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Let's hear it for the Haiders
By Akiva Eldar
Tags: Israel News, Israeli Arabs 

Click here for more articles by Akiva Eldar

The prevalent comparison between Avigdor Lieberman and Joerg Haider does an injustice to the Austrian nationalist whose party joined the government in the winter of 2000. Haider is far from being a righteous man, but even in his most fascist days, he never called on Austria to rid itself of citizens who'd been living in the country for generations. Also, Haider never suggested standing up legislators representing these citizens in front of a firing squad. Natan Meron, at the time Israel's ambassador to Austria, noted that once the leader of the Freedom Party joined politics, he never uttered a single anti-Semitic statement. Meron emphasized that the leader of the Freedom Party "does not threaten the Jews."

With the entry of his party into the coalition, Haider signed a declaration promising to abide by the European principles of democracy and human rights, and to protect the rights of minorities. Prior to that, he apologized to the Jewish people for his statements that downplayed the Nazi horrors.
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What about Lieberman, then? Has he accepted the article in the government's basic guidelines that includes the commitment to "respect the civil rights of minorities and not accept any expression of racism in the country"?

Has anyone heard a word of qualification from the leader of Yisrael Beitenu about his party's political ideals, on the eve of joining the government?

He has not apologized to Israeli Arabs, nor disavowed his statements of incitement against Arab MKs. Even after having reached agreement with Ehud Olmert about his inclusion in the government, Lieberman has stuck to his obscene views. The day after the deal, he proudly announced to the press that he had "explained" to Javier Solana, the European Union foreign policy chief, that his plans "are more humane and detailed than any other plan on offer in Israel."

There is also no comparison between the response of the Austrian people to the inclusion of the Freedom Party in the coalition, and the tranquility with which the majority of the Israeli public has received Lieberman's appointment as deputy prime minister in charge of the most sensitive strategic issue. It is important to note that Haider himself stayed out of the government. In Israel, "peacemakers" like Amir Peretz, Ephraim Sneh, Eitan Cabel and Yitzhak Herzog went out of their way in their efforts to convince members of their party's central committee to allow them to bring into their home an extreme nationalist.

Shimon Peres, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, warned Austria at the time that the inclusion of Haider in the coalition will "ostracize it from the family of nations." Matan Vilnai, then minister of science, culture and sport, threatened to boycott the Austrian national soccer team. In response to the Freedom Party's inclusion of him in the coalition, then-prime minister Ehud Barak declared that Haider was persona non grata in Israel. Jewish organizations the world over competed over the intensity of their criticism of the Austrian government.

The growth of extremist parties on the right in Europe is worrying to Israel, and justifiably so. The rising popularity of nationalists such as Jean-Marie Le Pen in France, Vadim Tudor in Romania, Anto Djapic in Croatia and Christophe Blocher in Switzerland is disconcerting to world Jewry, and so it should be. The Israeli Foreign Ministry has barred Marine Le Pen, a member of the European Parliament and deputy in her father's National Front party, from entering the country. What will we say if European Union countries announce that the deputy prime minister is an unwanted personality in Europe?

