The radical left perceives the violence directed against Israel as the result of a conflict between Jews and Palestinians, created by tragic historical circumstances. Since both peoples are equally guilty (the Zionists a little more so) and since both strive to live in peace and tranquility side by side, the solution is one and simple: compromise. What is delaying the end of the conflict is Israeli reluctance. A little more effort, flexibility and openness on our part will make our mutual dream come true.<\/p>\r\n
It does not occur to the extreme leftist that violence sometimes also has cultural and ideological causes, detached from a concrete conflict between two sides. It is worth mentioning, for example, that the Nazis hated the Jews and established a mechanism for extermination, not because of any religious or national dispute. The Jews were actually the point on a broader goal: the destruction of non-Aryan Western culture. In other words, the Holocaust was born from a distorted code of values, and not from a conflict that could be settled through negotiations and compromises.<\/p>\r\n
Because the dogmatic left refuses to see Hamas' war as a cultural war, it tends to ignore the ideological and organizational common denominator between Gazan fundamentalism and global fundamentalism. According to their perception, Hamas and Islamic Jihad are local terrorist organizations, with local (national) goals, and not a branch of a global evil network. So great is the blindness of the radical left that even Hamas' charter, which does not hide its racist goals, is perceived by it as nothing more than an insignificant utopian declaration ("utopia" in which Israel and the West do not exist on the map).<\/p>\r\n
Spotlight on the hallucination<\/b><\/p>\r\n
Then came "Protective Edge" and for the first time put a focused spotlight on this delusion. Suddenly it became harder to round off edges, create a false symmetry, smear Israel, and belittle the intelligence and morality of its leadership, its army, and the majority of its citizens. Much to the chagrin of the radical left, Hamas also launched the missile attack (in fact, even earlier, in the kidnapping and murder of the teenagers); it also revealed a vast arsenal of weapons that had been stockpiled with the aim of murdering masses of Israelis (while wasting billions that were supposed to improve the standard of living in Gaza); it also illustrated its irrational considerations to the point of madness and suicide (after all, it is clear that it is impossible to defeat Israel with missiles, and it is even clearer that the response will exact a heavy price from the aggressor); and it also showed that its conditions for restoring peace do not include any clause for peace negotiations.<\/p>\r\n
Indirectly, the image of the Palestinian public, a large part of which supports Hamas and its goals, was also revealed. While in Israel they are pondering and agonizing over the issue of proportionality and the cost of human life, among the Palestinians (including in the West Bank) there were no protests against the murderous attack from Gaza (unfortunately and disappointingly, most Israeli Arabs are also silent, as usual). Even Abu Mazen, the darling of the left, did not deliver a strong rebuke speech that completely condemns the violent attack on Israel.<\/p>\r\n
But what hurts the most for the extreme left is that Bibi, who is hated for his own sake, acts with moderation and state and moral responsibility, responded positively to every international call for a ceasefire and postponed the IDF's ground invasion until the ninety-ninth minute, while standing firm against his critics at home.<\/p>\r\n
Entering the private cave and falling silent<\/b><\/p>\r\n
The severe dissonance into which the dogmatic left finds itself produces the "sorrow" arguments: Hamas is indeed behaving badly - but it is the fault of the occupying and imprisoning Israel; they are indeed a bit violent - but why insult them and call them a "terrorist state"? We are allowed to defend ourselves - but why kill so many innocent people? You are only good at wars - but what about peace? Today you attack - but what about tomorrow? You can kill enemies - but why rejoice in vain? An air attack is allowed - but why also a ground attack? Hamas really hates Jews - but what about all the moderate Palestinians?<\/p>\r\n
