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Last update - 09:29 29/10/2006
It's not racism, it's just patriotism
By Zvi Bar'el

A racist, a transferist, a hater of Arabs, an embarrassment to democracy; indict him, expel him from the Knesset - these are only a few of the curses hurled at Avigdor Lieberman by politicians and publicists. It is as if Lieberman were something the cat dragged home from the Lebanon war garbage dump and not the house cat itself.

Indeed, it seems that the anger is not about what Lieberman says or plans to do "with the Arabs in Israel," but is directed instead at Ehud Olmert and the Labor Party for being ready to sit with the abomination. What has not been said is that it is spin designed to help Olmert survive, that Olmert and Benjamin Netanyahu are one and the same, that the Labor Party is a rag and that the left-wing parties will evaporate if they agree to sit with Lieberman.

The "spin" was annoying. Perhaps Lieberman, the man, was indeed hard to swallow. But no one said anything about the essence of the party, Yisrael Beiteinu. About the fact that a Kahanist offshoot was able to germinate in Jewish society, to develop branches and toxic fruits, and to take Israeli politics by storm. Not a single political party took to the streets to protest the very existence of a party based on a racist platform, not a peep was heard when the extreme right-wing, settler parties attacked Lieberman, claiming that he is lending legitimacy to the creep Olmert, the same "scoundrel" who championed the unilateral disengagement and planned, before fleeing back to his hole, to also carry out a unilateral realignment. Until just a moment ago, these law-flouting settlers believed Lieberman was a friend - and he turns out to be a traitor. They also have no problem with the Lieberman platform.
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"Transfer? What's the big deal?" I remember a longtime settler from Neve Dekalim saying. "Just like they expel us from our land, we can also expel them, and it isn't even their land."

The fascist alliance between the settler-style right and the Lieberman-style right is, therefore, accepted as self-evident. After all, what is the difference between Effi Eitam, who spoke about expelling Arabs, and Lieberman? The political doctrine is identical, and so is the political path. Both sit in the Knesset spouting the slogan that Israel is for the Jews. Excuse me, Israel is for the patriots. And who else can be a patriot? This is the equation of identity that the extreme right has succeeded in planting: Your loyalty to the homeland is measured by how anti-Arab you are.

This is the heart of the trap in which the left is caught. Because it turns out that in order to expel fascism, the left-wing parties must be portrayed as protectors of the Arabs in Israel, to tell the public that they are opposed to the expulsion of Arabs, that racism is prohibited in the Jewish state. But such statements, like it or not, are a political trap from which there is only one way out: It's not important what Lieberman says or thinks, the Labor Party's master formulators say, the important thing is what he will do. It is as if thoughts, ideas and racist notions have a bedroom of their own, a sealed room that does not affect the public.

And so, it is easier to give an Arab a position of deputy minister or committee chairman - as long as one is not seen as an "Arab lover." It is easier to issue a directive to teach about the Kafr Qassem massacre, than heaven forbid quitting the government. Let's put the Arabs aside for a moment, they say in the Labor Party, we have a "social agenda" and we need to sometimes compromise a bit for its sake. "Compromise a bit?" Ah. But even this social agenda pertains to one society, the Jewish one. There are no Arabs in it. It turns out that Arabs are a burden. They hinder proponents of equal rights from appearing as true patriots.

