The Left marked them

[shira]

Hatred is difficult to measure, and even more difficult to measure on the eve of Yom Kippur. But even without a ruler or compass, it's hard not to get the impression that the extended process of delegitimizing the settlers - which leads to genuine hatred of them - is hitting a peak. The left wing and the media have now labeled the settlers, as a group, as the abhorred Other that people are allowed to smack around.

It is particularly convenient to do this when one of the prime components of this campaign is the law. The law is a crucial instrument of a functional society, and every person, regardless of race, religion or political opinion, is obligated to respect it. There are settlers who break the law, just as there are lawbreakers who are Palestinian, ultra-Orthodox, politicians, Druze, Israeli Arabs, left-wing anarchists, the non-observant and factory workers fighting over their wages. The problem arises when the law becomes a way of marking an entire population as illegitimate, even as violations of the law by others are accepted with understanding and sensitivity.

Much has been written about an Israeli prime minister who was suspected of criminal activity but shielded from criticism so he could advance the "correct policy." And none other than President Shimon Peres recently extolled the virtues of Abie Nathan, founder of the offshore pirate radio station The Voice of Peace, who violated the law and said what a good thing it was to do so. Barely anyone reminded the president of the ideologues running a pirate radio station on the "other" side, who violated the law so their voices could be heard from aboard the Arutz Sheva ship. Unlike Nathan, they did not merit immunity from the law and were punished for breaking it.

One must beware of those who talk about the greatness of the rule of law even as their hearts are full of hatred when it comes to the Other. Someone who beats up Palestinians and damages their property should sit in jail. But are the settlers as a whole - all 300,000 of them - responsible for that?

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http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1027429.html

[shira]

1. article continued....

Are the Druze, as a group, responsible for the few who attacked their Jewish neighbors in Peki'in? Are all Israeli Arabs responsible for the events of October 2000?

What does Talia Sasson, the champion of the rule of law when it comes to illegal outpost construction, have to say about the tens of thousands of illegal buildings constructed by Bedouin and Arabs in the Galilee, Negev and East Jerusalem? And when was the last time the left wing or the media criticized the anarchists who attack Israel Defense Forces soldiers near the West Bank separation fence the same way they criticize the settlers? Why is the press interested in how much money Israeli taxpayers have to pay for security at right-wing rallies, while the cost of left-wing rallies is irrelevant?

Why is there extensive media coverage when police refrain from raiding an outpost due to fear of clashes with settlers, but not when police refrain from chasing Arabs who steal cars, cattle and agricultural equipment along the seam line between Jewish and Arab neighborhoods and in Judea and Samaria? Take, for instance, the many articles about the body of the Palestinian shepherd whom the Palestinians accused the settlers of murdering - and the silence that greeted the news from the police laboratory that there had been no murder at all, that a dud shell caused the shepherd's death. Are the facts relevant only when they hew to the line?

In a few weeks the country will commemorate the 13th anniversary of Yitzhak Rabin's assassination. In the eyes of his supporters, those who object to the legacy attributed to Rabin are just as terrible and out of bounds as the assassination itself. In this matter too, the accusatory finger the left points at the right is generalized and inflammatory, to the point where half the country finds itself alienated from the memorial day.

From the perspective of the left and the media, settlers have become the ultimate Other, mainly because of the ideological threat that they, religious Zionists and anyone who identifies with them poses to those who pride themselves on an absence of ideology. The Kadima party, with its blurred identity and limited values, is just one example of this. The settlers - in the path they have chosen, in their faith and even in their appearance - represent the exact opposite. That is their sin, and that is their reward.

[shira]

2. fascinating discussions come to mind when reading this....

1. Despite Israel's media and actions having a clear leftist bent to them, Israel is reviled increasingly more by leftists in general.

2. Does this article not make a clear case for certain media bias, or advocacy based journalism? The op/ed page is one thing, but shouldn't we expect more objective journalism on the front news pages? It may be nice to see your "side" represented mostly in the right light while the "other" side is not, but at what expense?