For those residing outside of Israel, reading the above words may well bring a smile to the face.
Within Israel, I can assure readers that it is not comical but rather tragic beyond words.
Taking into consideration all that has been published in recent years by the Fourth Estate regarding Netanyahu and his support – passive or otherwise – for Hamas, as a counterbalance to the Palestinian Authority, it’s catastrophic that the architect of October 7, is now placing himself front and center in a staring role. In his mindset, he and he alone can save Israel. Is that twisted or not?
If he had a single ounce of decency, he would along with HER, get the hell out of Dodge. But as we know full well, decency is not a strong point with Netanyahu.
The one bright stop is that Israel has reexported Yair Netanyahu, the PM’s obnoxious elder son, back to his hideout in Miami.https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/yair-netanyahu-leaves-israel-after-volunteering-with-mda-during-wartime/ar-AA1mWB7x
With any luck, he’ll stay in Miami, although I pity the locals he comes into contact with. No doubt his Israeli government-paid security guards will ensure that he does not have to rub shoulders with the riff-raff of Miami. Good bloody riddance to the little turd.
It is always a challenge in times of war to find the right balance between total support for the armed forces and the given right to express an opinion. We do not in Israel, as yet, live in a country where free thought and the wish to share one's beliefs are barred. To some, expressing an opinion is akin to whistleblowing.
The story surrounding former Israeli history teacher, Meir Baruchin, which I read in the UK Guardian a couple of days ago filled me with anger, dread, and the question of personal free speech.https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/13/it-is-a-time-of-witch-hunts-in-israel-teacher-held-in-solitary-confinement-for-posting-concern-about-gaza-deaths
Many other news outlets have carried the story. I believe that only Haartz has in Israel.
Is this a sign of the times? What awaits us down the road?
Is this the sickening plan of Ben Gvir, Smotrich, and their band of bully-boys, to stifle free speech, independent thought, and individual rights?
Maybe not a direct contrast, but consider the case of the disgustingly objectionable Bentzi Goptstein, the leader of a Jewish extremist Lehava group who was convicted recently of incitement to racism, while being found not guilty on charges of incitement to violence and terrorism.https://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-extremist-bentzi-gopstein-found-guilty-of-incitement-to-anti-arab-racism/
I guess if you are bossim-bubby of Ben Gvir and Smotrich you can get away with almost anything.
This is Israel, January 2024.
On a lighter note, I had to laugh at the following story.“Tel Aviv police investigate woman for offering Chabadnik pork sausage”
“The incident came at a protest in front of a flagship high school in Tel Aviv, where a conflict has broken out over the right to wrap tefillin in front of the school gate.”https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-782089
I guess the police in Tel Aviv are bored now that the mass demonstrations against judicial reform are a thing of the past. Or maybe Ben Gvir is searching for “lefties” to make an example of?
“Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?”The above line is a quote attributed to Henry II of England preceding the death of Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1170.
While the quote was not expressed as an order, it prompted four knights to travel from Normandy to Canterbury, where they killed Becket.
The phrase is commonly used in modern-day contexts to express that a ruler's wish may be interpreted as a command by his or her subordinates. It is also commonly understood as shorthand for any rhetorical device allowing leaders to covertly order or exhort violence among their followers, while still being able to claim plausible deniability for political, legal, or other reasons.
We are witnessing in Israel a growing disquiet with the war in Gaza and Netanyahu’s leadership.
The “Bring Them Home” movement is growing both in strength and in rhetoric, while the groundswell against Netanyahu and his ultra-right-wing band of numbskulls is growing.
I am not suggesting for one moment that Netanyahu be removed from office by force or foul means, but the time is fast approaching when decisions affecting the future government of this country need to be made.
And the shout will go forth of “Will no one rid me of this turbulent prime minister?”
