A microcosm of the Israeli worldview

By Gilad Atzmon*

6 July 2008

Gilad Atzmon finds in the Israeli reaction to the bulldozer attack in Jerusalem a microcosm of the Israeli worldview, which defines the value of non-Jews, especially Palestinian Arabs, according to their relevance to Israeli Jews.

According to Haaretz, the Shin Bet security service, the Israeli armed forces Military advocate-general, Defence Minister Ehud Barak and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert himself are all backing the demolition of terrorists’ homes.

Not much more can be said. At last, Jews agree on something among themselves – not only do they agree, they even compete with one another to be the most outspoken about it. They all want to lead the current Hebraic belligerence championship. Each of them tries to shape and reshape an authentic image of vengeance. One has to admit, compassion is not a valued feature in the Jewish state.

In fact, it is almost amusing to read Olmert’s statements:

“This is an attack which came from within Israel into Israel,” says the observant Israeli prime minister. “It creates a string of scenarios we never thought we would have to deal with in the past,” he continues, and I do not know whether to laugh or to cry.

Israel invests so much effort in racial discrimination against its Palestinian citizens (whom it tags as “Israeli Arabs” rather than just fellow Israelis), yet it somehow fails to predict that one day it may all ignite. I honestly find it hard to believe. However, here Olmert infuriates me. “We,” he says, “have invested thousands in the construction of... ” Stop right there! At this stage, I really need a break from this crap. I need to drink water. I obviously expect Olmert to follow the blind mantra of the Israeli right wing:

“We have invested thousands in the construction of infrastructure and education and homes for the elderly in all those Palestinian villages and they, instead of thanking us, all those ingrates do is come and kill us.”

But guess what, I am wrong. Olmert doesn’t say it. Instead, he tells the truth. Here are his words.

“We have invested thousands in the construction of a security fence. While it has been very effective, it turns out that a fence cannot give us the answer to the problem of terror which comes from our side,”

Yes, this is indeed very sad for the Israelis to find out. Their megalomaniac, 12-metre-high reinforced concrete wall, which for some reason they call a “fence”, didn’t save them. It didn’t provide them with security. Making Gaza into a concentration camp didn’t save Sderot and Ashkelon from being targeted by Qassam rockets either. It doesn’t take a genius to guess that, by the time the “fence” is finished, Herzeliya, Ramat Asharon and Tel Aviv will be subject to the same fate. Israel had better be prepared to build a solid concrete roof over its populated areas. Being sensitive to the Israeli poetic usage of words, I can already guess that they will call this roof something like “defence cloud”, “security ceiling” or even “concrete rainbow”.

However, some do not agree entirely with Olmert. Among them is Haim Ramon (Kadima), a deputy prime minister despite being convicted of sexual misconduct, who told Army Radio on Thursday morning 3 July that Israel should treat the East Jerusalem neighbourhoods of Jabel Mukaber and Zur Baher as Palestinian villages and revoke the permanent residency status of those who live there.

For those who do not know, convicted Deputy Prime Minister Ramon is the architect of the so-called “security fence”. Seemingly, he now wants to modify his original sinister idea. From being just a boring solid concrete security wall, he now suggests to make the wall into an elastic feature in which “bad Arabs” can be locked behind. If an “Arab” is being naughty or even just lives in proximity to a naughty one, we should place an entire village behind the wall or just strip all its inhabitants of their residency!

Indeed, the Jewish state is becoming more and more dynamic and innovative with its newly emerging ghetto walls and wicked measures of racial discrimination.

Here are Ramon’s words:

This says it all: “No Israeli has ever been there, and doesn’t go near there”.

No one can define Judaeocentric feelings better than Ramon. The citizenship of a Palestinian who apparently carries an Israeli identity card would be defined by his relevance to an Israeli Jew. According to Ramon, if an “Israeli” does not visit an Arab village, then the village should be put behind walls. One may wonder: what about the Palestinian villages within Israel that are not located in proximity to the wall and yet unvisited by Israeli Jews? If we give them time, the Israelis would either cleanse them or surround them with fences.

The message is clear. The Israelis are indeed united, and it is good that they are so united because it allows us to see what the Jewish state is all about. Sadly, there is no partner for peace in Israeli society. The two-state solution is a wet dream, and the one state is not a solution. The solution will come with the creation of facts on the ground, what in effect is the ultimate Palestinian weapon, the so-called demographic bomb.

The Jewish state is in its very last, declining phase. Seemingly, its leaders do not even try to conceal their sinfulness anymore. The level of evil they perform on a daily basis will consume them before anything else. A culture that strives on hate and retaliation is doomed to crumble. All that is left to do is to keep up the pressure and to expose them and their supporters among us for what they are.

Unfortunately, and this is indeed a tragedy, the Palestinians are at the forefront of the most crucial battle for a better world. The Palestinians have been captured in a grave encounter with a psychotic, phantasmic, bloodthirsty self-centric Jewish national identity that knows no mercy.

Nowadays, when Israel and its supportive lobbies are manifestly doing whatever they can to drag us all into a third world war, standing up for Palestine is the least we can do. As things stand, a tiny, brave deprived nation is facing totally alone what seems to be the world’s greatest enemy of peace, namely Israel. As much as it is heartbreaking to see, this Palestinian battle is our battle. To liberate Palestine is to save humanity.

And I think to myself…

Here is a little anecdote that has been concerning me for the past two days.

Bearing in mind that not a single Palestinian freedom fighting organization has claimed responsibility for the bulldozer event two days ago, I wonder why the Israelis are entirely sure that it was an act of terror.

It may well have been that the perpetrator was slightly mad, he might have had a phone row with his wife or, alternatively, a soaring dispute with his Israeli boss that made him flip.

I would assume that, in order to declare an incident to be an act of terror, a terrorist motivation or a scenario must be established first. Without establishing such a motivation, we are doomed to admit that we are dealing here with a criminal case that must be investigated. We should also refrain from jumping to conclusions.

However, the Israelis seem to be pretty convinced here. For them, there is not a single doubt that the bulldozer man was nothing less than a murderous terrorist.

For the Israelis, an event becomes an act of terror when a Jew has been terrorized (ideally by a gentile but not necessarily).

But, here is the frightening twist.

Since every Jew on this planet can be potentially terrorized by almost everything and everybody, we are doomed to admit that, as far as the Jews are concerned, the universe and its inhabitants can be established as a potential act of terror. As much as global warming and cancer may terrify some Jews, all of us are potential terrorists just for being there and yelling the truth.

Learning about Olmert and his house demolition squads, I suggest that we take some measures and be prepared for our dwellings to be demolished. If we are lucky, we may just end up with Haim Ramon erecting a “security fence” around us.

The truth must be told. Before Jewish emancipation it was Jews who willingly locked themselves behind walls. Thanks to the rise of the almighty regional superpower Israel, it is now the Jews (Israelis) who lock Goyim (Palestinians) behind walls against their will. From a Jewish nationalist perspective, this shift is realized as a major achievement.

We had better bear in mind that the Israeli arsenal of hundreds of atomic bombs is not intended for decoration or for humanitarian aid either. A nuclear weapon that is presented in the first act will be put into action before the very final scene. And in case you fail to see it, they have prepared enough for all of us. They obviously did it for a reason.
 

*Gilad Atzmon is an Israeli-born musician, writer and anti-racism campaigner. This article appeared in Palestine Think Tank.