The silence of the leadership of mainstream Jewry in the world, in view of the legitimization of a person such as Lieberman, undermines the moral high ground they hold in the struggle against Israel-haters throughout the world. If a Jewish politician who aspires to transfer an Arab minority across the border can sit in an Israeli cabinet, why should an anti-Semite not sit in an Austrian government? Let's hear it for the Haiders.
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  1.   Quiet on the Wadi Ara Front? 09:38  |  FOX 30/10/06
  2.   akiva eldar is a toady 09:39  |  zadok the priest 30/10/06
  3.   Thank you Mr. Eldar! 09:39  |  SZ 30/10/06
  4.   "haider is far from being a righteous man" 09:44  |  zadok the priest 30/10/06
  5.   "haider does not threaten the jews" 09:46  |  zadok the priest 30/10/06
  6.   austria is not in the ME 09:53  |  I. Zar 30/10/06
  7.   lieberman has recently said israel 09:54  |  zadok the priest 30/10/06
  8.   "political ideals" 09:57  |  zadok the priest 30/10/06
  9.   yet, there is a bigger difference 10:01  |  Rich 30/10/06
  10.   Answer 10:07  |  Choni 30/10/06
  11.   the pseudo-priest: you are a shame unto Judaism 10:09  |  Israeli Jew 30/10/06
  12.   Consequence of Islamic radicalism? 10:19  |  RAB 30/10/06
  13.   Comparisons 10:38  |  Altalena 30/10/06
  14.   An answer to answer 10:40  |  Ben Galim 30/10/06
  15.   Different perspective 10:40  |  Ralph 30/10/06
  16.   Lieberman is a racist? 11:09  |  Seth Greenberg 30/10/06
  17.   Choni is of the armed wing of Miflagat Elohim 11:10  |  christoph 30/10/06
  18.   Thank`s for the brave article ! 11:30  |  Johnny 30/10/06
  19.   Well spoken Akiva! 11:37  |  Marlene 30/10/06
  20.   Austria`s minorities accept Austria`s right to exist! 11:38  |  Eldar is Stupid 30/10/06
  21.   A better way to convince No. 13 11:49  |  Marlene 30/10/06
  22.   Liebermann 11:57  |  Peter Dale 30/10/06
  23.   Lets Differentiate S-L-O-W-L-Y for you 12:11  |  Kidon 30/10/06
  24.   Crazy men. 12:15  |  cfs 30/10/06
  25.   faulty comparison, Jews were never blowing up in Austria 12:25  |  Anton Bruckner 30/10/06
  26.   A question to Akiva Eldar 12:29  |  Jonathan S 30/10/06
  27.   To 21. Marlene. Convincing 12:46  |  Altalena 30/10/06
  28.   Lieberman: a true Israeli patriot. Eldar: a true ----------- 13:19  |  Bennie 30/10/06
  29.   Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Haider, Mr. Olmert and the late emperor Caligu 13:20  |  Giorgio Frankel 30/10/06
  30.   #19 Marlene: Are you ready to transfer Al Qaeda to NYC? 13:22  |  Moshe 30/10/06
  31.   Simple No. 23 13:41  |  Marlene 30/10/06
  32.   5th Columnist Akiva 13:47  |  Equestrian Deity 30/10/06
  33.   The inclusion of Lieberman.... 14:01  |  Jack 30/10/06
  34.   Rich #9: Not So Fast 14:35  |  CHGODMK 30/10/06
  35.   A second question to Akiva Eldar 14:39  |  Jonathan S 30/10/06
  36.   Unbiased Haaretz 14:41  |  Gene 30/10/06
  37.   To Marlene. Conflict 14:50  |  Altalena 30/10/06
  38.   to Altalena #25 14:57  |  zeev 30/10/06
  39.   Lieberman is MUCH better than Akiva Eldar 15:19  |  Vittorio 30/10/06
  40.   LIEBERMAN WORSE THAN ELDAR:HE GAVE UP PROSECUTING MK TRAITORS)))) 15:19  |  VOICE of MOSHIACH))) 30/10/06
  41.   haaretz=k.o. 15:29  |  Albert Fischer 30/10/06
  42.   Thank you, Akiva Eldar 15:35  |  Simon 30/10/06
  43.   Mr. Bruckner`s (limited) views! 15:54  |  Wiktor 30/10/06
  44.   Lieberman 16:00  |  Jack 30/10/06
  45.   #31 Gene: "Stalinists" and "Bolsheviks" 16:10  |  CHGODMK 30/10/06
  46.   Avigdor Librman (to the editor) 16:10  |  Vladimir Tripolsky 30/10/06
  47.   High moral ground? 16:11  |  Peter Dale 30/10/06
  48.   Akiva Eldar is worse than Beilin --Mecca is waiting 16:14  |  Sal 30/10/06
  49.   And the Reason for This Silence?? 16:15  |  Yaakov Sullivan 30/10/06
  50.   To Altalena 16:22  |  Mark B. 30/10/06
  51.   Lieberman 16:22  |  Matt 30/10/06
  52.   The Physical Resembalnce does not stop here 16:26  |  Yaakov Sullivan 30/10/06
  53.   Let`s hear it for the Haiders 16:44  |  Shmuelshachor 30/10/06
