Subscribe to Print Edition | Thu., April 30, 2009 Iyyar 6, 5769 | | Israel Time: 01:08 (EST+7)   Back to Homepage web haaretz.com Haaretz Toolbar Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Focus U.S.A. Travel Week's End Anglo File TLV 100

Sixty one years in the speech bubble By Yoel Marcus Tags: Ehud Barak, Israel News  "This is the dawn of a new day," said Ehud Barak in a shaking voice before he became the prime minister defeated by the highest number of votes in Israel's history. "This is the destruction of the Third Temple," Moshe Dayan told journalists on the second day of the Yom Kippur War. "We'll break their bones," said then-Israel Defense Forces chief of staff David Elazar on that war's third day. "We'll break their hands and legs," said Yitzhak Rabin at the start of the first intifada. "And the land was quiet for 40 years," said Menachem Begin during the First Lebanon War, quoting the Book of Chronicles. "Take us to Lebanon / We'll fight for Sharon / And return in a casket" was a popular song among soldiers of the time. Advertisement "A brief history of sabotage and scheming," said Barak when vanquished by Sharon in elections, taking a page from physicist Stephen Hawking's "A Brief History of Time." "A blind she-goat," said Ovadia Yosef of Benjamin Netanyahu during the latter's first term as prime minister. "I saw Rabin's white behind when the doctor gave him a sedative injection," said Ezer Weizman after Rabin's breakdown on the eve of the Six-Day War during his stint as army chief of staff. "Nasser is waiting for Rabin, ay-ay-ay," we sang in ecstasy after the Six-Day War. "If you ask me, they can just keep spinning like propellers," said Rabin, responding to demonstrations by Golan Heights residents against his intention to return the area to Syria for peace. In Prime Minister Levi Eshkol's words, "Our checkbook is open and our hand is signing." Menachem Begin, both as opposition leader and as prime minister, never called the IDF by its official name. The upper echelon of Mapai, the precursor to today's Labor Party, had insisted on keeping the word "Haganah" in the army's Hebrew name, in apparent reference to the pre-state Jewish military organization that later formed the core of the IDF. Until his last breath Begin referred to the military as "Israel's army," never by the acronym Tzahal. In response to a damning report on government corruption, Eshkol replied, "Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn," a maxim from Deuteronomy exhorting the farmer to allow his beast to eat while threshing. In other words, "Let the workers skim from the top." When in the lead-up to the Six-Day War it was suggested that Eshkol and army chief Rabin unite in order to lift the nation's morale, Eshkol replied, "These two horses will not carry loads together again." "A strong leader for a strong nation" and "Say 'yes' to the old man [Ben-Gurion]" - two ubiquitous campaign slogans. "Enough of Mapai rule," was the motto of the General Zionists, a precursor to today's Likud, in 1950. But it took 27 years until the nation was able to digest it and finally oust Mapai, which in the meantime had fallen off the political map. When Shraga Netzer, Mapai's all-powerful shadow man, was asked why he recommended counting electoral votes only after election day, he said, "A resting ballot is a thinking ballot." It still remains unclear who the genius was who thought he could deceive the world by labeling the complex in Dimona a "textile factory." As defense minister, Pinhas Lavon responded to criticism of police who had destroyed furniture in an Arab village by saying, "It wasn't exactly mahogany." Two historic mistakes - Golda Meir saying "There is no Palestinian people" and Begin saying "We are not a banana republic." The term "our excellent voters" was invented by Begin in a personal letter he wrote explaining the circumstances under which he slipped in his bathroom and broke his pelvis. "Aliza told me, 'Menachem, get up from the floor,' and I told her I couldn't. Then they called the ambulance and our excellent voters lifted me up." Four banal expressions and one response - "There is no bang, we're done," "The government is abusing the little man," (Ben-Gurion's response: "There is no little man - every man is a man no matter his height"), "They're spilling my blood" and "The clock is ticking away." "Crazy people, come down off of the roof," said Finance Minister Yigal Horowitz about the wasteful spending that had led to inflation. In response to a journalist's question on where the money for settlements had gone, he said, "I swear on everything dear to me that I have no idea. It certainly didn't pass through the Finance Ministry." The phrase "socialism in our day" was more than a slogan. Receiving a passport and exit visa involved a series of torments - questionnaires of all kinds, and certification from the Tax Authority that the traveler did not owe money to the state. Those leaving the country could only take ten dollars with them. The most famous actress was Hanna Rovina, who sent her daughter to Rome to learn how to sing and later said, "Why is everyone talking about connections? I rang up Eshkol and he set up the proper allowance." Then we lived through the austerity program under Minister of Rationing and Supply Dov Yosef, and had to use rationing stamps for buying clothing and food - except for the well-connected, including we journalists who were members of the press union. That period gave rise to the expression "austerity face," and later produced the bestseller that was the tax registry, which named all those who paid taxes and precisely how much. The new immigrants were sprayed with DDT, an injustice in itself, and many sent straight from the ships they came on to the battlefield. For many years people spoke of the "Second Israel," the poorer, less-Ashkenazi Israel of the periphery, but nowadays, before getting in a new car, it's de rigueur to say "what a crappy country." This is the only country in the world which is at war every seven years, which replaces its government every two years and whose population grew from 650,000 to 7 million in 61 years. A country full of life, yet restless and stronger than its leaders. Exactly 22,570 casualties of war are the silver platter which brought us a country which, as Ehud Olmert liked to say, "is fun to live in." Bookmark to del.icio.us   Swine killed over flu Egypt orders pigs killed in anticipation of pandemic. Obama greets Israel U.S. President salutes Israel's 61st independence day.

Read & React Independence Day / I am a Zionist and I am proud Responses: 138 Barak: Israel can and must make peace within three years Responses: 137 Bradley Burston: Could the Taliban get the bomb before Iran does? Responses: 65 'Every step that strengthens Hamas only distances peace' Responses: 114 More Headlines 23:26 Peres: Bombing Iran may not be the 'best solution' 00:12 All four suspected swine flu victims in Israel test negative 23:23 Lieberman: Israel has worked to achieve peace since its creation 13:51 Obama congratulates Israel on turning 61 23:28 How Gideon Levy's first scoop got buried 15:40 'Israel's response to drill with Syria doesn't concern us' 22:42 IN PICTURES / Israel celebrates 61st Independence Day 21:43 WATCH: Daily news round-up from Israel 00:13 Netanyahu: Israel to do all in its power to bring Shalit home 19:30 German confesses to selling rocket material to Iran 14:27 Israeli Arabs mark 61st anniversary of Nakba 18:19 Probe into suspected draft-dodging promoters draws fire 18:46 Egypt orders slaughter of all pigs over swine flu Previous Editions Select Day 29 apr 28 apr 27 apr 26 apr 24 apr 23 apr 22 apr 21 apr 20 apr 19 apr 17 apr 16 apr

Special Offers Advertisement Spring Specials-Dan Hotels Jerusalem from 179$. Tel-Aviv from 223$. Herzliya from 336$ The Meier on Rothschild Tower Masterpiece Residence in the Heart of Tel Aviv Dead Sea Skin Care Quality cosmetics from the Dead Sea. Coupon code HAARETZ for 12% off! Camp Kimama Israel 2009 The best place for your children this summer Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on online reservations Jewish Singles Personal Ads Find the love of your life on JDate.com Junkyard Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt

Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | | Israel 2009 election results

Site rules | Makom: Engaging on Israel | Search engine marketing

Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.

© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved