Settlers' tactics win them few friends (Holocaust references) [View All]

[JohnLocke]

Settlers' tactics win them few friends
Ordinary Israelis put off by Holocaust references
Friday, August 19, 2005
Conal Urquhart -- The Guardian
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Images of children acting the role of victims of the Nazis have won the settlers few friends in the rest of Israel.
A few weeks ago the traffic jams of Tel Aviv were a sea of orange ribbons, a symbol of support for the settlers, and it was impossible to drive through a major junction without settler children rushing to tie a ribbon to the car.
Israelis find it hard to believe it is the same children who are now screaming insults at police and soldiers in Gaza.
"As a parent I am disgusted by the way they abuse their children, forcing them to act in a certain way and telling them how to behave towards the soldiers. As a parent it's your job to a certain extent to protect your children from painful realities but they are doing the opposite," she said.
The settlers' use of images of the Holocaust, such as children leaving their homes with their hands up or wearing star of David badges, has also surprised many who see no correlation between the actions of their government and the Nazis in the second world war.
"It doesn't make me angry because it's just so stupid," said Ms Amit. "I can see no connection between the Holocaust and what is going on."
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"It's not surprising that they invoke the Holocaust because for them that was the best time in Jewish history because everything was black and white. They think that everything is black and white now, that their cause is the only right one, when in reality things are much more complicated," he said
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"Only about a third of Israelis are watching the news or finding out about the disengagement on the internet," he said. "They support the government but they are not involved emotionally, mentally or intellectually. Everyone is too busy going to the beach and enjoying their summer holiday."
The amount of tears shed on television has also tried the patience of many Israelis. Yael Gwurtz wrote in the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth that there was a difference between the often quiet tears seen at a funeral and the cacophony of wailing that accompanies the departure from each house in Gush Katif.
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Even Amnon Dankner, the editor of the newspaper Ma'ariv, who claims to be a great friend of the settlers, said he was tired of the dramatization of their plight.
"The national religious public has a core of solid gold, but it is wrapped in too many layers of kitsch, including excessive praise, self-flattery and self-glorification, loss of proportion and an exaggerated dose of hypocrisy and double standards, and - above all - an attempt to simplify, sweeten and render shallow a reality which is complex and multi-faceted," he wrote.
But other Israelis blame the media for giving the settlers too much exposure. Yuval Russak, 48, an office manager, said: "If the media did not give the settlers a microphone everything would have been carried out much more quickly. It's as if have to behave in the most extreme way in order to influence their audience."
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