Subscribe to Print Edition | Sun., July 20, 2008 Tamuz 17, 5768 | | Israel Time: 19:40 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

Israelis light candles outside the home of Karnit Goldwasser, widow of captured Israeli soldier Ehud Goldwasser on the day her husband's body was returned to Israel in the context of an exchange of prisoners with Hizbullah. (Uriel Sinai/Getty Images) The great language heist By David Landau Tags: Ehud Olmert, Hezbollah  If words are indeed a window to the soul, then perhaps one can understand - but certainly not justify - the murder of our language that took place this week. "Udi and Eldad come home." This deliberate butchery of words and the cynical distortion of their meaning, a kind of Israeli newspeak, is an etymological-psychological symptom of the suicidal tendencies gnawing at the soul of the country, culminating in a swap of the living for the dead. The distortion also erodes the efforts of other countries to fight terror. After all, Israel was one of the leaders in that fight, once upon a time. Of course, a line runs from the infamous Ahmed Jibril prisoner exchange to the Nasrallah deal, which will be remembered with shame in the years to come. The line also passes through the deal that led to the release of Elhanan Tennenbaum. The picture that emerges is one of a breakdown in the resolve of Israel's leadership and its ability to fend off pressure from the soldiers' families (the only ones, by the way, who are blameless in this story). Advertisement The line is not a direct one. There have been zigzags. Israel's tough stance in the Nachshon Wachsman kidnapping was a swing in the right direction, even though it ended badly. In the case of Gilad Shalit, Olmert and Barak are trying to stick to some kind of principles and not cave in entirely. But Israel's conduct in the Regev and Goldwasser case is not just a continuation of its weakening stance or a sharp turn for the worse. It is a total break. Walking straight into the trap that Nasrallah set for him, with his eyes wide open, Olmert has scrambled together, and thereby trampled underfoot, the most basic tenets of human ethics and Jewish tradition - the sanctity of human life, which comes before all, and the principles of "respect for the dead" and "Jewish burial," which are certainly important, but on a totally different level of importance. The moment he agreed to negotiate for the return of Regev and Goldwasser without demanding proof that they were alive, Olmert turned himself and the state into a doormat for terrorists. He has turned the sacrifice of those who died in the Second Lebanon War into a sacrifice in vain. But Olmert is not the only one guilty of castrating the language and obfuscating the meaning of words with his constant talk of "our boys coming home." Many others in the world of policymaking and shaping public opinion are just as much to blame. After all, they knew that "Udi" was not Udi anymore, and the same for Eldad. They knew that "coming home" no longer applied. So why, for heaven's sake, keep pumping out this deceitful and misleading terminology? To suppress any genuine, open public debate? To deter anyone who sought to avoid being swept up in the populist waves of necrophilia that permeated the speeches of our leaders and dictated newspaper headlines? A primitive death cult, sanctifying death and the dead, is polluting our culture. Charlatans who spout their perverted ideas of "Jewish tradition" are turning the tools used in the truly sacred task of scraping down tanks and burnt-out buses to collect remnants of human flesh into a spade for digging into the dark corners of our national psyche. A few courageous individuals dared to speak out and warn of the sickness developing in our midst when soldiers were sent out, at risk of death, to crawl on their knees and sift through the sand with