A society falling apart
From the Second Lebanon War to the Gaza flotilla - and this period includes Operation Cast Lead - Israel's failures have been much greater than its successes. Against this backdrop, Israel's moral crisis is getting deeper all the time.
By Zeev SternhellAmong the regimes in the Western world, Israel stands out with certain characteristics that generally do not indicate a strong democratic system. Its parliament is paralyzed, the opposition is nonexistent, and contempt for the law is becoming more pronounced. This not only refers to the unrest caused by the ultra-Orthodox, but also to something much more dangerous, the unrest caused by the settlers. The "respectable" right has chosen leaders of the most dangerous kind, like Moshe Ya'alon, who erases the line between Likud's level-headed elements and the extremist "Feiglins" and far-right National Union party. In the not-too-distant future, they will replace Likud's current leadership, which itself is much less restrained than the veteran Revisionists.
Moreover, the political leadership and the ruling elites, including the military elite, evince a worrisome lack of talent. From the Second Lebanon War to the Gaza flotilla - and this period includes Operation Cast Lead - Israel's failures have been much greater than its successes. Against this backdrop, Israel's moral crisis is getting deeper all the time. Israeli society is disintegrating into layers and blocs that have totally different worldviews and historical visions. More and more, these hostile blocs lack a mutual national objective.
The moral and intellectual disintegration also contributes to the gradual loss of social solidarity and mutual responsibility. Notwithstanding the vital struggle TheMarker is conducting against the tycoons and the enslavement to big business, this is not a comprehensive economic alternative for reducing inequality. The alienation between the sections of society that differ over the country's political future is increasing, no less than the alienation between social strata and population sectors whose ways of life are as different as east from west.
All these phenomena must be dealt with, first on the political level. Therefore, for change to be possible, a political engine is necessary. Regrettably, this type of machine no longer exists here. Led by Shimon Peres and Ehud Barak, the Labor Party betrayed its role; it is heading toward liquidating itself. Peres' desertion in the 2006 elections to Kadima was merely a symptom of the illness, but on that occasion, the depth of the degeneration was revealed.
Have there been many instances in the democratic world over the past 50 years where a party leader deserted his party for a rival merely because he was defeated in the primaries on the eve of an election? Peres the deserter, who became president, and Dalia Itzik the deserter, who was Knesset speaker until the last elections, taught the average Israeli not only that politics is a realm to avoid if you want to save your soul, but that political life is nothing but a web of fraud - without ideology, principles and truth.
Peres' heir, Barak, is contributing to this feeling; he is relinquishing what remains of his party's right to exist. We can thank Barak for the huge disgrace of Operation Cast Lead, which scraped off another layer of the old Israeli identity. And we are indebted to him for the humiliation we suffered in the Gaza flotilla incident. In addition, Barak is a supporter of neoliberalism and privatization, is opposed to raising the minimum wage and, by his very membership in the government, supports religious instruction in secular schools. If that is so, who needs him or his party?
It is worth mentioning that Barak, by virtue of his position as defense minister, is also the West Bank's military governor. Viewers of the Channel 10 news last Friday were amazed to see a scene that seemed to belong to the world of sick imagination: To shorten the route to the Cave of the Patriarchs for the Jews of Hebron, the windows of Arabs' homes that the worshipers pass were sealed off. You had to rub your eyes to believe how the colonial power allows itself to make life so unbearable for the natives. Not only were their windows sealed, but access to their homes was made especially difficult - just for the convenience of the occupiers.
It was not the worshipers who sealed the houses but the army that stands at attention to serve them, and the army's chief commander is the leader of the Labor Party. Many people will refrain from supporting the Labor Party in the next elections, but it is doubtful whether this will scare Barak. Like Peres in his day, he too will not retire. Rather, it is reasonable to expect that he will continue in the same profession - only from the opposite side of the street.
