Bernard-Henri Levy: I have never seen an army as democratic as the IDF
French philosopher addresses 'Democracy and its Challenges' conference sponsored by the French Embassy in Israel in cooperation with Haaretz.
By Or Kashti Tags: J Call
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French philosopher Bernard Henri Levy speaking at the French Embassy in Tel Aviv |
| Photo by: Motti Kimche |
"If a time should come when dialogue between Diaspora Jews and Israeli Jews becomes illegal, if it is blocked by the obstacles of censorship, this will be a retreat from the democratic ideal," said French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy Sunday evening at the opening of the "Democracy and its Challenges" conference in Tel Aviv.
Levy's address opened the conference, organized by the French Embassy in cooperation with Haaretz. In his speech, Levy addressed the recently formed left-wing European Jewish movement, J Call, and the response he elicited by joining the organization's call on the U.S. and the European Union to push Israel to take measures toward peace.
Levy also touched on the Israel Defense Forces, saying the "I have never seen such a democratic army, which asks itself so many moral questions. There is something unusually vital about Israeli democracy."
At the conclusion of Levy's address, which garnered enthusiastic applause, a participant in the event yelled out that his support of J Call's petition "endorses Israel's enemies."
"I demand a response," the participant called out. Levy sat on the stage and said "I am no more or less of a Jew than you. I don't want the U.S. administration to wait until the current president's last month in office to really enter the race. The two peoples [Israel and the Palestinians] need to divorce, and sometimes someone has to mediate."
In regard to criticism over his support of J Call, Levy also said that as someone who was in Israel during the Second Lebanon War in 2006, "I would like people to think twice before imagining that I would be capable of signing a text that is unfriendly to Israel. The Jewish people invented democracy. It is absurd to prevent the democratic ideal from being expressed in discussions on current events – it is pathetic."
At the start of the address, Levy lauded Israeli democracy, saying that "Israel represents an island which is actually a miracle of freedom, democracy and rejection of fascist ignorance."
"Zionism is the only ism of the 20th century that didn't fail and become a caricature, of all the great movements," he said. "The people who built Israel, who came from the darkness of Nazism, Communism and totalitarian Arab nations, invented a working democracy within a matter of days," he added.
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Demonstrable true. The Netzah Yehuda Battalion acts with such an incredibly 'democratic' fashion that one might easily ask if the defense forces of [CENSORED] have any [CENSORD] over it.
An Army is a group of People lead and dictated by Experienced generals and Sargents. They don't vote on what they should and should not do . They just take orders from Higher authorities This guy wants to complement Israel so much he doesn't check if what he is saying makes sense..
The IDF is killing and injuring human rights activists on the Freedom Flotilla at this very moment. The Goldstone report exposed the warcrimes comitted by the IDF. Democracy is when everybody agrees that killing people of different opinion is moral!
The strength of the Israeli Army lies in its democratic tradition. It is a people's army with a limited number of professional soldiers and a large number of reservists from all walks of life that spend 30-40 days a year in the army to defend our nation. Religious and secular, farmers and factory workers, kibbutzniks, moshavniks and those from the city, all leave their families and jobs behind as they don military fatigues and join the most moral and democratic army in the world. As an IDF reserve officer, I must "persuade" my soldiers to carry out my commands by logic and reason, not by force or threat which simply does not work with these proud, fiercely independent parents joining me for our month in the reserves. There is simply no other army like the Israeli Army in the history of the world. I graduated MIT and medical school with honors and received an award for scientific research, but the proudest day in my life was the day I received my officer stripes by my commander in the IDF. Those who accuse us of "war crimes" are simply clueless to the individual conscience-stricken Israelis that make up our army.
There is not such a thing as a Democratic Army.Mr Levey is full of it calling the IDF the most democratic army while they are violating every imaginable Palestinian human rigths possible.
BUT, the Palestinians, who DEMOCRATICALLY chose their government, will have to find something else, because the Israelis, the Americans and the majority of the Western World don't want to recognise their choice. I have an idea, just let the Israelis decide for them. There you go, Jewish Democracy!
and there is no one, more democratic , more representative of the people and modestyly said more glorious than the IDF
or Just another one of his hit and run??
The "I have never seen an army as democratic as the IDF" seems to add a whole new dimension of absurdity to the attrocities committed byt the IDF.
The Jewish people invented democracy ??? That's news to me. Just exactly when did this happen ? As far as is known, it was the Greeks, no ?
But Bernard Henri Levy really irritates me. (PS, we invented democracy?! Since when?)
poor athenians never get any credit. i like bhl but he's a bit of an idealist sometimes... the idf is no more or less "moral" or "democratic" than any other army. he seems to be confused about the word "democracy", actually... an army is not democratic. a society is.
When Has Mr. Levy Openly and Bluntly Criticised the Expulsion of Palestinians from their Jerusalem Homes, and the Jewish Acquisition of Palestinian Lands by force or illegal local law? Why Does this 'Most Moral Army" Inflict, in Every War, an Overwhelming number of Civilian Deaths and attack Basic Infrastructure aimed at wholesale punishment? Why wouldn't Mr Levy Openly admit to any Kind of right those Palstinian refugees still have, as per international law, in their orignial cities and hometowns? Levy is high by an overdose of Jewishism that attempts to cover up or find excuses to all that Israel commits against the Palestinians. I am ashamed of France for sponsoring this propaganda event. Like J Street's, J Call's agenda is nothing but a compilation of counter proposals that Israel will fall back to and adopt after its intransigence with first demands fail to move peace talks anywhere. Supporting the Separation of non-jews from Jews as advocated in the 2 state solution by these J Orgs, does not endorse the 1967 lines as basis for negotiations nor does it recognize the rights of Palestinian refugees. Also, these J Orgs have thus far avoided supporting the Arab Peace Offer or the Return of the Golan Heights.
He can join the Dershowitz-Wiesel Association for Intelligent People who need to rationalize supporting Israel. I love 'the Jews invented democracy.' Where did that come from?
As a jew living in Europe, I think that the Israeli people will choose their way themselves and I'm confident they will make the right choices, regardless of the opinions and advices of a self-proclaimed philosopher whose success belongs to bygone days.
... when it comes to Israel, even philosophers can have mindless moments "The people who built Israel, who came from the darkness of Nazism, Communism and totalitarian Arab nations, invented a working democracy within a matter of days," he added. " TWADDLE..
Levy also touched on the Israel Defense Forces, saying the "I have never seen such a democratic army, which asks itself so many moral questions. There is something unusually vital about Israeli democracy."
The credentials of Mr . Levy as a social philosopher is impeccable , nobody can accuse him of pandering to any party line . Yes , Israel as a society and Israeli Army are the lights to nations and their Armies .