sieves along the Philadephi route in Gaza, in search of the remains of their comrades. All this from a nation that lost six million of its people, whose burial sites are not only unknown, but also do not even exist. Indeed, Israel was built on their ashes. The fathers of this country swore: Never again. That is the essence of Zionism, which meant - or once meant - that Jews would never again be hapless murder victims with no one to defend them and avenge their deaths. Now it seems the oath has been revised: Never again will Jews be killed without doing everything to ensure that their remains are buried in sacred soil. In a sad coincidence, just as I was scanning the newspaper headlines on Wednesday, I was informed that an old friend and colleague of mine had died. I could not help but reflect that my friend would not be "coming home." He would be taken from hospital to the funeral parlor, and from there, to a place of dust, worms and maggots. The same is true for our two soldiers, whom a serious, resolute, ethical leader would never have agreed to call "abducted" from day one, when he already knew with almost total certainty that they were dead. But Nasrallah not only snatched two corpses. He kidnapped straight talk and common sense. More Jewish World news and features Bookmark to del.icio.us   Farewell ambassador Even the Arab envoys came to say goodbyeto Israel's UN ambassador Dan Gillerman. A tale of two mothers Israeli documentary 'To Die in Jerusalem' earns three Emmy nominations.   1.   ...and the boys returned to their borders 12:53  |  avi 18/07/08   2.   A Shameful twist of Landau 12:54  |  Tzfonit 18/07/08   3.   Traitors, all of them 12:57  |  Rahel 18/07/08   4.   Hypothetical judgement by Landau... 12:58  |  Esther 18/07/08   5.   If the price paid is the same .... 13:07  |  protester 18/07/08   6.   THE MOST HUMILIATED OF ALL SWAP DEALS 13:08  |  indrajaya 18/07/08   7.   Olmert is judged too harshly 13:09  |  Natallie Durson 18/07/08   8.   So Hizbolla can`t rape us, but others can? 13:31  |  Ilan 18/07/08   9.   Every IDF soldier should carry a suicide tablet stuck to a tooth 13:34  |  Chanalau, Tova 18/07/08   10.   Tzfonit: "What have we given in to that refutes Jewish values"? 13:38  |  Freethinker 18/07/08   11.   a trap of israels own making 13:39  |  ravi 18/07/08   12.   Is this the same Landau who asked Rice to `please rape Israel`? 13:40  |  Freethinker 18/07/08   13.   2 and 4: you`re missing the point 14:01  |  Jon 18/07/08   14.   Crocodile tears of the leftists 14:05  |  Binyamin Dissen 18/07/08   15.   David should think deeper 14:07  |  DR D 18/07/08   16.   in vain 14:22  |  JJ burke 18/07/08   17.   Tzfonit Has it Right 14:27  |  Jane 18/07/08   18.   Landau acting the innocent 14:32  |  Jonathan S 18/07/08   19.   much ado about nothing! Two soldiers who were captured in war, 14:46  |  lakshmi 18/07/08   20.   Freethinker, better be logicthinker instead 15:00  |  Tzfonit 18/07/08   21.   Although the prisoner swap was a bad idea... 15:44  |  Walter 18/07/08   22.   Difficult circle to square 16:13  |  Chris Linthwaite 18/07/08   23.   Language and prisoner exchange 16:39  |  sh 18/07/08   24.   Freethinker, better be logicthinker instead 16:56  |  Tzfonit 18/07/08   25.   Landau is right on one point for sure - 16:59  |  ivo 18/07/08   26.   Landau for PM; Olmert to jail 17:07  |  McQueen 18/07/08   27.   Oh, it`s Landau. Forget previous message! 17:08  |  McQueen 18/07/08   28.   NO DAH!AND HE WILL CONTINUE IN DOING SO!HE IS CURSED AND FORCED 17:10  |  glenna 18/07/08   29.   "our beloved homeland"? Lost your spiteful marbles, Chanalau? 17:14  |  Freethinker 18/07/08   30.   missing in action 17:22  |  old soldier 18/07/08   31.   You set up the trap yourself. You made 18:30  |  Andreas 18/07/08   32.   I love how suddenly this war was about captives 19:32  |  Pssd Off American 18/07/08   33.   #27: need to go no further than your post to find meaningless - 19:43  |  ivo 18/07/08   34.   Olmert never `walks" 19:56  |  Mark Lincoln 18/07/08   35.   the aguna factor 20:09  |  Shelley 18/07/08   36.   Sorry, Tzfonit, but it is exactly logic that proves you wrong 21:55  |  Freethinker 18/07/08   37.   Shelley #31: it was primarily a moral issue, plus political - 22:13  |  ivo 18/07/08   38.   Olmert - Even David "Looney Toons" Landau ThinksYou Are a Jackass 22:52  |  Tod Zuckerman 18/07/08   39.   Mixed bag 00:20  |  docD 19/07/08   40.   Please endure in silence 03:34  |  Montrealer 19/07/08   41.   I agree with Landau 05:04  |  Terry 19/07/08   42.   good article 06:27  |  paulo 2005 19/07/08   43.   a difficult exchange, but in context to the process... 06:55  |  Smadar 19/07/08   44.   What a shame 09:07  |  MMM 19/07/08   45.   ISRAEL should be PROUD 09:39  |  indiansoldier 19/07/08   46.   #31 andreas and the history fault 09:44  |  victor hardman 19/07/08   47.   Olmert will fall into anybody`s Trap ..... 11:01  |  Dagma 19/07/08   48.   That Olmert would walk into his own self-made Trap 12:36  |  charlie 19/07/08   49.   to david landau re: "primitive death cult" 13:45  |  eric 19/07/08   50.   the author is correct, Israel is now beyond help 15:29  |  Rami 19/07/08   51.   To the Pssd Off Person #32 15:59  |  S 19/07/08   52.   THANK YOU LANDAU: AT LAST SOMEBODY WITH COMMON SENSE 17:37  |  AA 19/07/08   53.   Wonderful article as usual Mr Landau - to Pssd off American... 17:39  |  Miriam Ashkelon 19/07/08   54.   the great language heist 19:35  |  debra 19/07/08   55.   Put the blame where it should be 19:48  |  Great White North 19/07/08   56.   Isn`t it CLEAR? Israel needs a WARRIOR. 21:43  |  karl jensen 19/07/08   57.   Such weakness 22:58  |  Mr Ipp 19/07/08   58.   Agree with Montrealer 00:12  |  John 20/07/08   59.   Linvi & Olmert must both resign they are defeatists 05:14  |  HENRY MANN 20/07/08   60.   The sooner Israel engages Tehran, the better. 05:18  |  Fortuna Benmayor 20/07/08   61.   the exchange with Hezbollah 06:10  |  abraham cohen 20/07/08   62.   David Landau. Your friend is not in a terrible place. 06:43  |  Maureen Ann 20/07/08   63.   Chanalu in UK! 07:17  |  Truth 20/07/08   64.   right on 09:54  |  jj 20/07/08   65.   The great language heis 19:37  |  Marcelle Fisher 20/07/08

Read & React Ahmadinejad's deputy: Iran is a friend of Israel, is not interested in war Responses: 108 OPINION: Essential things Israelis and Iranians should know about each other Responses: 108 Uzi Beniziman: Iranian bomb threatens the world more than it does Tel Aviv Responses: 32 Emmanuel Sivan: Israel's negotiator exploited Nasrallah's weaknesses Responses: 30 Rosner's Domain What will Obama look for in Jerusalem (and Ramallah)? Is there a crisis in U.S.-Lebanon relations? (WTR) Do U.S. Jews really support 'necessary compromises' for peace? Why does Israel keep agreeing to prisoner swaps? More Headlines 19:07 MI chief: Hezbollah may try to attack north soon 19:18 Olmert's lawyer: Talansky testimony shaped by police pressure 19:40 VIDEO: IDF troops shoot bound Palestinian at short range 11:49 ANALYSIS / Are U.S.-Iran ties undergoing significant change? 19:32 Icons of Hitler take center stage at Bezalel end-of-year art exhibit 13:44 Model Zionist: Bar Refaeli poses for Jewish swimsuit calendar 16:23 Ahmadinejad's deputy: Iran is a friend of Israel 19:02 U.S. Jews honour Polish Holocaust rescuers at Warsaw gathering 18:51 New Arab city nears creation, as ministers okay planning committtee 17:54 Livni to Kadima ministers: Unity is key to early elections 17:21 Brown calls on Israel to halt West Bank construction Previous Editions Select Day 18 jul 17 jul 16 jul 15 jul 14 jul 13 jul 11 jul 10 jul 09 jul 08 jul 07 jul 06 jul

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