“Israel has never been so ugly”
He is not guided by the rules of the game, but by the desire to gain a position of strength. It is not protecting democracy that is uppermost in his mind but retaining power. He is therefore not interested or capable of demonstrating moral leadership. Netanyahu is letting his Rottweilers devour liberal democracy while he himself stands by watching. He is not fulfilling his role as the guardian of the Israeli Declaration of Independence.
Netanyahu’s weak leadership and moral laxity are what unleashed this frenzy. The fact that he has not put a stop to the dark forces that have always oozed from our depths is what brought us to this situation, but it is not yet too late. Netanyahu can put a stop to this insanity in an instant. All he has to do is halt the totalitarian legislation and to deliver one major address extolling enlightened democracy and human rights.
He must make it clear that violence will not be tolerated, that women are equal. Arabs are equal and every human being is created in God’s image. If the super-leader of the right wing would order the lunatic fringe on the right to stop, they would. If the leader of the State of Israel would say that liberty and equality and law and freedom of expression are the beating heart of the state, so it would be.
Not a single party would quit the government coalition. Not a single minister would quit the cabinet. But the young people who are called upon to defend this place would know what they are protecting. And the older generation who built this place would know what they built. The face in the mirror would again be our face.“
If the Gentile me or any non-Jewish critic of Israel had written such things, I and they would have been smeared by Zionism’s propaganda machine as a rabid Jew hater.
Ha’aretz reflects all Israeli points of view and prejudices but it my opinion it is second to none in the newspaper world for the honesty and integrity of its reporting about what is happening in the Zionist state and why. I sometimes wonder how different the situation might have been today if over the years Ha’aretz had been required daily reading for every occupant of the White House and every member of Congress.
If I was a very wealthy Arab I would create a foundation to make that happen.
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george beres:
December 18th, 2011 at 4:15 am
What despair this has to give Israelis to see one of their own, a respected source, take this kind of look at themselves and their nation’s corrupt behavior. –
George Beres
Graham Griffiths:
December 18th, 2011 at 11:20 am
Not all Israelis, George. I’ve said before that a great hope for an improvement in this awful situation will come, in my opinion, very much from within Israel itself, as it did in the case of, say, apartheid South Africa and the American Civil Rights movement.
Thank goodness for writers like Shavit and Avnery.
carroll price:
December 18th, 2011 at 12:52 pm
The only thing worth reading about Israel, would be that the shitty little country no longer exist.
Vera Gottlieb:
December 18th, 2011 at 6:30 pm
The country is turning itself into a ghetto!
David Deutsch:
December 18th, 2011 at 6:32 pm
It is handy but a little weak to suggest that Netanyahu is responsible for the growth of “dark forces” in Israel. It is also wistful and wishful. Should Bibi ever speak out in support of the imagined Israel of yesteryear, as unthinkable as that is, almost nobody in Israel would listen.
The picture of a dark, immoral regime attacking the fundamental goodness of Israel (as though history reflects any such goodness whatsoever!)and its people is false, self-serving, misleading and irresponsible. And for you to put this on your site without comment is irresponsible as well. For sure — Israel has never been uglier but the Israelis themselves, and Zionists worlwide, and the US are responsible for this, not Bibi or Adelson and their toadies. They are flies hovering over the carcass of Israel.
Israelis themselves looked away when the first settlers broached the Green Line, supported right wing reactionary forces after Rabin (no wild-eyed idealist) was assasinated, were incited by “terrorist” attacks, the miliary response of a wronged people, but offered nothing in accomodation, cheered as the IDF sought to make living in the (ever “Judaized”)Galilee more comfortable by devastating Lebanon twice over, cheered as the IDF murdered 1400 in Gaza, after Israelis complained about their pets being injured by the pathetic rockets, offering nothing to anyone ever, and now these Israelis do nothing when their swaggering government commits murder and piracy on the high seas, alienating friends in the region and, through its lies and illegal acts, people of goodwill and balanced vision the world over.
