The Dark Ages Dawning on Israel

The Gaza unrest and the fortitude of the people in the south of Israel - kibbutzim, settlements and towns near the border with Gaza have had their full share of rocket and mortar fire from Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

They fired nearly 500 rockets, about 80% was intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system over two days. No doubt, this did save many lives and damage to property. Nevertheless, some missiles did get through causing severe damage to homes, injuries and loss of life. An uncertain cease-fire was declared and it is anybody’s guess as to how long this will hold.

Just after all this, the Minister of Defense, Avigdor Lieberman, resigned nearly bringing down the coalition. The Minister of Education, Naftali Bennett 1 and his side-kick, Minister of Justice, Ayelet Shaked 2, of the extremist right-wing Bayit Hayehudi Party, threatened to resign over Netanyahu’s refusal to give Bennett the Defense portfolio and taking on the Defence portfolio for himself. Eventually, after Netanyahu’s speech, Bennett and Shaked went back on their decision to resign and the issue of early elections was avoided. Mr Bennett, leader of Israel's right-wing Jewish Home party, imagined he had placed a risk-free bet to elevate his status and share the limelight with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 3. The Government Coalition has a majority of one mandate (61 to 59). This will make its governing ability almost untenable.

The whole scenario after the shaky cease-fire was declared was an exercise in childish behaviour within the coalition that proves that many coalition members are there for their own personal interests. If Netanyahu manages to govern with a one mandate majority, theoretically elections will be held in a year’s time. If there is a crisis and the coalition breaks up then it will be sooner. If the latter occurs and there are early elections, it will cost the country billions of shekels and we shall get the same government re-elected with a few minor changes. Many Israelis have moved towards the right and extreme right and it is very unlikely that they will change. Ask any Israeli why he/she fears change, he/she will tell you with great conviction that there is nobody who can replace Netanyahu and he is the only one worth supporting. After all, the economic situation in Israel is very good and this is the bottom line that will determine what government will be elected as well as the security situation.

The opposition to the present government is weak and disunited. They are unable to offer an alternate message that is strong enough to convince Israel’s electorate that Netanyahu has governed for too long and needs to go. Even the various police investigations of Netanyahu over his suspected criminality makes no impact on the Israeli electorate as according to most of them, Netanyahu is the best prime minister Israel has ever had.

The Dark Ages are now dawning on Israel. It begins with the eroding of democracy. Those who are left of centre in their thinking are ostracised by the present government and are viewed as unpatriotic, treacherous and wish to harm Israel. The occupation and the messianic Orthodox Judaism of the Bayit Hayehudi Party and the ultra-Orthodox Parties in collusion with the Netanyahu Coalition are heralding the coming of Israel’s Dark Ages. This is part of the government’s plan to justify its rule that is becoming increasingly autocratic. More anti-democratic bills designed to clamp people’s mouths will be passed into laws. The latest bill is the Cultural Loyalty Bill introduced by Commissar of Culture and Sport, Miri Regev, will undoubtedly gain government support. Freedom of speech, freedom of culture and eventually books that are written that will be interpreted by Commissar Miri as being anti-Israel will eventually be censored or banned. The legal community have come out against this anti-democratic bill. Freedom of culture will be decided upon by the Commissar of Culture, whose duty will be to decide what can be defined as anti-Israel, unpatriotic, seeking the destruction of Israel and supporting terror from the narrowest definition in her agenda. Miri has no idea what culture is as she was never exposed to it. She is one of the initiators of Israel’s dark age. She and the Minister of Justice were working together to even fire the vice-Attorney-General Dina Zilber for opposing this anti-democratic piece of legislation. Dina Zilber is certainly not a pundit for harming Israel. The opposite is true.

Earlier we had the Nation-State Law to ensure the Jewishness of Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People. This is another piece of heinous, racist legislation that ought to be expunged from the statute book of Israel. We can expect more disgraceful bills to be enacted before the next election, reigning in a period in Israel that will bring it closer to a dictatorship that can be defined as Israel’s Darkest Age. We must bear in mind that a country that occupies another people cannot be a democracy in the long run. Slowly but surely, the occupying power will slip into a pseudo-fascist regime. Laws ensuring the purity of an occupying nation will protect its status. In Israel’s case, two laws were passed, the Nation-State Law and the Cultural Loyalty Bill (soon to become law). These laws have two principles in common. Both intend to weaken the opposition to the Netanyahu Government by showing who is the boss and to clamp mouths of those who are involved in avant-garde cultural projects that go against Commissar Miri’s agenda.

