Patrick Cockburn: In Israel, detachment from reality is now the norm

[bemildred]

---

Israeli society was always introverted but these days it reminds me more than ever of the Unionists in Northern Ireland in the late 1960s or the Lebanese Christians in the 1970s. Like Israel, both were communities with a highly developed siege mentality which led them always to see themselves as victims even when they were killing other people. There were no regrets or even knowledge of what they inflicted on others and therefore any retaliation by the other side appeared as unprovoked aggression inspired by unreasoning hate.

---

Nobody believes propaganda so much as the propagandist so Israel's view of the outside world is increasingly detached from reality. One academic was quoted as saying that Arabs took all their views about was happening in Israel from what Israelis said about themselves. So if Israelis said they had won in Gaza, unlike Lebanon in 2006, Arabs would believe this and Israeli deterrence would thereby be magically restored.

Intolerance of dissent has grown and may soon get a great deal worse. Benjamin Netanyahu, who helped bury the Oslo accords with the Palestinians when he was last prime minister from 1996 to 1999, is likely to win the Israeli election on 10 February. The only issue still in doubt is the extent of the gains of the extreme right.

The views of these were on display this week as Avigdor Lieberman, the chairman of the Ysrael Beitenu party, which, according to the polls will do particularly well in the election, was supporting the disqualification of two Israeli Arab parties from standing in the election. "For the first time we are examining the boundary between loyalty and disloyalty," he threatened their representatives. "We'll deal with you like we dealt with Hamas."

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/patrick-cockburn-in-israel-detachment-from-reality-is-now-the-norm-1488583.html

[laststeamtrain]

1. First rate reporting from Mr. Cockburn.

Bizzaro world.

I saw Livni on Fox News Sunday the other week.

She used the phrase "we have to change the reality" several times.

I think that boat's sailed.

[bemildred]

2. Well, that's the thing that strikes me.

It's not just propaganda, it's incoherent rabid propaganda. "Running dogs of Capitalism will soon be liquidated by the heroes of the revolution" sort of crap. They cannot even keep up with their own lies. I expect that from Iran and Hezbollah and Hamas, that fool in Libya, but for Israel it represents erosion. Nuttyahoo is a politician who would fit in the lower tier of US politicians, he is not bright, he is not well-informed, and he's doing really well. Anybody that thinks that is good ought to consider the case of Serbia under Slobo. Credibility is everything in the end.

Israel is small, weak, lacks natural resources, is internally divided, and badly governed. It survives by virtue of it's international legitimacy and the support of the USA. To risk that goes beyond being merely stupid.

[delad]

3. interesting to be sure

but 'Nuttyahoo', :rofl:

[laststeamtrain]

4. I used to listen more to Short Wave radio.

I enjoyed, in a sick sort of way, the North Korean English language broadcasts. It was before the kid, the father was still large & in charge.

The rhetoric was unbelievable.

'Nuts' really does come through.

The rule of fear. Ghastly results.

In the lead up to the February 10th Knesset election things are getting out-of-hand. It's like everybody's John Bolton or Daniel Pipes. Nut-job-o-rama.

[bemildred]

5. That's another one, N. Korea.

They are in deep shit too. A warning to the rest of us. Being "reality based" is not optional, in the long view.

[henank]

6. What an absolute

load of codswallop. Cockburn knows nothing of the ordinary Israeli man in the street.

Netanyahu helped bury Oslo??? What world is he living in? Did Netanyahu or did he not abide by the Wye accords and hand over control of Hebron after Rabin's assassination?

I guess all those waves of suicide bombings had nothing to do with the death of Oslo... :sarcasm:

Israel's siege mentality... I guess the Hamas charter, Ahmadinejad's rantings...have nothing to do with this.

No. Of course!

Israel bad. Arabs good. Cockburn could have saved himself a whole column.