Demonization 101
Aussie Dave | Feb 22, 2005 | 4 comments
TM of Jewlicious takes smugness to a new level, with this post from today:
Media badmouths settlers againWhat are we going to do? Some of those poor settlers are suffering from non-stop attacks on their character, their true intentions with respect to the pullout plan, their attacks on the current PM of Israel and his cabinet. Apparently it is only government plants from the shabak doing this. The settlers have done nothing wrong. They don’t deserve any of this.Nope, when they stopped all traffic in the middle of the country, that was just exercising of free speech. When they hit soldiers and threw rocks at them, that was just a phys ed class gone awry. When they called Sharon a traitor, that wasn’t them, it was a government operative goading them. When their spokesperson said that their strategy was going to backfire, they didn’t let him embarrass himself any further and let him resign. When Sharon invited them for discussions, they were very generous in spirit when they let the country know Sharon was pushing Israel to civil war.Yup, those settlers are just fine.And now we have another fine settler, Binyamin Regional Council head Pinhas Wallerstein, who is about to inform his constituents that they should do whatever it takes, including risking their lives, to prevent the pullout.“Once they declare Gaza a closed military zone we will not clash with soldiers to get in, but we will certainly get there even if it means going through Palestinian cities while endangering our lives,” he adds. “If there is a need, we will not hesitate and we will lay our lives on the line to fight the evacuation.”Claiming that the resistance to the disengagement would “significantly affect the future of the settlement movement and the State of Israel,” Wallerstein calls on opponents of the plan not to “shirk from their responsibility to exercise their civil and moral right to resist the destruction of the Zionist dream.”Read all of it here, people.
I object wholeheartedly to this post, not to mention its condescending tone.
The post is riddled with references to “the settlers”*, as if they are one, homogenous unit of people. But amongst the residents of the disputed territories, there are many differing opinions, including those which support disengagement (or at least do not oppose it).
In addition, TM seems to object to the protests which “stopped all traffic in the middle of the country.” For one, these protests did not merely involve “settlers”, but people living from all around Israel. And what is the objection to protesting, a legitimate exercise of one’s democratic rights? Using violence is definitely not a legitimate form of opposing the government’s policy, but surely protest is.
TM specifically quotes Pinhas Wallerstein, who today expressed that he and his followers would get to the areas set to be evacuated, even if this means risking their lives. But he was clear that “he would never instruct his followers to raise a hand against soldiers.” Again, what is TM’s objection to this? This is the perogative of Wallerstein and his supporters. I may not agree with all of these tactics necessarily, but I appreciate his right to act, especially since it does not involve fighting our own soldiers.
I can appreciate that not everyone will agree with actions and words of some people within the “settlement” movement. But it is truly sad to see someone take such glee in their precarious situation.
Update: Here is an excellent response to a post on “Single-Issue-Fanatics.”
About the Author
An Australian immigrant to Israel, Aussie Dave has been blogging since early 2003.Filed Under: General
Just to let you know, some of us over at Jewlicious also “object wholeheartedly to this post, not to mention its condescending tone.” Sigh. But hey, we pride ourselves on not being homogenous.
Yes, I know. I saw CK’s comment below the entry.
That is why I targeted my post at TM, and not Jewlicious as a whole. I happen to think that Jewlicious is..well..Jewlicious.
Yay. BUT, I’ve said it before and I will say it again, TM is a total zionist and lover of Israel. His harsh tone underscores the fear he has regarding the psychic rift that some settlers are willing to subject the country to. Civil war and Jew on Jew violence is nothing to take lightly. Even the possibility of it. While TM may have overstated his case, his concerns are real and they are valid and cannot be dismissed either.
I don’t doubt TM’s love of Israel.
I also fear civil war, and agree that there are some people who might just push things too far. But I feel residents of the disputed territories are generally being demonized, and TM’s post was but one example.
Perhaps he did not intend to do this, but that was the net effect IMHO.