There is also no true freedom from religion and the excuse that this is a Jewish country. Pluralism in Judaism is not recognized. Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist Judaism is not recognized nor are their rabbis. The only Judaism recognized is Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox Judaism that ensures that there will never be a separation of Orthodox synagogue and state. They have also succeeded in alienating Diaspora Jewry, especially US Jewry who are mostly non-Orthodox observant. 

As I write this, I feel that Israel’s most brilliant philosopher of the 20th Century, Late Prof.Yeshayahu Leibowitz ז"ל 4 states it very well indeed. It is still relevant today:

”I am talking about the monstrous phenomenon of a regime that is imposed upon a population which is not made up of a single people but of two peoples who are enemies. On top of this national conflict, itself insoluble, there is a social conflict between these two peoples. One works and the other exploits the first. That is why there cannot be a democratic regime in this country, neither can human rights be respected. I insist: they cannot be. It doesn't depend on someone's goodwill. It is the consequence of the objective fact that the State of Israel is, today, a colonial power. Precisely when history, for the second half of the 20th century, has been characterized by world decolonization, the State of Israel and South Africa are the only remaining colonial powers”.
Yeshayahu Leibowitz 5

He continues: “I am not shocked, I am making an observation. If I raise my voice it is because some people still don't know. This is why I shout out loud: Judeo-Nazis do exist!”
Yeshayahu Leibowitz

This will also initiate a period of Netanyahu’s schmoozing with right-wing regimes in Europe that have a history of racism including anti-Semitism. This is a natural development expected within the right-wing regime of the Netanyahu Era.  

See:

1. "The Jewish Home" of Racism and Intolerance
2. Quotes of Yeshayahu Leibowitz  (29 January 1903 – 18 August 1994) was an Israeli public intellectual; professor of biochemistry, organic chemistry, and neurophysiology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; and a polymath known for his outspoken opinions on Judaism, ethics, religion, and politics.

References:

1.  "Naftali Bennett - Wikipedia." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naftali_Bennett. Accessed 22 Nov. 2018.
2. "Ayelet Shaked - Wikipedia." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayelet_Shaked. Accessed 22 Nov. 2018.
3. 20 Nov. 2018, https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/naftali-bennett-david-cameron-style-gambler-loses-to-israel-s-smoothest-operator-1.472790. Accessed 22 Nov. 2018.
4. "Yeshayahu Leibowitz - Wikipedia." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeshayahu_Leibowitz. Accessed 22 Nov. 2018.
5. "Yeshayahu Leibowitz (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)." 29 Mar. 2011, https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/leibowitz-yeshayahu/. Accessed 22 Nov. 2018.

Jerusalem - A City more Divided than Ever!

Israelis wave flags as they celebrate Jerusalem Day outside Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City 

This past week, almost coinciding with the glitch-filled Trump visit, including the notorious, loutish behavior of MK Oren Hazan, who pushed his way through to take a selfie with President Donald Trump, which was the only achievement of Trump’s State visit to Israel. Another celebration took place after Trump and his retinue boarded the plane to the Vatican to meet Pope Francis.

But as to whether the US considers Jerusalem to be in Israel, whether in the eastern or western part of the city, that question remains unanswered, even after Trump's ceremonial visit.1

Some Israeli politicians have felt that Trump's visit to Jerusalem is a sign of obvious recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the city, including the Old City.2

This celebration - the 50th Anniversary of the capture of Jerusalem during the Six Day War of 1967. There was tremendous euphoria when Eastern Jerusalem fell into the hands of Israel at the time and for a few years after that until the Yom Kippur War of October 1973.

Israel captured East Jerusalem from Jordan during the 1967 Six-Day War and subsequently annexed it into Jerusalem, together with the additional surrounding territory.3

The cracks in this euphoria began when settlements were built in occupied territories for religious Zionist zealots. These occupied territories are controversial and Israel was not able to enjoy the fruits of victory for very long as a new reality of illegal settlements were established, including in areas around Eastern Jerusalem that belonged to East Jerusalem Palestinians.

Jerusalem, while being united territorially, was never united demographically and still remains so to this day. This year, while Israel celebrated the unity of Jerusalem, it became clear that cracks in that unity is growing wider and wider so much so that those who celebrated and made themselves the most felt were the right wing, religious Zionists.

