Strenger than Fiction / Israel's bunker mentality

The resemblance between Israel and the apartheid regime in South Africa are frightening . Where is the Israeli Mandela ?

It is important to know the root causes of the Israeli "diplomatic" failure/autism of recent years. Is it caused by Bunker Mentality, or is the ideology of the "ruling group" the problem? A bunker mentality can be more easily changed, by speaking with friends and counselors, but an ideology which one was brought up with may be too deeply ingrained to be changed. When one looks at the change in composition of the Israeli population between 1948 and now, one suspects that the root cause might be "bad ideology". In 1948, the Jewish population was mostly Ashkenazi and mostly secular. The Ashkenazis are rational people with a long tradition of analytical thinking. What do we have today? 20% of Israeli Jews are former Soviets who grew up on "force and more force". About 35% are Sephardic, with roots in Arab culture of emotionalism, and some 10% are Ashkenazi Haredi and religious messianists. Right there you have 55% of people who wouldn't listen to reason. On top of that you have Ashkenazi right-wingers with an ideology of force-based solutions. It is not easy to change. No wonder Strenger, David Grossman and Amos Oz (all Ashkenazis) are despairing.

Mr Strenger's article was enlightening. Sadly, I agree with everything he wrote. Reading the article, I realized that I have never seen anything good written about peace in the Israeli press. Peace is written about as if peace were something to suffer, not to desire. Now is a great time to make peace. The whole world wants it and will pay to get it as the Obama missle shield shows. An Israeli/Palestine Bank could get bankrolled for tens if not hundreds of billions. Some danger always comes with freedom, but why is nobody talking about the positive value of peace?

I guess the worlds perception is twisted. The world would have never known what true freedom is without the Torah. Western Countries have based their Constitutions on it, and made this world a better place for peaple to grow and prosper and live out their dreams. Israel is the one and only true leader of freedom left in this world! As for the rest of the blinded world they would rather have terrorists with sneaky and Dictorial leaderships living life in total bondage and without freedoms. Do you rather Hamas or Iran and other evil terrorist groups to rule the world and control your life?

As a Jew from the diaspora, it is depairing to see the country we love go down this road of isolation. How come the people that gave so much to the world in terms of humanism, have become so self-involved and blind to the real world? Israel is spreading shame and embarassment to all Jews, when the road to peace and normalization lies open ahead? How can it be preferable to hold to the West Bank (Judea and Samaria, as some would them) and East Jerusalem, than to live at peace with the Palestinians?

Thank G-d Israel has a FREE press. Hopefully a new government will be formed ... quickly.

Absolutely right. So with this mentality you are stuck. Reminds me of a man in a car bogged in sand and all he knows is to keep stepping harder and harder on the gas! Didn't Einstein say the definition of insanity is to keep doing something that doesn't work, again and again—for 43 years, 50 years... for ever?

Israel is a victim of psychological warfare? Al Quaeda and the terrorists are also waging psychological warfare against the USA. The only thing to fear is fear itself. I think I will probably vote for Obama's re-election; I don't think that our economy at this point could take a Republican president. I think that keeping Israel-Turkey ties, creating a Palestinian state and getting better leaders who believe in a secular Israel and respect human rights would all help the peace process. I think most people want normalization and peace in the region. I think the fear of Islamists taking over and creating a bloc as enemy to the west is scaring a lot of people; so that may make them work harder to make the peace process work.

Why are you such traitors to Israel? Everything they do is wrong, but never those "peaceful" Palestinians......It is you that ought to search your own devious souls... Israel is fighting for its very existence and all you can do is hurl epithets ..

This author is stuck in the belief that he is right, and everybody else is wrong and hence incapable of admitting that his policy vis-à-vis the Palestinians has been disastrous. Zionist dream? What Zionist dream?

I know the question may sound a bit provocative, but if you are taught from childhood on, that you are part of "God's chosen people", that you are something "special", it will make it pretty hard for you as an adult, to admit your own mistakes and try to correct them. Is it pure coincidence, that it's mostly secular, left-wing, liberal Jews, who don't show those ("self-righteousness") symptoms in the same way as their mainstream and right-wing Jewish brothers and sisters....??? Honestly, I don't think so. The sooner, the Jewish people will be able to throw that whole "specialty" thing over board the better, because it will bring you again and again at odds with the rest of the world....

Propalestinian militants were armed and attacked and tried to murder israeli marines

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYjkLUcbJWo

People have been taught to believe that there is threat all the time and everywhere by the army and the politicians. What was the real threat i with these ships on the way to Gaza? So real, that the army was needed? No other way to stop them? The real terrosrists, who are sending rockets, they must be arrested or maybe even to kill (like Israel army mostly does). Now even the "supposed" terrorists (like swedish author Mankell ?)were killed as a "self defense". (and not a single soldier which tells all about the "weapons" used). The israeli elite army -not able to fight the men against men or arrest them - only to kill by deadly weapons. It is easy to believe that the ordinary palestinians in Gaza are even more easy "target" (because of self defence-of course).

Wise words from a wise man. There is merely nothing to add to his valuable words! Israelis and Palestinians lack people like him, unfortunately. I wonder if both people are going to survive with this bunker mentality!

