In the recent months, the country of Israel blossomed with orange ribbons, symbolizing grass-roots protest against the expulsion plan. In many towns and neighborhoods, the orange ribbons became so widespread that the very notion of forcing the criminal expulsion plan down the people's throats became visually absurd.
And then, after the carefully manipulated reports of allegedly "right-wing" violence, blue and white ribbons started sprouting. These were put up by people who protested the protest. Sure, there's a lot less of them than the orange kind. And at first glance, there's nothing wrong with similar methods of self-expression being used by the Israeli Left, too. So why are these blue and white ribbons so disturbing?
Not because their appearance was catalyzed by the blatant lies of the media. One cannot be angry at the naivete of the people who have been misled again and again - during the Oslo process, after the Rabin assassination and ever since. The PR experts of the Israeli governing elite have considerable experience in manipulating public opinion for their masters' benefit; they do their jobs well.
I am hanging on to the Thursday edition of a "mainstream" Israeli tabloid, to be able to show it to my children when they are old enough to learn about such sad things as fascism. The paper openly and passionately calls for violence against Jews. Julius Streicher, the publisher of the Nazi propaganda vessel Der Sturmer, must be smiling in his grave.
The blue and white ribbons are disturbing not just because the idea of actually supporting the expulsion plan is morally repugnant - not just for the national camp, but also for anyone who cares about individual human rights. Even if just one of the plan's supporters could bring just one convincing reason to carry it through (which has yet to happen), the forceful removal of innocent civilians from their homes is a policy that can only be justified by a universal, nationwide consensus. The fact that the population of Israel is divided (more or less in the middle) as to the necessity of this plan unequivocally means that it has to be abolished. But, unfortunately, some people understand the principles of democracy in a very sketchy manner, and for this, they cannot be blamed. One can only be responsible for what one understands.
But what everyone understands is that the colors blue and white are the colors of the Israeli national flag. Therefore, whoever uses them to counter the "orange" protests, basically makes the claim that he stands for Israel, while the opponents stand against it. This message is not a novelty; voices in the Left have been saying as much. For example, Yossi Sarid remarked that a war against the Jewish settlers would not be a "war between brothers," as he did not consider them his brothers. In fact, it has been a hallmark of the Israeli elitists, as it was of the Bolsheviks with whom they share a substantial historical and ideological relationship, to portray themselves as the only true representatives of the people, no matter how small a minority they really are, and no matter where their twisted minds would take them.
The anti-expulsion protesters took the time to find an original color. The leftists chose to hijack the national flag, in the same way that they had previously hijacked the terms "peace", "liberty", "equality" and "human rights".
And then, after the carefully manipulated reports of allegedly "right-wing" violence, blue and white ribbons started sprouting. These were put up by people who protested the protest. Sure, there's a lot less of them than the orange kind. And at first glance, there's nothing wrong with similar methods of self-expression being used by the Israeli Left, too. So why are these blue and white ribbons so disturbing?
Not because their appearance was catalyzed by the blatant lies of the media. One cannot be angry at the naivete of the people who have been misled again and again - during the Oslo process, after the Rabin assassination and ever since. The PR experts of the Israeli governing elite have considerable experience in manipulating public opinion for their masters' benefit; they do their jobs well.
I am hanging on to the Thursday edition of a "mainstream" Israeli tabloid, to be able to show it to my children when they are old enough to learn about such sad things as fascism. The paper openly and passionately calls for violence against Jews. Julius Streicher, the publisher of the Nazi propaganda vessel Der Sturmer, must be smiling in his grave.
The blue and white ribbons are disturbing not just because the idea of actually supporting the expulsion plan is morally repugnant - not just for the national camp, but also for anyone who cares about individual human rights. Even if just one of the plan's supporters could bring just one convincing reason to carry it through (which has yet to happen), the forceful removal of innocent civilians from their homes is a policy that can only be justified by a universal, nationwide consensus. The fact that the population of Israel is divided (more or less in the middle) as to the necessity of this plan unequivocally means that it has to be abolished. But, unfortunately, some people understand the principles of democracy in a very sketchy manner, and for this, they cannot be blamed. One can only be responsible for what one understands.
But what everyone understands is that the colors blue and white are the colors of the Israeli national flag. Therefore, whoever uses them to counter the "orange" protests, basically makes the claim that he stands for Israel, while the opponents stand against it. This message is not a novelty; voices in the Left have been saying as much. For example, Yossi Sarid remarked that a war against the Jewish settlers would not be a "war between brothers," as he did not consider them his brothers. In fact, it has been a hallmark of the Israeli elitists, as it was of the Bolsheviks with whom they share a substantial historical and ideological relationship, to portray themselves as the only true representatives of the people, no matter how small a minority they really are, and no matter where their twisted minds would take them.
The anti-expulsion protesters took the time to find an original color. The leftists chose to hijack the national flag, in the same way that they had previously hijacked the terms "peace", "liberty", "equality" and "human rights".