Sunday, February 8, 2009

Liebermania: Glimpses of the Knesset election campaign

Haaretz has an article on the campaign of Yisrael Beiteinu (Avidor Lieberman's ultra-racist party, posed to become the third largest party in the upcoming Israeli election according to some polls) in Upper Nazareth. Some excerpts (my emphasis):
"The Yisrael Beiteinu youths gather for a final consultation as dozens of elderly party supporters slowly make their way into the white tent where the movement's conference is being held, behind the Plaza Hotel in Upper Nazareth.

The youths, ages 16-18, many of them good friends from school, had stood for a long time before the event began at the intersection near the hotel, waving Israeli flags and shouting "Death to the Arabs" and "No loyalty, no citizenship" at passing cars."

""This country has needed a dictatorship for a long time already. But I'm not talking about an extreme dictatorship. We need someone who can put things in order. Lieberman is the only one who speaks the truth." Adds Edan Ivanov, an 18 year old who describes himself as being "up on current events":

"We've had enough here with the 'leftist democracy' - and I put that term in quotes, don't get me wrong. People have put the dictator label on Lieberman because of the things he says. But the truth is that in Israel there can't be a full democracy when there are Arabs here who oppose it."


Some commentary on the rise of racism in Israeli high schools:
"The failure of the school system is evident not just in student's opinions, but sometimes in their actions, too. There have been a number of disturbing incidents: On the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day last year, dozens of Jewish youths attacked two Arab youths after seeing a message on ICQ urging them "to put an end to all the Arabs walking around the Pisga [Pisgat Ze'ev]"; youths took part in the violence against Arabs in Acre last October; and just this week, Jewish youths from Tiberias went after a young Arab with clubs as he was walking on the city's boardwalk."


News links: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

1 comment:

  1. Israel has gone the way of Germany in the 30s. When will the world wake up and realize what is happening -- again.

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