An activist with IfNotNow is carried away by Israeli police during a Jerusalem Day protest, Jerusalem, May 24, 2017. (JC/Activestills.org)

It became a political fanfare of showing who are the bosses of Jerusalem today! The Israeli flag waving, tzitzi-dangling, kippa-cladded youngsters of the extremist right wing Zionist religious, Bayit HaYehudi Party, (whose leader is Naftali Bennett) and the religious, fascist, extremist, MK and Deputy-Speaker, Bezalel Smotrich, were raucously parading the streets.

It was a frightening spectacle to watch.

These noisy demonstrations’ sole purpose was to provoke the East Jerusalem Palestinians and those who are against the occupation seeking a just solution to the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict. Most secular Israelis were not part of this hateful, provocation and there were counter-demonstrations resulting in arrests. The loutish and provocative behavior of the right wing religious, Zionists were left to their own shocking behavior.

The message of this whole charade was a message of power and to show the world that Jerusalem is the property of the right to extreme right-wing settler movement that wishes to colonize the West Bank. There was nothing that one could view as promoting peace. There was no hint of good will or a feeling that Jerusalem belongs to everybody who lives in it irrespective of their creed or race.

Many of us cringed with shame when we saw how the masses of right-wing Zionist religious youth with their raucous, provocative screaming did their utmost to display their power over the Palestinians and others who do not share their racist, extremist views. It was an exercise of hate for the stranger in their midst.

Naturally, there were arrests and detentions of those who opposed this mass exercise of hatred and self-righteousness.

The despicable behavior of the religious, Zionist extremist right-wing is further proof that Jerusalem is far from being a united city. Unity is not based only on free access to every part of Jerusalem, but also on the desire of all Jerusalemites to accept each other. Tolerance towards all people whether they are Christian, Muslim or Jew is not part of the extreme right wing agenda as illustrated by these loutish demonstrators.

This disgraceful, Israeli flag waving and crude slogan screaming of “who is the boss” proves that Jerusalem will remain a city divided by hate for many years to come.

The United States and most other nations have not recognized Israel's annexation of territory captured in 1967, and both Israelis and Palestinians claim Jerusalem as their capital.4

1.  24 May. 2017, http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/Trump-visited-Jerusalem-but-was-he-in-Israel-493801. Accessed 27 May 2017.
2. 24 May. 2017, http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/Trump-visited-Jerusalem-but-was-he-in-Israel-493801. Accessed 27 May. 2017.
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem. Accessed 27 May. 2017.
4. 24 May. 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/24/world/middleeast/jerusalem-day-israel-palestinians-western-wall.html. Accessed 27 May. 2017.

A Stench of General Elections in the Air as False Alarm

General election fever in democratic countries is a time of excitement. This takes place every four or five years when the citizen gets ready for the one day that he/she feels like a king or queen as the right to vote for a government of one’s choice is exercised. All the political parties gear themselves up by making empty promises and populist statements that can never be fulfilled. Despite these pitfalls, there is a dearth of polls - most of which are misleading with questionable predictions as was in the American Presidential Election of November 2016. The polls in Israel are no less accurate yet they have their pundits.

In Israel, election results are predictable, especially today. It is a foregone conclusion that the right and the extreme right wing will win the elections if held today. No party will get an absolute majority, but the right wing block with its plethora of parties with similar ideologies will form the next coalition government that will be even more radically right wing than the present.

It all started with PM Netanyahu wishing to close down the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation in order to privatise it and make it more cost-effective as well as being more of a government mouthpiece. This would mean firing 1000 employees.

The Finance Minister, Moshe Kahlon was prepared to go with Netanyahu on this and in the end, Netanyahu changed his mind after consulting with the employees’ representatives who felt that they were on the firing line. Netanyahu opposed the move but Kahlon was not prepared to back down on Netanyahu’s original decision. The closing down of the IBA is scheduled to occur on 30th April 2017. This would be replaced by a new broadcasting company called Kan that would receive a smaller budget. It would also be run by the Communications Ministry and tow the government line. In other words, Israeli and TV services would be handcuffed to a certain extent and lose their independence.

At the time of writing both Netanyahu and Kahlon are on the edge of brinkmanship and no agreement on this issue has been achieved by these two players despite the numerous meetings between the two. 

According to latest reports, an agreement between Netanyahu and Kahlon has been reached. A compromise has been made. No elections for the time being until the next storm in a teacup when we shall all be getting a feeling of deja vu for the umpteenth time.