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Our economy survived the world crisis, we're in the world states' rich club. Our influence is thus spreading. Our technology both in the military aspect is desired by the world and in civilian sectors, notably in the medicine area and high-tech. Thus our influence is spreading not only because we're in the right and hold the morale high ground over our enemies, but because of our strong economy(which is constantly being praised by key members of the global economy) and Israeli companies are traded the most in Wall street after American ones. Not bad for a 7 million population ay? As for society, yeah, there's a rift. Between Israeli Arabs to Jews. Between secular Jews to ultra religious Jews. There are rifts in every society, especially those of different ethnic characteristics and different religious ideologies. Your attempts to isolate Israel in this global 'phenomenon' simply hold no water. So how's the future for Israel? Quite bright on this side, More so when this Israeli site with Israeli authors are allowed to write what they want with comments that seem to support the destruction of the state and the denial of the holocaust, in the name of our democracy where any voice can be heard. Thus trying to label Israel's liberal systems that they're not - also holds no water, merely your attempt to do so strengthens this point. Doomsday prophet comments and articles are so cute, but they're usually nothing more than wishful thinking.
Sternehell is a Zioinist, Meretz is Zioinist. The fact that it has only 3 seats proves the point of the article. Israel is slipping quickly into a moral abyss and unless course is reversed, it will implode -with a rising GDP or not...see entry: South Africa
He called the young people to join politics saying:"come in it is so funny,not a moment boring".yeah,he was speaking about a farce,Israeli politics
Seems the rest of Israel society is doing fine. I do agree that Ehud Barak is a scourge and only in to self promotion. But, Israeli's have 20 years of Oslo proof that Muslims, directed by the Koran, do not want peace and only want Israeli destroyed. You are the ones that just don't get it and this shrill article is not going to change Islamic hatred.
Israel is doing remarkably well. Current wave of hysteric anti-Semitism around the world predicting Israel's impending demise is actually a response to successful Israel. When Israel is in trouble, the racists of this world are much more tolerable.
The threat of terrorists all around you, every minute of you life has to wear on you. The Jewish government is extreme, because it has to be. They cannot let up, not for a single minute. The Holocaust happened ONLY 60 years ago !!!! Most of the countries that surround Israel have vowed to "... wipe them off the face of the earth !! What should the Israelis do, invite them to dinner ??? Besides, the Palestinian thing is just media crap made up years ago as another way to get at Israel. The West Bank is part of Judea and Samaria, the traditional Jewish homeland. The Romans named the area Palestinia after they conquered the Jewish people and burned their temple. This is NOT Arab land. This is Jewish land. I really don't think the writer understands the facts on the ground.
The motto of the US state of Hawaii is: The life of a nation is perpetuated in its righteousness. One can argue that the opposite is also true.
perhaps let us start with the core problem..the palestinian leaders were married to violence from moment zero. the muslim brotherhood is not healthy to the muslims.
I just don't know what happened to Israel's Labor left. It seems to have disappeared completely save for a few far left wackos like Haas and Levy with little or nothing to offer beyond the Hamas charter,or a so-called one state solution. The majority silent middle Israel is allowing the Netanyahu government make a mockery of Israel and Jews world wide. It is a disgrace and will lead to disaster for the Jewish State, Zionism and western support of Israel. I never thought I'd see the day when I and many of my friends, life-long Zionists, are questioning the future so fearfully and have found it impossible to support the horrible moves Israel has made in the past few years. The few supporters left are the born again Christians who only care about the remnant to be left for the return of their Jesus. The majority of Jews are left scratching our heads at the stupidity occuring every day in our beloved land. Where is the left????????????? Where is Labor??????? Where is the opposition????
The infamous anti-Zionist Sternhell doesn't like the direction Israel is going, but Israel doesn't like his awful immoral worldview. Meretz has just 3 seats out of 120 in the Knesset. Israelis aren't stupid, the economy is booming due to citizens' ingenuity and the country is growing. Israel won't submit to Islamic terror and will continue to thrive. Sorry anti-Zionists and anti-Semites, you will need to think of other ways to harm the Jews.
At this point all the rest of the world can do is hope the process of disintegration speeds up and culminates quickly. Israel, in its current form, is a danger to the whole world and must be brought to heal or brought low. The sooner the better.
Wow! The hand writing was on the wall when Ben-Gurion agreed to have the "Yeshiva Bochers" not to serve in the army. To be honest, I am surprised that it took such a long time.