Instead of coming to the table with solutions, Israelis have again and again offered nothing, made no attempt to recognize the grief they perpetuate, and now in this last seizure of Palestine and its Nakba will place Israel in harm’s way for many generations to come. Rabin’s assassination made it clear that Israel will not offer anything ever. These soulless, loathsome gangsters, these sad Israelis who pretend to stand for Judaism and democracy are thieves as are the Jews worldwide who support this criminal enterprise. These people are not entitled to Torah in the first place. The trees the heroic Zionists planted to cover up their crimes will yet burn, an outcome very richly deserved.
David King:
December 18th, 2011 at 9:14 pm
israel was birthed with the intention to commit ethnic cleansing. Since the start they have maintained a path of war and human rights crimes. They have never deviated from the intentions of their founders. They have maintained stony silence in the face of international condemnation and they have relentlessly ignored attempts for peace.
The title of this piece would indicate a change of policy by the zionist government. No such thing has occurred.
As someone that has kept on keen eye on israel; let me explain their mentality.
I need to point out, that this piece does not represent internal condemnation of the zionist government. Don’t for a second believe that it does; as that is just the window dressing. The intention is to provide the opportunity for israelis to become familiar with the facts and to convince them that the government has actually done the right thing. How is that achieved? Usually through a national medium where an internal dialogue is theatrically played out. There is a lot of heart wrenching accusation and solemn contemplation of those points that zionists are subject to in the international media. As the play continues more and more facts are aligned and the plot becomes darker, until there seems no hope…but so dramatically, right at the end, some small otherwise unnoticed point turns all around. The door is thrown open, the shutters go up; and the light floods in. The israeli people were never responsible. They did did a damn thing wrong. It was all lies perpetuated on them by terrorists who hate them for their money, intelligence and lets not forget freedoms.
David Deutsch:
December 18th, 2011 at 10:17 pm
I will look for the “darma” to play out as King describes. Sure, Israelis have done nothing wrong, they have tried and tried to come to terms wsith Arabs and the terrorists just aren’t interested in anything short of tossing the Jews into the sea. Everybody knows this. So, Israel just has to be an armed camp, just has to invade and annex Arab lands, just has to throw F-16s and tanks into the battle against an unarmed people (civilians) in Gaza. The Arabs forced Israel to become the hegemonic power of the region with only 5 million Jews. It was the victim’s fault.
Shavit is a liar as well. There was no enlightened regime in Israel even under Labor. Israel was never acceptable in anyone’s living room, at any front door. And rightly so. Labor allowed the very first settlements. Labor precipitated wars of conquest. Israel was never very pretty. It is extraordinarily homely now,yes, but it was always defaced and horrible, so Shavit can pine away all he likes, it is just another self-serving ball of Israeli ka ka.
Mhara Costello:
December 18th, 2011 at 11:17 pm
israel, from its very creation was,is and always will be ‘ugly’ until it learns to recognise the beauty in its fellow humans; yes, even Palestinians.
David Deutsch makes some very good points, such as “attacking the fundamental goodness of Israel (as though history reflects any such goodness whatsoever!)
Exactly! What ‘fundamental goodness’? Did I blink and miss it, whilst attempting to wade thru’sixty three years history of a brutal illegal regime which continues to this very day; aided, abetted and protected by so called ‘civilized’ Western democracies.’We all know who they are.
“why now, exactly”? Why not? israel has thumbed its nose for so long at international law, broken enough UN resolutions to cover the vile apartheid wall twice over.Nothings said, nothings done, nothing changes.This is mighty israel.Period.
“Netanyahu can put a stop to this insanity in an instant” No he can’t.One only has to look at the settlers current insane behaviour to see that; actually turning on the very same soldiers who looked the other way whilst they went on the rampage, destroying olive groves and anything else in sight with impunity.
A Frankinstein monster on the scale of Medusa has been created, about to self dstruct anytime soon. For israel,the Barbarians truly are at the gate. Their own.
David Deutsch:
December 19th, 2011 at 6:24 pm
Israelis won’t “take a hard look” at themselves. The West believes that Netanyahu and right wing extreme in Israel is an aberration born of decades of hunkering down and pushing back. It is not. The Israeli public is more extremist than the government: Israelis have less conscience and more aggression than the government. If the IDF assaults Gaza tomorrow, or they turn off the water to Gaza, Israelis would stand behind the government and its murderous policies and intractability. Israelis won’t life a finger because they feel so threatened all the time. Israelis are full of “they make me do it” justifications. Jails are full of such innocent misunderstood people.