  54.   Let`s hear it for the Haiders 16:47  |  Tim 30/10/06
  55.   And another thing! 17:29  |  Jackson 30/10/06
  56.   The responces on the board.prove one important fact 17:29  |  Gene 30/10/06
  57.   Lieberman 17:31  |  Ernst 30/10/06
  58.   Akiva Eldar "Times are Changing" 17:56  |  Maurice 30/10/06
  59.   Double standards and over-righteousness 18:03  |  Tosefta 30/10/06
  60.   #41 Mark B 18:24  |  Peter Dale 30/10/06
  61.   zeev has never had an originally idea in his head 18:37  |  zadok the priest 30/10/06
  62.   To #11 `the pseudo-priest` 18:42  |  Colin Wright 30/10/06
  63.   zeev and fixed borders 19:03  |  zadok the priest 30/10/06
  64.   ok zeev now you withdraw from the west bank 19:06  |  zadok the priest 30/10/06
  65.   Ernst - are you a knesset member? 19:10  |  Bruriah Sarah 30/10/06
  66.   peter dale you have accused the jews and the zionists 19:14  |  zadok the priest 30/10/06
  67.   Lieberman 19:15  |  j10 30/10/06
  68.   A system of Haider metric units 19:29  |  Marco 30/10/06
  69.   Gene, you are very wrong about Lieberman 19:41  |  David James Vickery 30/10/06
  70.   lieberman is worse than Haider 19:46  |  JOJO 30/10/06
  71.   Sullivan`s crown of thorns 19:53  |  FOX 30/10/06
  72.   Lieberman represents a large consituency 19:54  |  Wade 30/10/06
  73.   Please don`t worry about Christophe Blocher... 20:02  |  Swiss for justice 30/10/06
  74.   LET`S NOT OVER REACT: FOLLOWING ISRAELI LEADERS DID 180 DEGREES 20:06  |  Smadar 30/10/06
  75.   #52we were attacked by the lebanese. 20:08  |  Peter Dale 30/10/06
  76.   wiktor "almost a f16 and f15 for every adult" 20:09  |  zadok the priest 30/10/06
  77.   Yisrael Beitenu and eldar`s demonizing 20:26  |  peter 30/10/06
  78.   El Haider.El Queda and My Chaida 20:32  |  Ronnie Wolman 30/10/06
  79.   I`ll Pass on the crown of thorns Fox #59 20:42  |  Yaakov Sullivan 30/10/06
  80.   To Fox #1 20:49  |  Blinky the Fish 30/10/06
  81.   #63 Ronnie Wolman 20:49  |  JOJO 30/10/06
  82.   zeev the reason jordan is quiet is king hussein 20:51  |  zadok the priest 30/10/06
  83.   Ronnie...give up the myth..it`s boring 20:57  |  Tim 30/10/06
  84.   #38 Wiktor, I don`t know what the heck are you talking about? 21:08  |  Anton Bruckner 30/10/06
  85.   Lieberman a racist and not Shas? 21:12  |  Paul Henzen 30/10/06
  86.   Double standards always backfire 21:19  |  Nathaniel 30/10/06
  87.   Player Haider 21:20  |  paul 30/10/06
  88.   Ronnie you should apologise to Austria 21:20  |  True Brit 30/10/06
  89.   To Peter Dale 21:20  |  Mark B. 30/10/06
  90.   "Yaakov" tell us about the one.. 21:33  |  Danite 30/10/06
  91.   Haider, etc 21:34  |  P. J. Casey 30/10/06
  92.   The right in Europe is Pro-Israel !! 21:36  |  Swiss for justice 30/10/06
  93.   Zeev 21:40  |  Danite 30/10/06
  94.   Zeev#2 21:45  |  Danite 30/10/06
  95.   #62 Fox 21:46  |  Peter Dale 30/10/06
  96.   Israel seems to be failing 21:48  |  Nathan 30/10/06
  97.   Zadok the Priest 21:49  |  Danite 30/10/06
  98.   Zadok the Priest 21:51  |  Danite 30/10/06
  99.   Finally a reasonable sound 22:14  |  Rami 30/10/06
  100.   Peter from Montreal 22:30  |  Gabe1 30/10/06
  101.   Worse than Haider? maybe, But worse than HAMAS? 22:33  |  Jacob Blues 30/10/06
  102.   No one outside of Israel could sign what Haider signed 22:37  |  Bimmer 30/10/06
  103.   Akiva suffers from Intellectual Delusion.Common these days. 23:10  |  Akram Zekaria 30/10/06
  104.   True Brit: What is it about spoiling my day that you like? 23:19  |  Ronnie Wolman 30/10/06
  105.   "Danite" check it out my boy 23:29  |  Yaakov Sullivan 30/10/06
  106.   danite i am very aware of the corruption 23:36  |  zadok the priest 30/10/06
  107.   Peter and Fox 23:38  |  Danite 30/10/06
  108.   Peter and Fox#2 23:41  |  Danite 30/10/06
  109.   danite 23:43  |  zadok the priest 30/10/06
  110.   Wrong comparisons 23:47  |  TonyL 30/10/06
  111.   colin wright you remind me of pol pot 23:54  |  zadok the priest 30/10/06
  112.   Mr. Eldar 23:58  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 30/10/06
