and all the farce were designed to satisfy the meanest desires and darkest instincts harbored by Israelis. Israelis wanted blood in Gaza, as much as possible, and deportations from Tel Aviv, as much as possible. There is no way to embellish it; one mustn’t blur the facts. Netanyahu – feeble, pathetic, evil or cynical – was propelled by one motive: to please Israelis and fulfill their desires. And what they wanted was blood and deportation.
It's Not Netanyahu. It's the Nation
One can lash out at the prime minister as much as one wants to — he deserves it. But ultimately one should remember: It’s not Benjamin Netanyahu. It’s the nation. At least most of the nation. All the displays of evil in recent days and all the farce were designed to satisfy the meanest desires and darkest instincts harbored by Israelis. Israelis wanted blood in Gaza, as much as possible, and deportations from Tel Aviv, as much as possible. There is no way to embellish it; one mustn’t blur the facts. Netanyahu – feeble, pathetic, evil or cynical – was propelled by one motive: to please Israelis and fulfill their desires. And what they wanted was blood and deportation.
If
only the problem lay with Netanyahu and his government. Then, in one
more election, or maybe two, the problem could be fixed. The good guys
will take over, Gaza and the asylum seekers
will be liberated, the fascist incitement will die out, the standing of
the courts will be assured and Israel will again be a place to be proud
of. That is a pipe dream. That’s why the campaign against Netanyahu is
important, but it’s definitely not a fateful one. The real battle is
much more desperate and its scope is much more widespread. This is a
battle over the nation, sometimes even against it.
Even Netanyahu’s critics
admit that he knows how to identify the wishes of the people. He
recognized that the majority wants ethnic cleansing in Tel Aviv,
ultra-nationalism, racism and cruelty. Netanyahu, being not quite as bad
as his supporters, tried another way for a moment — a more humane and
rational way. But when he got burnt and realized that he’d disregarded
the desire of the people, he recovered in record time and returned to
himself. The base, the electorate, the majority want evil. This is what
he provided, and this is something that no election will change. The
true calamity is not Netanyahu — it’s the fact that any display of
humanity in Israel is political suicide.
A straight line of evil and racism runs from the Gaza border
to Tel Aviv. In both cases Israelis don’t see human beings in front of
them. The Gazan and Eritrean are one and the same – subhuman. They have
no dreams, no rights and their lives are worthless.
In
Gaza, Israeli army snipers shot unarmed demonstrators as if they were
on a shooting range, to a chorus of rejoicing by the media and the
masses. In south Tel Aviv they are back to arrests and deportations —
this, too, to the sound of cheers.
This is what the nation wants and this is what it
will get. Even if soldiers kill hundreds of demonstrators in Gaza,
Israel will not bat an eyelid. The reason: evil and hatred of Arabs.
Gaza is never perceived as it really is, a place inhabited by people, an
enormous and terrible prison, a huge site of human experimentation.
Most Israelis, who — just like their prime minister — have never spoken
to a single Gazan, only know that the Gaza Strip is a nest of
terrorists. That’s why it’s OK to shoot them. Shocking? Yes, but true.
It’s the same in south Tel Aviv. When one speaks of “the residents of
south Tel Aviv” one means only the racist Jews among them. The blacks
living there aren’t considered residents any more than the mice living
there. The degree of evil harbored toward them was apparent in the
responses to the deal Netanyahu presented. Why deport them to Europe and
Canada? Why not to Africa? Why not by force? It’s a sentiment that’s
difficult to fathom. Netanyahu only rode the wave of these despicable
sentiments. He didn’t generate them. Obviously a leader of stature would
have fought them but such a leader isn’t even on the horizon in Israel.
Replacing the nation is also not a feasible option for now.
Opposing all this evil there are, of course,
other Israelis as well. There is no reason not to label them by the
right name: better, more humane, compassionate, conscientious, moral
leftists. They are not a negligible minority but the war waged against
them by the majority and its government has paralyzed them. Radio anchor
Kobi Meidan’s apology for feeling shame indicates that this camp is
defeated. If the massacre in Gaza and the deportation from south Tel
Aviv doesn’t bring them to the streets enraged, just like after the
Sabra and Shatila massacre, they are a species on the verge of
extinction.
We remain a nation of the majority.
Gideon Levy
A straight line of evil and racism runs from the Gaza border
to Tel Aviv. In both cases Israelis don’t see human beings in front of
them. The Gazan and Eritrean are one and the same – subhuman. They have
no dreams, no rights and their lives are worthless.
In
Gaza, Israeli army snipers shot unarmed demonstrators as if they were
on a shooting range, to a chorus of rejoicing by the media and the
masses. In south Tel Aviv they are back to arrests and deportations —
this, too, to the sound of cheers. This is what the nation wants and this is what it will get. Even if
soldiers kill hundreds of demonstrators in Gaza, Israel will not bat an
eyelid. The reason: evil and hatred of Arabs. Gaza is never perceived as
it really is, a place inhabited by people, an enormous and terrible
prison, a huge site of human experimentation. Most Israelis, who — just
like their prime minister — have never spoken to a single Gazan, only
know that the Gaza Strip is a nest of terrorists. That’s why it’s OK to
shoot them. Shocking? Yes, but true. It’s the same in south Tel Aviv. When one speaks
of “the residents of south Tel Aviv” one means only the racist Jews
among them. The blacks living there aren’t considered residents any more
than the mice living there. The degree of evil harbored toward them was
apparent in the responses to the deal Netanyahu presented. Why deport
them to Europe and Canada? Why not to Africa? Why not by force? It’s a
sentiment that’s difficult to fathom. Netanyahu only rode the wave of
these despicable sentiments. He didn’t generate them. Obviously a leader
of stature would have fought them but such a leader isn’t even on the
horizon in Israel. Replacing the nation is also not a feasible option
for now.
Opposing
all this evil there are, of course, other Israelis as well. There is no
reason not to label them by the right name: better, more humane,
compassionate, conscientious, moral leftists. They are not a negligible
minority but the war waged against them by the majority and its
government has paralyzed them. Radio anchor Kobi Meidan’s apology for
feeling shame indicates that this camp is defeated. If the massacre in
Gaza and the deportation from south Tel Aviv doesn’t bring them to the
streets enraged, just like after the Sabra and Shatila massacre, they
are a species on the verge of extinction.
We remain a nation of the majority.
Gideon Levy
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