Hooray, they hate me

[bemildred]

Like Mottel the son of Peysi the cantor, who evades his responsibilities with the declaration, "Hooray, I am an orphan," Israelis sometimes tell themselves, "Hooray, I am hated," thus rationalizing their refusal to reach an agreement with the Palestinians. The hero of Shalom Aleichem's book exploits his status as an orphan in order to misbehave and create a worldview that allows him to abandon his studies and prayers while avoiding punishment. The Israeli right wing, meanwhile, observes reality through the lenses of someone who has been the object of Arab hatred. This gives the right wing a pretext for clinging to its positions, if not hardening them.

This weekend, Avigdor Lieberman, who announced his resignation from the cabinet, supplied fresh evidence of the sense of victimhood underlying the way the conflict is understood. If Yisrael Beiteinu represented a minority opinion, one could view it as a marginal party with negligible power. But the conceptual underpinning of Lieberman's views are shared by increasingly large segments of Israel's Jewish population, even if they do not belong to his movement.

His faith holds that there is no chance of reaching an arrangement with the Palestinians because their hatred for Israel is infinite. If Israel withdraws from Judea and Samaria, the Palestinians will attack there from Qalqilyah and Nablus. If Israel helps establish a Palestinian state, Israel's Arabs will rise up and demand an end to the state's Zionist identity. If it reaches an agreement with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Israel will find itself facing the ruthlessness of Hamas, which will take over the West Bank. That is how a majority of Israeli Jews think, according to polls conducted in the past few months. The Palestinian response to Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip reinforced their basic fear that "the Arabs" have not really come to terms with the state's existence, and that if the opportunity to get rid of Israel or destroy it fell into their lap they would jump at the chance. That is the fundamental feeling shaping most Israeli Jews' attitude on the conflict, even those on the left.

The Qassam rockets in the South, as has been demonstrated so clearly in the past several days, and the Katyushas and missiles in the North, as was demonstrated so painfully in the Second Lebanon War, confirm to Israeli Jews their fundamental belief that there is no partner on the other side (which in their eyes also includes Israeli Arabs). The left is (to a large extent) distinguished from the right (to a large extent) by its willingness to reach an arrangement based on strict security considerations that will reduce the existential threat posed by the continuing hatreds of "the Arabs" and of the existence of a Jewish state in the Middle East.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/946122.html

[Vegasaurus]

1. I think the third paragraph is quite accurate

in reflecting the general feelings of most Israelis, including those on the left.

It is just not the right wing fringe lunatics who feel this way, but it is also not celebrated in the "hooray I am hated" kind of mentality. It is a sad reality,but who do you think is thrilled about that?

[bemildred]

2. I do not disagree.

But the key sentence is this one:

"This approach allows Israel's Jews to ignore their own contribution to the creation and expansion of the confrontation."

Whatever hope there might be lies in that direction. The status quo is a road to nowhere. Great effort, much violence, and vast expenditures are being made to aquire and maintain miniscule gains that will not be tenable in the long term. Just because it is understandable does mean it is not also foolish.

[Vegasaurus]

3. And I don't disagree that the status quo goes nowhere

but people trying to protect their lives isn't foolish. Only people who aren't Israelis can say that.

Terrorists have taken every possible opportunity, from bombing border crossings that are delivering THEIR humanitarian aid, to kill or terrorize Israelis.
No matter what Israeils have done, they have been terrorized for decades. Whether they respond or don't respond, they get rockets, bombers, etc. Only walls and checkpoints have stopped these things. And some kind of broader incursion in Gaza may be in the offing, because 100s of rockets a week, landing on people's houses, isn't acceptable as status quo either.

Doing nothing doens't work either. Ignoring the rockets just meant more came. I don't know what you think the solution is.

[bemildred]

5. I didn't say trying to protect your life is foolish.

I said using it as an excuse to neglect long term considerations is foolish. The terrorists DO hate Israel, they are not going to fix anything, the worse it gets the better they like it. You ought not help them out in the name of "security", at least not anymore than you absolutely have to. The current attempt to squeeze Gaza is a perfect example. It will not stop the rockets, there are more rockets than ever, and it ensures that everyones hatred stays fresh and that support for Hamas stays high.

[LeftishBrit]

4. Interesting article

#Israel's Jews, even those in the center and left, are increasingly captive to the idea that, whatever the causes and ramifications of the conflict, there is no choice but to treat Arabs in general and Palestinians in particular as the eternal enemy. It is easy to be swept into this atmosphere - the Palestinians provide incentives for it - but this does not account for the self-fulfilling prophecy. Those who hold this belief present the very idea of reaching an arrangement with the enemy as mere sleight of hand.'

I would say that this is probably true - and that it is at least equally true if you reverse the words 'Jews' and 'Palestinians'.

I doubt that, for most people involved, there's much 'hooray' about it, however. Just fear and anger. Two of our most powerful, often justified, but potentially very corrupting, emotions.

[oberliner]

8. There need to be more trust-building activities between both populations

Cultural exchange. Sports matches. Concerts for peace.

Anything that brings Israelis and Palestinians together to interact in a way that allows them to view each other as real human beings rather than just as "the other".

[bemildred]

9. Yah, right on.

Neither side is going to go away, better start learning how to live together, and soon.

[LeftishBrit]

10. Couldn't agree more!

Some good organizations include:

dialogue and joint action, and for peaceful solutions to the conflict. Some of them may interest others,

www.allmep.org (this organization recently helped persuade the American Congress to allocate some funding for peace activities)

www.bsst.org.uk

www.givathaviva.org.il

www.allforpeace.org

www.perescenter.org

www.onevoicemovement.org (controversial on this forum, but I strongly support it!)

www.jozoor.org




And my two favourites, as they involve starting early and educating children for coexistence:

www.oasisofpeace.org

www.handinhandk12.org

[ProgressiveMuslim]

6. If Israelis actually believe that their withdrawl from Gaza, and more importantly,

subsequent behavior (ie, SIEGE) was something just that should be welcomed, then I am truly speechless. And hopeless.

People are starving. Seriously. My FIL was able to score a large bag of flour yesterday. He had people at his door begging him for some.

Palestinians are willing to go starve for their freedom. Is Israel ready to starve them to preserve its tyrannical domination? If so, God help them.

[Vegasaurus]

7. The "seige" is recent

and didn't get enforced until the number of rockets became unbearable. Perhaps you don't care about the terrorized Israeli population, but maybe you should think about that. It is only by understanding the other side that progress is made.

Israel withdrew and the rockets started the very same day,. The terrorists started firing that day, and they haven't stopped. At first Israel did nothing. For months, nothing; no response. But the rockets continued, and increased.

The Gazans elected terrorists, who have imposed their own seige on the citizens, by killing anyone who disagrees with them. Hamas has done nothing to reign in the militants or stop the rocket fire. They have done nothing to aid their own citizens.

I am truly sorry that average citizens are starving. But place some of the blame where it belongs: on the terrorists and the terrorist government, which has the annihilation of Israel as its primary goal, not the welfare of the citizens. It would be easy to get food, electricity etc. Just stop firing rockets. So blame the terrorists first.