Originally, the "siege" policy was motivated as the means to make the Gaza population unhappy with Hamas rule and help them overthrow it. It didn't work, and actually should not have been expected to work because historically, Arab masses do not overthrow rulers, Arab militaries do that, but in Gaza Hamas IS the military. The policy failed to achieve its goal, but was continued nevertheless under changing explanations (today it is the Shalit excuse). How much damage can a pointless, visibly failed policy cause? 1. For the present "flotilla" incident, read the various articles, and consider in addition that the UN may become more inclined to send the Goldstone Report to the Hague. Also, the governing Islamic party in Turkey might have found the excuse to break relations with Israel, which it avoided doing for fear of the Turkish military. The Turkish military might now be convinced that this has to be done. 2. Operation Cast Lead (late 2008) was caused by the pointless "siege" policy. Hamas offered to continue the then prevailing cease fire provided that Israel lifts the siege. Israel refused. Result: Abbas had to stop peace negotiations with Israel. Olmert said he was very close to a deal with the PA, but then Cast Lead "happened". No, idiot, it didn't just happen, Olmert preferred the "siege" over a peace deal. Such an incredible choice should go into the history books!

"All that is left for those of us who want to save Israel from itself - whether Israelis, Jews in the Diaspora or gentiles - is to continue the call to reason, even if we don’t know if, when and how it will be heard." - Carlo Strenger Anyone who criticizes anything Israel does is an 'Anti-Semite", 'affiliated with terrorists' and a 'supporter of terrorism' Carlo. Israel has become an echo-chamber determined to not hear, not see, and not change. Was that not the gist of your article? Alas, it is too-true.

It's a contiuum of not listening/self-righteousness and Israel is on it too.

If Goldstone heads the new investigation, the likelihood is that Israel will refuse to cooperate with his team, as was done in his previous investigation. Israelis succeeded in thoroughly discarding Judge Goldstone, and for the reason that he served as judge under South Africa Apartheid regime. I would have thought this would have been used in his favor, after all it shows that he can even follows laws he may not personally like, but Israel needed a "psychological defense mechanism" and came to that conclusion. So much so, that even Yossi Sarid the ultra liberal accepts this nonsensical excuse. Now, if Israel refuses to cooperate with Goldstone, it will have to appoint a "State Commission of Inquiry", which Israeli law empowers in such a way that it will be independent and with subpoena powers such that there will be no hiding of evidence. This is better than an international inquiry, who the IDF will cheat in every turn. An Israeli commission also hands down recommendations, even of firing ministers, which it is politically very hard to resist. (Ariel Sharon had to resign under such a recommendation following the Sabra-Shatilla massacre.) For this reason, Israeli governments try to avoid appointing such commissions, but with Goldstone they will have to.

"Israel fails to see the difference between its friends that care, but criticize Israel for its wrongheadedness and those who hate Israel and want its demise." - Carlo Strenger It is hard to see one's friend drink themself to death whether the quaff is alcohol or a heady brew of racial arrogance and paranoid delusion.

It seems many Jews are finding themselves in a boat similar to the one white South Africans who disagreed with apartheid were in. Opposing the government as a patriotic act is a mark of democracy. Equating government opposition with being against the interests of the state is a mark of totalitarianism.

Merkel? Sarkozy? Cameron? That's the "European extreme left"? Wow. Sry, but you're much too nice to Levy, Mr. Strenger. Fact is, the opposition to Israel's misguided Gaza blockade policies isn't limited to any political side, but is almost universally. And, as a a European, BHL is almost totally isolated in his ignorance of the facts, as he has proven in his most recent column here, where he puts the blame on the victims and defends the government! A surprising change of mind since yesterday, shockingly so. Looks like you haven't read it yet or else you wouldn't paint Levy as a critic of the government here.

Good article! Here in germany the public and political opinion was always supportive of israel for several reasons (you know why). But that has changed over the last years. And today, after the flotilla-situation, its gotten even worse. Notr only the politcal left, which was always critical, but also the political center is expressing not just concerns, but anger und unbelief over the political autism of israel. More and more people see Israel as a home of an extrem religious right, close to fascism and people here are just disgusted. And I have to admit that I can't help to feel the same. Right now I don't see a future for Israel, locking itself up against the world, like north korea. Thats sad.

A little question: what would happen if the Rachel Corrie docked in Gaza and unloaded medical equipment. How exactly would that harm Israel? Is it worth losing one more ally?

Blame Hamas as they don't care about their people. It is more important to kill the infidels and have martyrs than to have peace. They don't want to be the poor relations in the middle east. Now they get funds from all the anti-semitics and anti-israel fanatics. Europe should be on the alert as the moslem fundamentalists won't stop after Israel

It takes real arrogance to take so much money and support from America, spit in the American presidents eye when he says something they do not like, and then complain that America is not supportive enough. Israelis are motivated by fear and guilt. Fear that their nation is not seen as "legitimate", fear that they are going to be attacked, fear that they will have to withdraw from the west bank, fear of what will happen when they withdraw from the west bank, guilt that they have found a home only by taking it from others, guilt that they watch their victims suffer and only make it worse, guilt that maybe they are not the good people they thought they were, fear that others will finally be motivated to do something about it.

This is a technical comment, but I really get frustrated when a journalist refers to someone's else's article or important statement without offering a link to the same, grrrr. Thank you for including them in this piece. And this article brings all the other articles together in an important conclusion. It's time for a change. Force is necessary, but Peace is the greater power in the end.

As usual, your coverage and commentary on the new crisis over stopping the ships bringing relief to Gaza is awesome. It would be wonderful if Israel's leaders listened to what so many of your articles point out. Let's pray and hope that justice and humanity will prevail -- which will obviously protect the future existence and well-being of Israel itself. Haaretz is a wonderful example of what newspapers are supposed to do. Shalom, Paul

Very sad but true !

If Israel makes even one mistake with her security, it may lead to disaster. And I am sure the Europeans will say Mea Culpa once again, but that didn't bring back the 6 million dead before.