Some of you probably found out that the elections in Israel didn't go so well for the "leftist peace camp".
Benjamin Bibi Netanjahu is back, again. It hurts to see that a majority of the Israeli citizens decides to spit into my and my people's face.
The Joint List aka "the arabs" got 13/120 seats. Making it the 3rd strongest power in the Knesset. Its actually historic. They finally joined into one party and gained respect. I am proud of that. I am also proud of the 10% rise in voting from the arabic minority. My city had a 75% turnout, compared to the 53% we used to get there.
I hope the international pressure rises. Because there is (there should) be a limit to the damage this man can do.
Some people actually see the good side of those elections. Maybe putting too much hope into external powers?
I was listening to an interview with Netanjahu on NPR this morning. I thought this was a revealing exchange: Netanjahu: Well, look. I think that there is a misperception. Israel has done enormous amount of, for peace. I myself have done things that no prime minister previously had done. I had frozen the settlements. Nobody did that. And I think, you know, the ones that have to be convinced are not only the international communities, the people of Israel will have to be convinced that the Palestinians are ready for peace. The leaders of Iran, just in the last few days have said that they would arm the West Bank and turn it into another Gaza. What the people of Israel are saying, "Hey, make sure that doesn't happen again." And if that is misperceived in some parts of the international community that's unfortunate, but I think that that's the truth. Inskeep: I have to just check a fact here, Prime Minister. You said that you froze settlements. It is correct that during your time as prime minister there was a period of months where there was a moratorium on settlements. Netanjahu: That's right. Inskeep: But when I was traveling around the West Bank we saw construction everywhere, construction cranes everywhere. There's plenty of building going on today. Netanjahu: Well, first of all, remember that 90 percent, 85 to 90 percent of Israeli citizens in Judea-Samaria, in the West Bank, live in clusters, in urban blocks. Everybody understands that if we were to have a solution then those blocks would stay in Israel. And that's where you saw these cranes; that's where Israelis live. In the Jewish neighborhoods of Jerusalem, everybody understands, they will stay. Inskeep: I saw cranes outside of Jerusalem. I'm thinking of Ariel, for example. Netanjahu: Those are, well, the blocks are outside of Jerusalem, that's exactly true. And what I'm saying is that the map is not affected by that. The critical problem we have is not merely where the borders will be but what will be on the other side of the border. Do we walk out and the Islamists walk in, backed by Iran, as happened in Gaza, as happened in Lebanon, as is happening in other parts of the Middle East. They're either backed by Iran or they're backed by al-Qaida or, if you will, by ISIS. Inskeep: You did warn during the campaign, Prime Minister Netanyahu, that if you lost, your opponents would evacuate the settlements. You've been quoted in the past, in going to settlements, and saying that you would not be removing settlements. Are you saying now that you would remove settlements, some of them anyway, as part of a peace deal? Netanjahu: I'm saying I don't think that's the obstacle for a peace deal. I don't think it ever was. In effect, if you followed this election, which you may have if you were here. Inskeep: Sure. Netanjahu: Inskeep: You'd notice that this issue that you're now asking me was barely engaged across the political spectrum. Why? Because nobody in Israel really believes that you should take positions different from what I've just said. Well, some do, but they're very small. It's interesting that when Inskeep points out that many of the current settlement expansions are not occurring in Jerusalem or in the blocks that Netanjahu refers to, Netanjahu begins his next response with a falsehood, and ends it with mention of ISIS. He then downplays the significance of the border issue by saying that since it was barely engaged across the political spectrum, it is a minor issue. Of course, whether or not candidates can benefit from discussing it in Israeli elections, it is a major issue for the Palestinians and for the international community. It's clear that Netanjahu has no interest in a two-state solution of any sort.Inskeep: I want to ask another question, Prime Minister Netanyahu. While we were reporting in Israel, we heard people in Israel on the left and on the right openly worry about Israel's increasing international isolation, particularly because the conflict with Palestinians has gone on and on and there has not been the establishment of a Palestinian state. How concerned are you about Israel's international isolation?
His tactics were the same and you correctly observed his major move. Take a subject that people don't agree with you in, tell a half-true statement about it ("I froze the settlements") and then divert the answer to something that connects to the internal fear of every israeli citizen: "They will push us into the sea" aka ISIS, Iran, Al-Qaida, Hamas. Israel is an easy place to create enemy images because the contact between "us" and "them" (the arabs, even the ones living in Israel) is minor. A few reasons: 1. We live in different cities. With a few exceptions like Jaffa, Lod, Jerusalem and Haifa, the arab israelis and jewish israelis are separated. My home town is about 5 minutes away from the next bigger jewish city and represents a border checkpoint between greater Tel Aviv and the arab triangle. Jewish citizens of Israel are usually afraid to pass through our cities because they have been told scary stories about our cities. I had to convince some jewish burners to actually come visit me. They were scared shitless and then were totally surprised that nothing happened. They were expecting people to throw stones on them or even shoot them. 2. We have two separate education systems, with important differences. A few examples here too: 2.1 History. Officially, our curriculum is only supposed to cover the ottoman empire and what lead to the creation of the state of israel (with as little details as possible), the french revolution and the Nazi-regime. Many details about the years 1915-1948 don't get covered. We don't learn about the jewish terrorist organisations like the Haganah and Irgun, or the Nakba - my peoples exodus. But some teachers add in a lesson or two so we do not forget. On the jewish side of things, the Nakba didn't happen. Different stories about the same historical events like how the jewish acquired the palestinian lands before 1948 are told. It is illegal to mourn in remembrance of the massacres against and exodus of the palestinian people on the 15th of may, Israel's independence day and also Yom el Nakba. 2.2 The arabic education system forces the students to learn arabic, hebrew and english at school. The jewish education system only requires hebrew and english. Some schools offer arabic as an elective module. Even if taken for 10 years (arabic for jewish students), the level reached is barely enough to order some Hummus and a drink. Just enough to be able to say: "Jib el hawiyya". Which translates into: give/show me your ID. Which gets me to my next point. 3. The military. Jewish 18-year olds are required to go to the army. Men for 3 years, women for 2. Arab citizens do not have to go to the army. The army acts for many as a brain-washing machine. I have lost most of the (few) jewish friends that I had after they went to the army. For such a young person to be confronted with war and death is a very intense experience. An experience that leads them to search for simple answers. And the answers they are given are the "us vs. them" argument. "See what those arabs did? They killed your friends. Do you think that the arabs are good?". The fear mongering starts at school, but reaches its peak during the army. On the other hand, the arabic youth goes another way. Usually its university, because it is the only way "out", the only way for a better future. There are many hurdles in the way of a young arab who tried to go to university at that age, which I will not dig deeper into unless asked for. But the results are that many leave the country, like I did. Or, settle for a job somewhere, that does not require a certificate that states that they went to the army. A legitimate prerequisite for any job in Israel, btw. After the military, many leave the country for India, Mexico or Australia. They are broken and search for a purpose. They leave for at least one year, some never return. The ones that do return, or never actually leave, are either hippies or super brainwashed. Still scarred by what they saw during their time in the military. Few actually see through the bullshit, many buy into the game of fear. Everyone tries to get by and live somehow. A jewish person, with the baggage of his ancestors, the story of the promised jewish land, the brainwashing to keep the military state and the oppression running. An arabic person, with the memory of his grandfathers village that was occupied, the olive trees, the troubles to find education in the country, the daily treatment as a second class citizen. Two similarly aged groups of people, in the same country, not even 10km apart, that have totally different lives and all they know is: they are the enemy.
P.S: mk, we really need the drafts option on Safari :D