To have a moral crisis, one must have morals. Some where between the Yom Kippur War and Sharon's First Lebanon War, Israel replaced it's previously dominant morality with an self-serving amorality. By the time that Rabin was assassinated that amorality had gained total domination of the society. This is not an unusual situation. One need only observe the shift in the United States where moral arguments had some effect as late as 40 years ago, while there is no consideration of moral values today.
that Israel is NOT part of the "Western World". This canard is simply NOT true. Israel has never been part of the western world. It does not belong there neither socially, nor geographically. And for Israelis who continue to write this it is idiotic. Israel is part of the eastern world. It inhabits that part of the world. Israel is a Semitic country. Israel is not Greece, Spain, Italy, Ireland...Malta is more western than Israel. Saying that Israel is part of the western world won't make it so. Again, it seems that even Israelis of good will refuse to deal with the truth.Israel does NOT belong to the western world. Accept your position and deal with it instead of pretending otherwise.
"access to their homes was made especially difficult - just for the convenience of the occupiers. "? It is admittedly inconvenient for Jews to be shot at, spit on, and urinated on from thru an Arabs' window looking out on a lengthy path to a holy site that is more of a gauntlet to run than a path to spiritual tranquility. NO. When Arabs have proven themelves by past behaviors to behaive in this manner, public decency and the public interest in holy sites demands that they be made safe and convenient, legitimate government, occupiers or not. This kind of appology for the Arabs underlies that accusation of moral lapse and its this reason why Jews and Arabs should be seperated by transring the Arabs out of Israel. Yes, Israel is under seige and like a schockett, one must spiritually girdle one' self for the trouble of self-defense. One must become more religous, not less, in order to raise one's moral standards above those of goyem, not pine for the 'good old days' of socialist middle class irreligious consumeristic couch potatoe 'peace'. The author's point of view is a prescription for being destroyed as Israeli by Arabs and becoming assmilated, dominated, ruled and morally like them. Don't allow a war of attrition that depletes your moral fiber; make it decisive or separate yourselves from them.
I don't care how you Israelis want to sugarcoat it, you resemble Iran more and more as each day passes you by. I'm sure the majority of your citizens are honest good people, like Iranian citizens, but you let the govt dictate your future as a whole. It would be ok if the govt was for the people, by the people, but it would appear the minority of religious nutbags and ideological settlers have more influence than the majority of you good people. Stand up and demand to be heard and change course for the better. Get these amateurs out of office and get some fresh new thinkers in place. Jews are known the world over as being wise and out of the box geniuses...believe me I work with them and I know this first hand. Choose wisely and stop this downward spiral. As a Pal, and for the betterment of our 2 peoples, this must be done because a failed Israel is a failed Palestine. A strong and wise Israel equals a strong and wise Palestine. Yalla, get to work people...
This is a man whose thought is profound and pertinent. He puts the finger on the heart of the problem which is going to destroy the Israeli society. It is time to react before the situation becomes irreversible.
History repeats itself for those who do not learn history. Great Jewish Revolt was led by right wing religious Zealots 2000 years ago, a minority of the total population. Zionist Movement is led by right wing religious Zealots NOW, a minority of the population NOW. Similar to the "Moral Majority", a religious right wing minority, in the US that put Reagan/Bush/Bush in power, and brought debt and disaster to my country.
Sternahll's analysis is spot on, remarkably so. He shows that Israel internally is disolving into competing factions. Political life is most marked by corruption, democracy is looked upon as being expendable and little by little is being whittled away. There is no shared ideology either on what Israel is or should be or even on what a Jew is. The arrogance and entrenchment of the occupation becomes more pronounced by the day. And like long lasting occupations anywhere, its corrupting effect on Israeli society has led it to a shocking state of immorality. How ironic that Israel is imploding in on itself, by itself. Is this all an indication that on sme level Israel is afraid of the future because it realises it has none if it continues on its present path and yet has made a decision to continue down that path nonetheless?
Europe is falling apart. Belgium will divide, and Spain and Great Britaion as well. Israel on the other hand has a great future and is showing the western world how to be a fairly liberal democracy and defend itself.
Your comment shows the level of moral degradation that we have in Israel. Go to live in Gaza and make similar comments about the local administrators. Tell them that they are morally degraded and you will see what will happens to you.
Member of the OECD and all? I thought you considered yourselves better than everybody else?
It is the *Yaalons* and the *Feiglins* who will save Israel from the people like Sternhell. Left to him, he would flush Israel down the toilet. The Israeli electorate has repudiated your views consistently. Time to stand on the side and zip it, *Professor*. You have done far too much damage already.
..if you don't agree with us, shut up. I would suggest some of Israel's problem are to be found in talkbacks like these. Democratic values, allright.
Freedom of speech oh unless you disagree with hate mongers!
what an example of democratic values, or maybe here too, democracy needs have been "helped"... Apparently only the left has the right to defend its values in a non-democratic manner. Many people in Israel have very bad memories of "Mapai - havaada hamesaderedt" (the organizing committee whose hard duty was to decide which jobs will be awarded to whom, in the best socialist tradition). What goes around comes around.
The writer exposes the attrocities by a govt. which calims to be the only democracy in the MEast. It is strange people who have gone through dificult time are suporting the Govt.
Sternhell: "Among the regimes in the Western world . . ." On the map Israel is in Western Asia. Politically it is an apartheid state and as such an international outcast. Israel is not only falling apart, it will most probably not survive socially or demographically the next couple of decades.
wondering a long time what israels leftwing is doing. there r MK joinin flotilla - and maybe have to resign. there are birthed jerusalems habitants - who must leave cause they join hamas. there are free press - but censored. its that shizoprenic character which let me doubt on israels democracy itself.
You forgot to mention that are exactly our deeds in the occupied territories which infiltrate our society, spreading throughout it violence, discrimination and disregard for the law, And in consequense all moral standards are being eroded for generations to come.
You have so eloquently described the situation in Palestinian society. Disregard for women, infidels, gays, etc... is part of the very fabric. You, as a woman, are relegated to sub-human standard. And-G-d forbid, you marry, or even speak to the wrong person, you can begin to plan your funeral. Thanks so much for shedding light on the way of life of our neighbors. One can't put it into words like you.
Israel is a nation that loves its malignant tumor.
and its current government consists of them - THAT'S why it's falling apart!
Excellent article.
But the author could add that there are more and more Jews as well in Israël as in diaspora who find it more and more difficult to stand for racism and oppression, land and water grabbing and offering not the least solution for the Gaza problem which Israël has created and which will explode one day or another.
Sharp and clear-sighted anaylses have become quite rare in the Israeli media because so much coverage adopts the blindfold mainstream narrative. Therefore thank you very much, Mr. Sternhell Eventually your voice will help pull out Israel of its self-destructive mode!
I am dumbfounded by your claim that "sharp and clear-sighted analyses have become quite rare in the Israeli media". Ha'aretz is full of such critical, sharp and clear-sighted analyses, which I assume you read because you obviously visit this site. It is a great credit to the strength of Israel'sdemocracy that such a newspaper exists. In fact, some of the harshest critics of Israel can be found among Israelis. Don't we deserve a couple of words of praise for that? But I doubt we will get that, if I am to judge by the huge support given in the talkbacks, on this site, to Ahmanijehad's current rant about the Holocaust being a fabrication. I wonder
Thanks for the criticism of society, Mr Sternhell, I think every body is already aware of these problems and rifts. But what would you then propose ? or is this text just a bleak prediction for the future ? This writing style in Israeli media - just being critical and predicting how the country is about to collapse - is getting boring - you sound exactly like the guys you are talking about in your article. Would be more interesting to have a proposition. Thanks!
Zeev Sternhell has just about summed it up, but where the hell do we go from here? Normally when things get this bad in a democracy the electorate starts howling for an election. But the Israeli public has been so well spooked by the current government that the next elections may well produce a government even less capable of dealing with its own citizens, much less the Palestinians.
and its current government consists of them - THAT'S why it's falling apart!