Monday, May 23, 2016

The Myth of the Israeli Moderate

Ever noticed how political transitions in Israel are reported in the corporate press? As though the change constitutes some kind of clear break with the past?

Take the replacement of defence minister Moshe Ya'alon by Avigdor Lieberman, for example:

"Israel's departing defence minister has denounced the 'extremist and dangerous elements' that 'have overrun Israel and the Likud party' as he left office." (Minister's parting shot at 'extremists', Telegraph/UK/The Sun-Herald, 22/5/16)

"Yaalon was one of the last moderate voices in Netanyahu's Likud party." (Israeli defence minister steps down, clearing way for hardliner, Associated Press, theguardian.com, 23/5/16)

You'd never guess that the 'anti-extremist/moderate' Ya'alon had once said that the goal of the Israeli occupation was "to sear deep into the consciousness of the Palestinians that they are a defeated people," and that "we have to consider killing [former Iranian president] Ahmadinejad."

1 comment:

MERC said...

Could any other mob of European colons in the history of settler-colonialism have been quite as smug, self-righteous and pampered as these? Rhetorical question.