National elections for the Knesset must take place once every four years, though early elections have occurred more often and few governments have reached the four-year limit.

General Elections in Israel have a habit of being very predictable. The Israeli electorate for the most part over the years has moved away from the left of centre and towards the right and extreme right. There are no signs that this trend will change in the foreseeable future.

The right wing parties - Likud, Kulanu, Jewish Home Party, Yisrael Beitenu, Yesh Atid (a sitting on the fence party that could under certain circumstances move to the right as its leader, Yair Lapid, is a shallow populist and adapts his views to suit his electorate) would probably form the next government. Yesh Atid has a problem with sitting in the same coalition with the ultra-Orthodox parties, who are not well disposed towards Yesh Atid. Nevertheless with a little push and shove and monies pledged to their ultra-Orthodox yeshivot as a bonus, this problem will undoubtedly be solved.

The present government is the most right-wing government in Israel’s history. It is unfortunate that it is a government with no foresight and prefers to allow the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict to remain unsolved. It is a government that puts great emphasis on illegal settler expansion for which the taxpayers pay the price. Those who oppose the occupation are viewed as traitors and automatically categorised as BDS supporters. Nothing could be further from the truth. Democracy is also being eroded and people are being intimidated for their views if they do not coincide with the ruling government coalition. The stormy Minister of Culture and Sport, Miri Regev,  a great pundit for PM Bibi Netanyahu has threatened to withhold state funding for cultural projects that she defines subjectively as being hostile to Israel according to her narrow definition of culture. She does not even have minimum knowledge or understanding of Western culture and is condescending towards those whose appreciation of Western culture is important. A person in her position should be tolerant and accept all forms of culture whether North African, Oriental, Western or whatever, especially in Israel which is a melting pot of different cultures. So what if artists are not always portraying Israel in a positive light on stage.

Even in Judaism, the Orthodox establishment rabbis are becoming more intolerant of those who are different and many of them are even racists. Examples are Rabbi Dov Lior, Israel’s Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, and  Rabbi Yosef Elitzur.  They have the final say on Halachic rulings as to who is a Jew and whether couples can marry according to their narrow interpretation of Halacha if one of the partners “Jewishness” is suspect. Under this government, the ultra-Orthodox parties have never had it so good. Under this government, there has been a rise of Jewish religious extremism and it is truly frightening. The Jewish Home Party is predicted to increase its strength according to the latest polls. It is a party that is racist and composed of people like MK Bezalel Smotrich, whose far-right views can only be described as virulently racist. He is a typical example of the ideology of the Jewish Home Party that is not very far from fascism. If one wishes to find a parallel to South African apartheid ideology, it is in Naftali Bennett’s Jewish Home Party with its bunch of intolerant bigots and herrenvolk.

The Netanyahu Government under pressure from this despicable Jewish Home Party also has a Justice Minister, Ayelet Shaked - a young, attractive Jewish Home Party Party firebrand with an agenda of wishing to appoint judges with right-wing views to the High Court of Appeal. She has already antagonised the present Judge President, Miriam Naor and senior judges.

This Jewish Home Party is a danger to democracy and is even interfering with the Courts to enforce its own agenda. The same can be said of the leader of this despicable party of Jewish Nationalist extremists, Minister of Education (or Brainwashing Indoctrination), Naftali Bennett, makes no bones about the education system he would like to envisage.

If general elections in Israel would result in a new government that is more open, does not erode the Israeli Court system nor tries to monopolize culture and with it censorship of films and books not supportive of the government, as well as improving the education system rather than letting it slide into the agenda of the Jewish Home Party and its inherent racism, perhaps there would be hope for a government that is all embracing of all Israel’s citizens irrespective of race, colour or creed, then the time will be ripe for elections. Naturally an honest desire for peace with our Palestinian neighbours involving making the compromises to achieve that even though the Hamas camp is not willing to negotiate. At least some moves will be made in the direction of negotiations. If the Palestinian leadership (Hamas and the PA) are not willing, at least Israel can go on record as making a genuine effort by halting settlements as starters.

Having premature elections, when there is no sign of any change, is a pointless exercise in futility and frustration. It only consolidates the present governmental stench of the right to extreme right wing party hacks in all their colours.