  113.   colin wright and lieberman 00:02  |  zadok the priest 31/10/06
  114.   colin wright of california 00:11  |  zadok the priest 31/10/06
  115.   colin wright "jew`s pretensions to morality" 00:12  |  zadok the priest 31/10/06
  116.   colin wright "israel is morally flawed to begin with" 00:17  |  zadok the priest 31/10/06
  117.   Karl Marx would appreciate Akiva 00:33  |  Snake 31/10/06
  118.   Lieberman: a true Israeli patriot. Eldar: a true ----------- 00:52  |  Bennie 31/10/06
  119.   Akiva Eldar sputtering again 00:57  |  Nat Weinstein 31/10/06
  120.   What is the appropriate comparison for Hamas the Pal majority Gov 00:59  |  PETER SM 31/10/06
  121.   103, Me spoil your day? Ronnie 01:06  |  True Brit 31/10/06
  122.   Lieberman 01:06  |  Charles 31/10/06
  123.   Insanity revealed! Read all about it! #10 01:06  |  Wiktor 31/10/06
  124.   Akiva Eldar is worse than Haim Rumkowsky 01:11  |  Herbert Kaine 31/10/06
  125.   To zadok the priest 01:11  |  Christoph 31/10/06
  126.   #12-Islam Did Not Spread It`s Religion By The Sword 01:14  |  Harry D 31/10/06
  127.   Please give me a non-hypocritical explanation 01:29  |  Bill 31/10/06
  128.   To #105: No Transfer 01:41  |  Solidarity 31/10/06
  129.   To 49. Mark . You met Jews 01:46  |  Altalena 31/10/06
  130.   What Moral High Ground?? 01:52  |  chet 31/10/06
  131.   #45..Vladimir Tripolsky 01:52  |  Nemesis 31/10/06
  132.   GET REAL!!! Joerg Haider is a kitten compares to Zionists 01:53  |  Mustafa 31/10/06
  133.   Altalena 36 - Whoa, hold it a minute dear 01:54  |  Marlene 31/10/06
  134.   To 37. Zeev. Foolish enterprise 01:56  |  Altalena 31/10/06
  135.   To 58.Tosefta. Waldheim crimes 02:05  |  Altalena 31/10/06
  136.   #116..Bennie 02:13  |  Nemesis 31/10/06
  137.   Akiva does not get it. 02:28  |  Giora 31/10/06
  138.   To Mr.Eldar. I THINK YOU OVERREACHED YOURSELF.ENOUGH!! 02:35  |  Kathy 31/10/06
  139.   Palestinians want to be part of Israel 02:40  |  Yael Zekbach 31/10/06
  140.   To David James Vickery 02:49  |  Gene 31/10/06
  141.   Yaakov sullivan 02:52  |  Neutral Observer 31/10/06
  142.   #16, Lieberman is a racist 03:01  |  Johnson 31/10/06
  143.   "yaakov" 03:07  |  Danite 31/10/06
  144.   Zadok the Priest 03:13  |  Danite 31/10/06
  145.   #122, Marlene 03:14  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 31/10/06
  146.   Marlene steps up 03:28  |  peter 31/10/06
  147.   Sullivan 03:34  |  TM 31/10/06
  148.   # 2 zadok the priest. YES AKIVA ELDAR IS A TOADY OF THE FIRST... 03:39  |  Kathy 31/10/06
  149.   Why if David Duke was appointed US Vice President 04:03  |  Harvard Grad 31/10/06
  150.   Sullivan, Moldova and racism 05:00  |  SG 31/10/06
  151.   ISRAEL BEITENU, AL QAEDA. WHAT`S THE DIFFERENCE?? 05:39  |  Lebanese 31/10/06
  152.   #149, Harvard grad 05:42  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 31/10/06
  153.   Re#81 Tim 06:23  |  Meir Weinstein 31/10/06
  154.   Liebermann in Cabinet maybe a good thing.. 07:24  |  BouSameer 31/10/06
  155.   Lebanese 07:33  |  Daniel 31/10/06
  156.   To 133. Marlene. Israeli society 08:27  |  Altalena 31/10/06
  157.   Liberman, Moldova. 08:50  |  Giora 31/10/06
  158.   #156, Altalena 09:28  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 31/10/06
  159.   # 151 Leb 10:12  |  Josef 31/10/06
  160.   Waldheim "crimes" (Altalena 135) 16:33  |  Tosefta 31/10/06
  161.   After virus cleaning, what remains..? 17:03  |  H.H.M 31/10/06
  162.   After Virus Cleaning, what remains? 17:08  |  H.H.M 31/10/06
  163.   to Danite 107 20:57  |  Blinky The Fish 31/10/06
  164.   encouraging anti-Semitism 01:38  |  James 01/11/06
  165.   # 29 Giorgio Frankel from Torino Italy. OH WHAT THE PLACE MEANS.. 03:11  |  Kathy 01/11/06
  166.   Religion is the way out the rest is tactics.Why? 03:28  |  Akram Zekaria 01/11/06
  167.   Haiders Hous or a Nations Land 04:06  |  zoldor 12/11/06
  168.   Haiders Hous or a Nations Land 04:23  |  zoldor 12/11/06
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