Indeed, with 78 MKs in the coalition - Israel has not had such political stability in generations - it is possible not only to design agendas but also to realize them. But this is stability that will not advance any agenda - neither equality of rights for Arabs nor a political process. Only the stability of the principle of transfer can be preserved there, in a warm and comfortable place in the center of Israeli politics. Even more grievous, this is the same government stability that will please the voters who will also support Liebermanism in the next elections.
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  1.   all racists and fascists once claimed to be patriots 10:07  |  KMS 29/10/06
  2.   Barel: When you have no argument, you turn to slogans 10:08  |  AA 29/10/06
  3.   it`s not racism 10:24  |  joe 29/10/06
  4.   Population transfer between Pakistan and India - Racism? 10:39  |  Ariel 29/10/06
  5.   Zvi Bar`el 10:44  |  Choni 29/10/06
  6.   A Nation without constitution 10:52  |  Lena 29/10/06
  7.   joe 11:02  |  A.M. 29/10/06
  8.   All That`s "Left": Pathological Hatred of Bibi 11:13  |  Ovadiah ben Avraham 29/10/06
  9.   Most Palestinians have already been transferred 11:28  |  Lebanese admirer 29/10/06
  10.   The outpost of racism 11:31  |  Marco 29/10/06
  11.   Transfer of Arabs. 11:34  |  Lebanese admirer 29/10/06
  12.   Lieberman 11:36  |  Boris Gorbis 29/10/06
  13.   Lieberman is not for transfer, but for the two states solution 11:38  |  Shlomo from Tel-Aviv 29/10/06
  14.   When facts hurt, ignore `em! 11:42  |  Z Lando 29/10/06
  15.   To Lena #6 11:44  |  Choni 29/10/06
  16.   It`s not Journalism (either!) 11:45  |  Z Lando 29/10/06
  17.   schlomo 11:52  |  A.M. 29/10/06
  18.   "author" of the Jewish constitution? 12:04  |  Andreas 29/10/06
  19.   Lena 12:07  |  Jasmine Murphy 29/10/06
  20.   To Choni 12:07  |  Lena 29/10/06
  21.   Lieberman says what many think as Arabs support Hezbollah 12:13  |  arthur 29/10/06
  22.   lebanese admirer "the creation of the jewish state was a fluke" 12:21  |  zadok the priest 29/10/06
  23.   how sad!!! 12:23  |  wadha 29/10/06
  24.   lebanese admirer 12:24  |  zadok the priest 29/10/06
  25.   how will it be in 2050 12:45  |  Danny 29/10/06
  26.   zeev`s point 12:49  |  zadok the priest 29/10/06
  27.   zeev and jordan 12:54  |  zadok the priest 29/10/06
  28.   This is not racism or fascism but only a matter of good sense!! 12:54  |  Moshe 29/10/06
  29.   zeev the bedouins of jordan do not do 12:57  |  zadok the priest 29/10/06
  30.   Giving away your home..... 12:57  |  Lebanese admirer 29/10/06
  31.   Zadok the Idiot 13:20  |  Lebanese admirer 29/10/06
  32.   lebanese admirer "can you name another nation" 13:33  |  zadok the priest 29/10/06
  33.   lebanese admirer name calling is for the birds 13:51  |  zadok the priest 29/10/06
  34.   lebanese admirer name calling is for the birds 13:52  |  zadok the priest 29/10/06
  35.   EASTERN JEWS AND LOYALTY... 13:52  |  Messaoud 29/10/06
  36.   Ariel in Kfar Sava #4 13:54  |  CHGODMK 29/10/06
  37.   lebanese admirer "the palestinians are assimilated" 13:55  |  zadok the priest 29/10/06
  38.   CHFCUKMK 14:17  |  Ariel 29/10/06
  39.   Zadok 14:31  |  Lebanese admirer 29/10/06
  40.   #3 14:35  |  Michael 29/10/06
  41.   Messoud 14:42  |  Lebanese admirer 29/10/06
  42.   Messoud 14:42  |  Lebanese admirer 29/10/06
  43.   Ariel in Kfar Sava: You Prove My Point Again 14:44  |  CHGODMK 29/10/06
  44.   for all those who like 15:07  |  cool 29/10/06
  45.   Funny Lebanese admirer, I don`t remember there being a palestine 15:14  |  David 29/10/06
  46.   Messaoud has got it backwards 15:23  |  Richard 29/10/06
  47.   messaoud and mizrahim 15:30  |  moshe gabbai 29/10/06
  48.   Love & hate 15:35  |  Altalena 29/10/06
  49.   lebanese admirer only part of palestine replaced 15:35  |  zadok the priest 29/10/06
  50.   Leftist ignorance 15:42  |  Gene 29/10/06
  51.   lebanese admirer "the arab states were right 15:44  |  zadok the priest 29/10/06
  52.   #35 Messaoud, MIDDLE EASTERN JEWS 15:45  |  Smadar 29/10/06
  53.   lebanese admirer to messoud on mizrahim 15:46  |  zadok the priest 29/10/06
  54.   #35 Messaoud, Forgot to mention what officer did do 15:51  |  Smadar 29/10/06
  55.   Moshe Gabbai#47... THERE ARE EXPERIENCES... AND EXPERIENCES 15:54  |  Messaoud 29/10/06
  56.   Never again? 15:54  |  Dani Reiss 29/10/06
  57.   Palestinian Passports 15:57  |  Lebanese admirer 29/10/06
  58.   Sephardi Jews 16:00  |  Lebanese admirer 29/10/06
  59.   #13 that`s not what he says 16:01  |  Rebekah S 29/10/06
  60.   Just More Leftist Hysteria 16:04  |  Terry 29/10/06
  61.   Just More Leftist Hysteria 16:04  |  Terry 29/10/06
  62.   To Jasmine 16:06  |  Lena 29/10/06
  63.   To 35. Messaoud Arab Jews 16:06  |  Altalena 29/10/06
  64.   Gene: Leftist Ignorance 16:11  |  CHGODMK 29/10/06
  65.   #41, LEBANESE ADMIRER FROM BEIT JALA 16:14  |  Smadar 29/10/06
  66.   To 52 Smadar Babylon 16:18  |  Altalena 29/10/06
  67.   To Jasmine what about a society in which you lose pluarlism 16:51  |  Richard 29/10/06
  68.   ariel you are right 16:55  |  michael 29/10/06
  69.   That right Dani Reiss, because Israel isn`t allowed 17:04  |  Richard 29/10/06
  70.   #3 Joe 17:27  |  Boycott 29/10/06
  71.   Arab Jews 17:28  |  Danny 29/10/06
  72.   #4 Ariel 17:33  |  Boycott 29/10/06