And what do the ultra-radical leftists (those who are called "left activists") do in the face of the distress of dissonance? Most of them have gone into their private tunnels and are silent. They will wait until the fury passes, when the short media memory will erase the broader meaning of "Protective Edge" and when some new political event emerges that will divert attention and allow them to renew the anti-Israeli mantras. Many of them are filled with the hope (consciously and unconsciously) that some fabricated "war crime" will appear in the near future, which will allow them to define the Israeli defensive war as a premeditated attack intended primarily to strengthen the occupation.<\/p>\r\n
The fact that the picture of the "bad guys" and the "good guys" in this war is so clear (even the president of Egypt condemned Hamas) makes it especially difficult for the extreme fringes of the left. They are so desperate in the face of the reality slapping them in the face that they are dragged into delusional actions - even more delusional than what we have been accustomed to in the past. Indeed, the anti-Israel demonstrations in the heart of Tel Aviv while deadly rocket barrages are being sent at it from Gaza are so pathetic and evil that the only goal they achieve is increasing hatred towards the protesters and towards the hypocritical and violent agenda they represent.<\/p>\r\n
What was Gideon Levi actually fighting for?<\/b><\/p>\r\n
The professional provocateur Gideon Levy, the prophet of the radical left, is also in trouble. When he writes about our pilot "the bad guys to fly," he is not fighting for the lives of the helpless Palestinians in Gaza, but for his "ideological life." He must create some artificial symmetry between us and the Hamas fighters (the Israeli pilots are essentially compared to the rocket launchers and terrorist attacks from Gaza), in order to protect the picture of the world that he has built for himself and others for years. Reality pierces his false myth and forces him to turn the cautious defenders (the pilots) into unbridled aggressors (unfortunately, the Israeli media helps him by providing additional platforms for his slurred speech).<\/p>\r\n
The reaction of the extreme left in this war sharply exposes the intellectual dishonesty that characterizes it. The honesty is to recognize the cultural reality in the Middle East and the characteristics of the forces operating in the arena. The extreme left refuses to admit its mistake not only because it is generally difficult for people (especially people imbued with ideological fervor and hatred) to admit their mistakes, but because it knows that this war exposes its moral disgrace.<\/p>\r\n
\u2022 Oz Almog is a professor of sociology at the University of Haifa, and an expert in the study of Israeli society. The article was published on social media and received many responses.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u05d4\u05e9\u05de\u05d0\u05dc \u05d4\u05e8\u05d3\u05d9\u05e7\u05d0\u05dc\u05d9 \u05ea\u05d5\u05e4\u05e1 \u05d0\u05ea \u05d4\u05d0\u05dc\u05d9\u05de\u05d5\u05ea \u05d4\u05de\u05d5\u05e4\u05e0\u05d9\u05ea \u05db\u05dc\u05e4\u05d9 \u05d9\u05e9\u05e8\u05d0\u05dc \u05db\u05ea\u05d5\u05dc\u05d3\u05d4 \u05e9\u05dc \u05e1\u05db\u05e1\u05d5\u05da \u05d1\u05d9\u05df \u05d9\u05d4\u05d5\u05d3\u05d9\u05dd \u05dc\u05e4\u05dc\u05e1\u05d8\u05d9\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd, \u05e9\u05e0\u05d5\u05e6\u05e8 \u05d1\u05e9\u05dc \u05e0\u05e1\u05d9\u05d1\u05d5\u05ea \u05d4\u05d9\u05e1\u05d8\u05d5\u05e8\u05d9\u05d5\u05ea \u05d8\u05e8\u05d2\u05d3\u05d9\u05d5\u05ea. \u05db\u05d9\u05d5\u05d5\u05df \u05e9\u05e9\u05e0\u05d9 \u05d4\u05e2\u05de\u05d9\u05dd \u05d0\u05e9\u05de\u05d9\u05dd \u05d1\u05d0\u05d5\u05ea\u05d4 \u05de\u05d9\u05d3\u05d4 (\u05d4\u05e6\u05d9\u05d5\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd \u05e7\u05e6\u05ea \u05d9\u05d5\u05ea\u05e8) \u05d5\u05db\u05d9\u05d5\u05d5\u05df \u05e9\u05e9\u05e0\u05d9\u05d4\u05dd \u05e9\u05d5\u05d0\u05e4\u05d9\u05dd \u05dc\u05d7\u05d9\u05d5\u05ea \u05d1\u05e9\u05dc\u05d5\u05dd \u05d5\u05d1\u05e9\u05dc\u05d5\u05d5\u05d4 \u05d6\u05d4 \u05d1\u05e6\u05d3 \u05d6\u05d4, \u05d4\u05e4\u05ea\u05e8\u05d5\u05df \u05d0\u05d7\u05d3 \u05d5\u05e4\u05e9\u05d5\u05d8: \u05e4\u05e9\u05e8\u05d4. \u05de\u05d4 \u05e9\u05de\u05e2\u05db\u05d1 \u05d0\u05ea \u05e1\u05d9\u05d5\u05dd \u05d4\u05e1\u05db\u05e1\u05d5\u05da \u05d4\u05d9\u05d0 \u05d4\u05e1\u05e8\u05d1\u05e0\u05d5\u05ea \u05d4\u05d9\u05e9\u05e8\u05d0\u05dc\u05d9\u05ea. \u05e7\u05e6\u05ea \u05d9\u05d5\u05ea\u05e8 \u05de\u05d0\u05de\u05e5, \u05d2\u05de\u05d9\u05e9\u05d5\u05ea \u05d5\u05e4\u05ea\u05d9\u05d7\u05d5\u05ea \u05de\u05d4\u05e6\u05d3 […]","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[138],"tags":[6208,1089,1289,964,6628,6627,3872],"class_list":["post-60973","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-138","tag-6208","tag-1089","tag-1289","tag-964","tag-6628","tag-6627","tag-3872"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n