In May 1988 columnist Anthony Lewis wrote how the Israeli occupation was causing a coarsening of Israeli society and the lowering of legal and moral standards. He pointed out that the voices of Israelis who opposed the government’s tactics in the occupied territories were drowned out by the settlers, the religious zealots, and other right-wing elements.
Today the Times reported that a gang of a dozen or so armed Jewish settlers recently attacked a Palestinian village while soldiers either stood by or clashed with the villagers themselves. In the melee Hamdy Naasan, 38, father of four was shot and killed.
Netanyahu wants the settler vote, so the government stays silent. A left-wing candidate wrote: “Silence. Everyone sees the election on the horizon, and the settler lobby is stronger than any moral standard.”
This is not the Israel of Theodor Herzl or Golda Meir or Menachem Begin. It is not the Israel the United States should be supporting.
No comments:
Post a Comment