Arthur Lloyd:
January 3rd, 2012 at 7:41 am
Mr. Hart has chronicled for us the History of Zionism from the time of its inception until present time of Netanyahu. He has personally ascertained from Arafat that he was willing to negotiate for peace and from Golda Mier that if cecessary She,Zionism, would resort to Nuclear weapons. The zionist have ignored The UN.,Resolution 242, and World Opinion. The Zionist have ignored their people,[the Jews] only to manipulate them for their own drive for statehood and a place in world affairs to further pursue their pathological conquest. Not the Alamo but The Jewish War Cry, “Remember The Holocaust.” They have a hidden agenda; if not explain the following.
http://www.texemarrs.com/102009/zionist_jews_in_power.htm/ The US.Gov’t The Jews consitute about 2.5% of the population yet control important positions of Gov’t.,Federal Reserve [WORLDWIDE BANKING ] all the major media outlets including Hollywood. Also the largest Lobbyist group in the country. Also control the majority of Congress. Proof. The last Bill, #1867, 93 Senators violated the constitution, voted for the final enslavement of America; military presence.
Senate Bill 1867 has passed, 93-7, so the Constitution has been betrayed and undermined by its most solemnly sworn trustees: the only seven U.S. Senators who even deserve a chance of reelection, EVER, are: Tom Coburn (R-OK); Tom Harkin (D-IA); Mike Lee (R-UT); Merkley (D-OR); Rand Paul (R-KY); Bernard Sanders (I-VT); Ron Wyden (D-OR); 3 Republicans, 3 Democrats, 1 Independent; and Kudos to Oregon for having the only PAIR of Senators who voted for Freedom and against the Military-Industrial Complex
How did the Jews[Zionists] manage this takeover. They did it under the “Radar of Christianity”. All we know about the Jews is what we have been taught at Christmas and Easter and from the first “Reading” of some faiths. We have learned more about the Muslims from the media in the last few years than has been said about Judaism in the last 100 years.
War is good for business; for Bankers. Banks only make money when you borrow. Gov’ts. love to borrow money. Israel wants to attack Iran. This will be WW111; Nuclear. Remeber Golda Mier. Russia. China. Israel wants to replace the Imams and Clergy with Rabbis. Supreme Law.
Ignorance is not a sin but to wallow in it is just stupidity.
In my opinion Mr. Hart has introduced the world to the “ANTI-CHRIST-THE SANHEDRIN”
http://www.forbiddenknowledgetv.com/page/6231.html / This is an excellent documentary of how the American Media has been stolen and corrupted.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhBtfiRKaVY/ [copy and paste] How we get the truth in America.
Lets pray the Jews will clean their home of Zionists and Americans clean their house of Obama’s regime and restore our constitution.
Happy New Year
rosemary spiota:
January 5th, 2012 at 10:35 pm
Thanks Arthur for the links . I watched the long film on media and learnt a lot (forbidden knowledge tv) eg details of October surprise, FCC trying to remove restrictions on amount of media ownership (under Colin Powell’s son) and the cheating by voting machines, among other tricks, to help GWBush twice. Ugly israel is just part of the picture!
Watcher465:
February 9th, 2012 at 1:39 pm
This is a puff piece from Ari Shavit. None of it is true or credible.
“The answer is Netanyahu”. No he’s not. Netanyahu was a rabid right wing dog the first time around and is worse the second time around.
“Netanyahu can put a stop to this insanity in an instant”. No he can’t and he doesn’t want to. He wouldn’t even consider it because like every Israeli leader his policy has always been to use the insanity. He keeps giving the settlers more and they still howl for his blood because more is not enough for them. They want it all and he’s fine with that. He’ll keep giving them more by continually stalling the “peace process” until they do have it all. When that happens it will be interesting to see how Shavit sees Israel’s ugliness. That will be the time to say “Israel has never been so ugly”, but his current platitudes are meaningless.