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The unrest in Iran makes me green with envy
By Gideon Levy
Tags: Palestinians, Iran 

It makes one green with envy: The scenes from Iran prove that some nations are trying to take their fate into their own hands. Some nations are not floating on the surface in sickly indifference, some are not looking around in endless complacence. And some are not following their leaders with the blindness of a herd. There are moments in the histories of certain nations when the people say enough. No more.

Czechs and Ukrainians, French and Russians, South Africans and Palestinians, Thais and Chinese, Lebanese and now Iranians have taken to the streets on at least one inspirational occasion and tried to make an impact. Some succeeded, some failed, but at least they tried. They did not surrender to their failed leaders, who dragged them from bad to worse. This is not only about rising up against a tyrannical regime; sometimes it's about a struggle for justice in democracies, too. That struggle is not conducted only in polls and elections; such struggles must spill out onto the streets. Here, too.

The scenes from oppressive Iran are of light breaking through. Thousands of women and men protesting and demonstrating, holding signs and shouting out loud. They stand with their faces visible, fearless. All of them are at risk because of their protest. Perhaps less than what we imagine here - our learned analysts know that there is only an Iran of darkness - but certainly much more than in free Israel.
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But while Iran's women are taking a risk and demanding that their voice be returned to them, Israel's women are wrapping themselves in silence, from the mall to the parking lot. As Tehran's men cry out "Where is our voice?", here they ask "Where will our next vacation be?" Here in the SUV, there in the streets. Here in front of the stupefying television screen, there in front of the forces of evil. Here in darkness, there in the light of popular protest.

We only take to the streets when there is a festival, hardly ever because of a scandal. Tel Aviv's centennial or the book festival, the beer festival or the tomato festival - but never in protest. In Iran they are fighting for liberty, here for vacation time.

It's true, there is liberty in Israel, but only for us, the Jews. We have a regime that is no less tyrannical than the ayatollahs' regime: the regime of the officers and the settlers in the territories. But what do we have to do with any of this? In Iran, police disperse demonstrations with violence, they shoot and kill. And what do we do?

When you get a chance, go on Friday to Na'alin or Bil'in and see what happens there. Demonstrators are killed here with similar brutality, but in Iran the crowd is standing up to a tyrannical regime, while here only a handful of brave people stand up to the Border Police, who are firing weapons. Moreover, we hardly write anything about the protest being silenced with bullets. It interests no one, and this, too, is called democracy.

A democracy is not tested only with elections. A democracy is measured in everyday life. National aims are not achieved only through power hungry politicians; the street must also speak. In the latest polls, 64 percent of Israelis say they support a two-state solution. Great. But when Israel moves steadily away from such a solution, when the prime minister takes a small step forward but then raises more and more impossible obstacles, no one thinks to do anything. Have you heard a single political conversation recently? Nothing.

One can only imagine what would have happened if the day after Benjamin Netanyahu's speech, that same silent and paralyzed majority that allegedly wants two states had taken to the streets to demand an end to the occupation. Or if they demanded that we say yes to the Arab peace initiative. What a boost that would have been, a genuine wind of change on whose strength Barack Obama, Netanyahu, Mahmoud Abbas and Bashar Assad could move forward together.

But when the street is silent, only the leaders are left, and their survival drives them.