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"The Jewish Home" of Racism and Intolerance

The title of this post is not the true Israel but a fair section of the Israeli population that have placed their eggs in the basket of Mifleget Habayit Hayehudi (The Jewish Home Party). They received 8 seats out of 120 seats. This party is the diabolical metamorphosis of the now defunct National Religious Party (Mafdal). It is a macabre mix of extreme right wing, religious Zionist ideology laced with hatred for the Arab Community of Israel and those who do not share their intolerant and bigoted world view. It is an illegal settler ideological party that is against the two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict. Those, who disagree with their worldview are considered traitors to Israel.

This party, despite its relatively small representation in the Knesset, is the fear of PM Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud. It drags the Likud (once the liberal, moderate right wing party of Menahem Begin also known as Herut or Revisionists) into an extreme right wing direction. The leader of this political, pseudo-fascist abomination, Naftali Bennett (Minister of Education) is the pet fear of PM Benjamin Netanyahu, who views him as a threat to his power base. Netanyahu and his party hacks are moving more to the extreme right, giving these party members much influence over the machinations of passing laws with a racist and anti-democratic edge. An example was the recent passing of the Regularisation Law as a result of a populist desire of Bennett and his MK hacks. The difference in ideology between the Likud and Habayit Hayehudi is marginal.  

Speaking after the law was finalised, Bezalel Smotrich of the far-right Jewish Home, who was one of the forces behind the legislation, thanked the American people for electing Donald Trump as president, "without whom the law would have probably not passed". 1

Another bill instituted by Moti Yogev MK of the Bayit Hayehudi Party called the Muezzin Law forbidding the call to prayer using loudspeakers between the hours of 11.00 pm and 7.00am. This law was aimed at the Muslim Arab Community of Israel and is another example of the hate that this extreme right wing party has for observant Muslims. There are enough laws in Israel against noise pollution that are not enforced. If the existing Noise Pollution Law was enforced then it would prevent the disturbing ear-splitting Muslim “call to prayer” from the minarets. Why single out the Muslim Community for their “call for prayer”? It is a populist law aimed to gain more support for the right-wing Jewish Home Party. Even the Attorney-General of Israel, Avichai Mandelblit, is opposed to this law. There are many mixed cities with both Arab and Jewish residents such as Haifa, Akko and Tel Aviv-Jaffa. The Jewish citizens’ representatives living in these cities managed through dialogue with the Muslim religious authorities to arrive at an agreement and there was never any problem between the Muslim and Jewish Communities on this issue in the past.

The observant Muslim Arab Community is a minority group in Israel and as such are sensitive towards discrimination as well as any threat towards the “call to prayer” by the muezzin. The government showed a total lack of sensitivity to the needs of this community by trying to pass a law forbidding or curtailing their traditional custom of calling their faithful to prayer from the minarets of their mosques.

HaBayit Hayehudi has done a great disservice to Israel by introducing bills that are discriminatory and very pro-settler occupation in territories under international dispute.

There are members of this party that embrace ideologies resembling the ideology of the outlawed neo-fascist party - Kach of the Late Rabbi Meir Kahane, whose ideology was deportation of Arabs from Israel and discriminating against them.

Bezalel Smotrich, who represents the Jewish Home party, praised the passage of the Regularization Law in early February as a “historic day for the settlement movement and for Israel”.2

Smotrich is a right wing extremist who created controversy by expressing support for apartheid in state hospitals with an emphasis on the Maternity Wards. Jewish and Arab MKs soundly condemned Bayit Yehudi MK Bezalel Smotrich for racist remarks; Israeli commentator Ben Caspit says Smotrich and his supporters are akin to 'Judeo-Nazis.'3

“Judeo-Nazis” is an apt description of the Jewish Home Party. They have an aggressive racist programme that is no credit to Israel. If the Late Professor Yeshayahu Leibowitz, an observant Jew in every sense of the word and one of Israel’s greatest thinkers, has used this term to describe Israel over 30 years ago, today we see that he was ahead of his time.

There is no place in Israel for a party that is divisive, racist and polarises the various population groups. It is very unfortunate that this party is gaining in strength and will be a powerful player in passing discriminatory laws.

There are other groups in Israel that share the views of this racist party - the divisive Jewish Home Party. A disgraceful group that comes to mind and is close in ideology to the Jewish Home Party is Lehava (Hebrew: למניעת התבוללות בארץ הקודש‎‎ LeMeniat Hitbolelut B'eretz HaKodesh; "Prevention of Assimilation in the Holy Land") is a Jewish far-right organization based in Israel that strictly opposes Jewish assimilation, objecting to any personal or business relationships between Jews and non-Jews. This group is under the leadership of Bentzi Gopstein a right-wing Kahanist extremist with Judeo-Nazi ideology.

A report by Uri Misgav of Haaretz on Apr 12, 2016, reports the Judeo-Nazi problem well:

“The Judeo-Nazis in Israel's Legislature

Racism is always offensive and it is important to fight it. But even racism has its shades, too. Knesset Member Bezalel Smotrich’s vocabulary is that of the master race.

Bezalel Smotrich speaking in the Knesset, November 16, 2015. Olivier Fitoussi

Why Israelis should be grateful for their racist politicians

Smotrich and segregated maternity wards are a sign of madness with no cure

Are we really any less racist than Smotrich?

Many true and informative things have been said and written, even on these pages, about the racist show of MK Bezalel Smotrich (Habayit Heyehudi) and his wife. But one point has not been clarified enough, and it is important that it be clarified, despite the discomfort in dealing with its implications. This point overshadows all the political and social arguments by which the Smotriches and their comments were examined. It is impossible to continue running away from what's before us.

The Smotriches spoke of the holy and pure moment of the birth of a Jewish child. Of the demand that Arab hands do not interfere and pollute this holiness and purity. Of the refusal to share the physical space with Arabs, because Arabs are by necessity enemies. Of the baby that is born to an Arab mother and in another 20 years will murder the baby of the Jewish mother.

This is not just ordinary racism. Racism is always offensive and it is important to fight it. But racism has its degrees, too. This is the vocabulary of the master race. Of racial purity and its holiness. Of inferior races that could pollute the master race. Of the lebensraum cleansed of the enemy’s impurity. Of infants who will grow up to be murderous enemies because they belong to the enemy race. This is a Nazi way of thinking. The Smotriches and their followers are Judeo-Nazis.

A Judeo-Nazi movement exists on the margins of Israeli society. It is hard to estimate its size. It is not very broad in scope, but it exists. It makes various appearances in public in Israel. For example, the Lehava organization run by Benzion Gopstein (“Don’t even think about going out with a Jewish girl”); part of the activities of the La Familia soccer fan club (“Beitar Jerusalem will be pure forever”); the burning to death of Mohammed Abu Khdeir; the fatal arson attack on the home of the Dawabsheh family, and the celebration of the death of their 18-month-old son Ali at a wedding.

The time has come to recognise this phenomenon. Neo-Nazis exist in almost every Western nation. For some Israelis, the Holocaust was only a regrettable mistake in the address. At neo-Nazi rallies in Germany against Muslims, Jews waving Israeli flags participate. In last year's elections, the Judeo-Nazi denomination also won the right to enter the Knesset. It fell just short of winning more than one seat. Statistically, that is logical. Representative democracy reflects the segments of its society.

What is not understandable, and what is unforgivable is the attitude towards Smotrich. This is the true mirror he set up for Israeli society this week: Not everyone is like him, but everyone accepts his existence as something legitimate.

The only thing that needed to be done was to boycott him. To ignore his existence. Not to share a word with him. Certainly not a smile or handshake. Even the media did not stop interviewing Smotrich and his wife with chilly politeness. In the previous century, Likud tried to prevent Meir Kahane from running for Knesset, and after he was elected most MKs boycotted him. After that, his movement was outlawed.

Look at what happened in Israel over the past year. The Tekuma faction chose Smotrich in second place on its slate in its primaries. The party that calls itself Habayit Hayehudi (Jewish Home) recognised the results and adopted him. After that along came Benjamin Netanyahu and promised voters they were a natural partner. Promised and kept his promise. The result is that the Judeo-Nazi faction is represented by a party that received the justice and education portfolios.

But it does not end here. Netanyahu has a coalition of 61 Knesset members. Smotrich’s vote keeps it alive. He was also appointed a deputy Knesset speaker and runs some of its sessions. The Judeo-Nazi faction sustains the government of Israel and serves as a deputy head of its parliament. It would be interesting to see what we would have said if this had happened in a different civilised country, shall we say Germany”.

1. 6 Feb. 2017, https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/politics/136952-170206-israel-parliament-set-to-finalize-settlements-bill. Accessed 11 Mar. 2017.

2. 2 Mar. 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/02/israel-mp-benefited-from-controversial-law-on-illegal-jewish-outposts. Accessed 11 Mar. 2017.

3. 2 Mar. 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/02/israel-mp-benefited-from-controversial-law-on-illegal-jewish-outposts. Accessed 11 Mar. 2017.

  

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