Former IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi broke his public silence on the events of October 7 and showed a degree of responsibility and leadership lacking in many if not most Israeli leaders/politicians.“Former IDF chief Kohavi says October 7 probe should examine decisions he made while in charge”https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/former-idf-chief-kohavi-takes-responsibility-for-actions-on-his-watch-that-could-have-contributed-to-oct-7/
I sincerely hope that he has not set himself up for a fall; that in the fullness of time and following a state commission into the events of October 7, he will not become the sacrificial lamb. We don’t need another David Eliezer episode.
The comments yesterday by Israel’s foreign minister – no, I don’t Israel Katz who in some bizarre rotation agreement swapped places with Eli Cohen – rather Itamar Ben Gvir, and his remarks about Erdogan and Turkey caught my eye.
“Ben Gvir calls for Israelis to boycott Turkey, calls Erdogan a ‘full-on Nazi’”https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/ben-gvir-calls-for-israelis-to-boycott-turkey-calls-erdogan-a-full-on-nazi/
Erdogan, like Putin, and Orbach in Hungary, Javier Milei, the new president of Argentina, Trump, and Netanyahu are masters in the art of spin. I caught this morning a clip in Hebrew by a speaker on a podcast relating how Netanyahu, in typical fashion, put a spin on the events of October 7; the fault lies with Levi Eskhol, former Israeli PM.
As a side point, Erdogan has changed the country’s name from Turkey to Türkiye.https://www.npr.org/2022/06/03/1102841197/turkey-changes-its-official-name-to-turkiye
What I found both funny and sad was Ben Gvir’s use of the word Nazi to describe Erdogan. If memory serves, Smotrich has recently called Hamas and the people of Gaza Nazis.
To me, it’s a case of “The pot calling the kettle black”.
But then I would expect the educationally challenged Ben Gvir or Smotrich to understand the meaning of the word Nazi.
The word Nazi refers to "a member of the National Socialist German Workers' Party”.
Although the word socialist appears in the party title for Nazism, the Nazi ideology doesn't have much to do with far-left traditional socialism. Hitler's definition of National Socialism, a platform that serves one's country only, is closer to far-right fascism and authoritarianism on the ideological spectrum.
Attributes of Nazi ideology include:
Totalitarianism - The Nazi party sought sole control of the government and severe punishment of political enemies. The philosophy allowed no dissension among German citizens.
Dictatorship - Adolf Hitler was the unquestioned leader of the Nazi party. As he ascended to Germany's political ranks, the German government rapidly shifted from a constitutional monarchy to an absolute dictatorship.
Limited civil liberties - Personal freedom was unimportant to the Nazis, who quickly took liberty from those they persecuted. These actions ranged from arresting people without cause to executing them in concentration camps.
Xenophobia - Nazis wanted to preserve an Aryan race (Nordic heritage) and eliminate all who they deemed to be inferior, especially Jewish people. They put a stop to immigration into Germany and stripped rights from non-German residents.
Nationalism - One of the main Nazi party platforms was the unification of Germany after World War I. Nazis believed in Aufbruch der Nation — "a new start for the nation" — to rebuild after suffering economic and infrastructural losses in the First World War.
Loyalty - Nazis swore loyalty to Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany. Common Nazi mottos included Alles für Deutschland ("everything for Germany") and Deutschland über alles ("Germany above all").
Sovereign economy - The Nazi economy did not fall into traditional definitions of economic systems. It had characteristics of capitalism (German citizens of non-Jewish ancestry could own property) and a state-run economy (the labor and production market shifted to accommodate the government's war needs).
Substitute “Jews” for “Arabs”, fine-tune several other points and you have the doctrine of Ben Gvir, Smotrich, and their Nazi hordes.
Yes, Erdogan is a despicable individual and Türkiye needs to be boycotted by Israelis, least of all because Türkiye funds, directly or indirectly terrorist organizations.
Ben Gvir shows yet again that he is way out of his depth. As the British idiom goes Ben Gvir “couldn't organize a piss-up in a brewery”.
For the fallen of Israel not to be forgotten, we MUST be their voice and stop this Kakistocracy government from plundering the wealth of the country.