Israel is now at a fateful crossroads, no less than Iran. An opportunity lies before it that will not be seen again, one that affects the future of all its people no less than the election results in Iran affect the Iranians' fate. Missing the opportunity here will be just as decisive as four more years of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in power. But look what is happening in totalitarian Iran and what is happening here, the sole democracy in the Middle East, blah, blah, blah.
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  1.   I Believe In Separation Of Church And State... 09:52  |  Yosemite 18/06/09
  2.   GIDEON.Riots are for people who have no say. 10:02  |  PETER SM 18/06/09
  3.   Jealous of the Iranians? With good cause. 10:03  |  Natallie Durson 18/06/09
  4.   Our votes are our streets 10:34  |  Nora Tel Aviv 18/06/09
  5.   Sick Comparison 10:37  |  Baruch Gold 18/06/09
  6.   Israel, democracy, and Iran 10:42  |  Patrick Egan 18/06/09
  7.   To Natallie#4 11:06  |  Yosi 18/06/09
  8.   #1 Yishai Kohen - "move to iran" 11:08  |  aybod 18/06/09
  9.   At least in Iran there is no apartheid like in Israel 11:09  |  ALGERIAN 18/06/09
  10.   Looking down in shame 11:29  |  northwest 18/06/09
  11.   If not now, when? 11:43  |  Laura Lavie 18/06/09
  12.   TO ABYSS OF HISTORY WITH SMILE 11:54  |  indrajaya 18/06/09
  13.   You should tell Australia 12:00  |  Marilyn 18/06/09
  14.   Gideon Levy good article 12:24  |  Chris Linthwaite 18/06/09
  15.   ALGERIAN yes, yes sure! 13:06  |  Gil 18/06/09
  16.   Gideon Levy, were you at Bil`in or Na`alin ever? 13:19  |  Tzfonit 18/06/09
  17.   LINTHWAITE What are we watching in Londonistan Britain right now? 13:36  |  PETER SM 18/06/09
  18.   What a silly, adolescent article 13:51  |  Joel Pollak 18/06/09
  19.   Finally, Someone Admits It`s All Blah, Blah! 15:41  |  Yaakov Sullivan 18/06/09
  20.   Kol Hakawod, Gideon Levy ! 16:01  |  Erico Stern 18/06/09
  21.   Chris Linthwaite (#14) Israel`s Capital is Jerusalem 16:03  |  Gil 18/06/09
  22.   Anyting in the name of security 16:03  |  James Gordon 18/06/09
  23.   Gideon Levi makes me green with nausea! 16:06  |  Gabe 18/06/09
  24.   Israel jealous of Iran 16:10  |  Gully Foyle 18/06/09
  25.   Enjoy your dreams 16:14  |  S.Awaad 18/06/09
  26.   The cammel cannot see its hump 16:29  |  ezzat Tamimi 18/06/09
  27.   The fact that Israel allows...... 16:42  |  David T. 18/06/09
  28.   to algerian 17:08  |  Harry 18/06/09
  29.   Gil #21 On Jerusalem 17:08  |  Yaakov Sullivan 18/06/09
  30.   I`m not sure that Gideon Levy is a well man .. 17:16  |  Jane 18/06/09
  31.   Levy sickens me 17:20  |  John 18/06/09
  32.   # 14 Chris 18:28  |  Freddy 18/06/09
  33.   # 29 Sullivan 18:35  |  Freddy 18/06/09
  34.   How sexist! 18:38  |  Rachel Carter 18/06/09
  35.   Protests in the streets 18:44  |  Yvonne 18/06/09
  36.   Leaders listening to people 18:52  |  Ginger 18/06/09
  37.   CERTAINTY is the crucial missing ingredient in Israel. 19:21  |  Fortuna Benmayor 18/06/09
  38.   jealousy etc. 19:58  |  richard 18/06/09
  39.   Into their own hands 19:59  |  Norman Cone 18/06/09
  40.   Israel, your problem has only one solution 20:05  |  Shimon Cleopas 18/06/09
  41.   Spot on, however... 20:15  |  Mizrahi 18/06/09
  42.   Tzfonit #16, how many of you are there? 20:17  |  dana 18/06/09
  43.   Gideon ..thank you... 20:21  |  FK 18/06/09
  44.   #32 Freddy 20:33  |  Chris Linthwaite 18/06/09
  45.   Crazy 00:26  |  Diod 19/06/09
  46.   Bang-bang always beats Tweet-tweet 00:46  |  allang 19/06/09
  47.   An Israeli Intifada? 00:50  |  Jeff Northridge 19/06/09
  48.   Gideon.Again you proved that: "Liberalism Is A Mental Disorder" 01:41  |  Michael Savage 19/06/09
  49.   LINTHWAITE You got a Consulate in Jerusalem.British mercenaries 01:45  |  PETER SM 19/06/09
  50.   THANKS, GIDEON! 02:18  |  Ed 19/06/09
  51.   petersm and arm chair criticism 02:20  |  Truth 19/06/09
  52.   Thank you Gideon 02:27  |  Janice 19/06/09
  53.   Time for Isralites to WAKE UP and SMELL THE COFFEE 02:39  |  Al 19/06/09
  54.   Sullivan persistence 02:59  |  Christopher 19/06/09
  55.   Where is Our Arab Gideon Levi? 04:41  |  Fatima 19/06/09
  56.   Protesting 04:47  |  Ed 19/06/09
  57.   Gideon, you are doing great! 06:28  |  Lost Cat Forever 19/06/09
  58.   Yaakov Sullivan (#29) And why is that? 07:06  |  Gil 19/06/09
  59.   Iranians and Palestinians 07:26  |  Tom 19/06/09
  60.   Dana, not enough of us. 08:22  |  Tzfonit 19/06/09
  61.   Gideon, Israel and Iran Part I 10:40  |  PersianPrince 19/06/09
  62.   Gideon, Israel, and Iran Part II 10:45  |  PersianPrince 19/06/09
  63.   absurd comparison 13:34  |  Pete Dain 20/06/09
  64.   Gully Foyle #24 14:01  |  Mickey 20/06/09
  65.   Gideon Levy, you have my sympathy 14:11  |  Dutch 21/06/09
  66.   if you are green 07:23  |  drdanielito 22/06/09
  67.   Freedom and democracy! 13:33  |  Kostas D. 23/06/09
  68.   Gideon Thank you 00:59  |  Pouyan 04/07/09
  69.   I hope Gideon reads this (1 of 2) 01:27  |  Michael 21/07/09
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