“Violence erodes the basis of Israeli democracy” said our prime minister then Yitzhak Rabin.
Apparently he was wrong. Violence does not erodes the Israeli democracy, it’s is one of it foundations.
After a long summer in which long, quiet and peaceful social protests, something changed. It happened a week ago when the police ask to question some of the leaders of the protest about what they gonna do that summer. After came a protest on that Friday in which a leader of the protesters was arrested. And the pick, until now, was Saturday night protests – 89 persons arrested, while blocking the streets of Tel Aviv and shattering the glasses of three bank branches.
In my mind it was set that only the right wing politicians need violence to change things.
But those protesters made me realize, that every change in Israel is set on violence.
Yes, even the left wing politics needed the violence: The four mother movement that ask to withdrew from south of Lebanon in the 1990’s, was based on the violence of Hezbollah to change something over here.
With a nice coincidence I finished reading Beni Morris book – Righteous Victims: A History of the Zionist-Arab Conflict, 1881-1999 (I have things to say about it, but in another letter). In one of the last pages of this book Morris claims, as a conclusion: “It all teach that the Israel – Arab wars had moderate affect on the sides. In other words: the only language,that was made clear for both of the sides, was the language of power”. That’s dear, set my mind.
Last one thing – – , the PM that said the violence erodes the Israel democracy? Well, he was murder half an hour after the speech in order to stop the peace process with the Palestinians. And you know what? It worked, since then there isn’t a real peace process (because both of the sides). Now, tell me that violence is not vital part of the Israel Democracy….
Take Care
Gad
Yitzhak Rabin speech in the peace protest 11.4.1995
The peace protesters 11.4.1995
The “One Million protest” (more like 400k) last year
A protest in Haifa last year
The violent protest yesterday
Beni Morris book – Righteous Victims
In Hebrew it is only titeled Victims