A Special Place in Hell / Leftists who love Israel: A self-help guide

http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/a-special-place-in-hell/a-special-place-in-hell-leftists-who-love-israel-a-self-help-guide-1.317137

snip - The success of the former, aided and abetted by the excess of the latter, has made the abyss all too tangible up ahead. These days, whether they believe it or not, leftists who love Israel are one of the nation's only hopes for survival. If there's a rescue squad out there, these people are it.


snip - Not coincidentally, this is the group most likely to become the target of the contempt and thus the very public venom of extremists on the far-right and the far-left, working in unacknowledged but full concert, keen to neutralize people they see as spineless, bloodless sell-outs.


snip - This is where self-help comes in. The extremists, to which we will hereafter refer by their more fitting name, maniakim, will do everything they can to intimidate, humiliate, silence and paralyze the person who believes in and works for a two-state solution, who believes in and works for a Jewish state of democratic values, prophetic humanism, equality, and honorable relations with neighbors and the world at large.

(have recently been attending a lecture on 'Prejudice and moral judgements'!)

But do you really think they are commoner in progressives than on the Right?

I disagree with the second (in your snip) the "center left" is hated not because they are spinless but IMO because they are a threat to both sides on the right because they are reasonable
le and on the far left for the same reason with addition that some of the "center left" will try to do away with the far left as they are damaging but the right will take the philosophy of trying to paint them as far left and better yet haters of Israel and will grasp at anything to paint them as antisemitic as was seen recently in the ADL vs Roger Waters incident

the hard learned advice here would be to not only be careful of what you say, but to be careful as to how you say it

American? Went to Berkeley? Made Aliyah? Is the Wikipedia site BS or what? (IT's all taken from a Q&A site about a speaking engagment in LA?-

I like him, especially as he is very critical of the rightists and hawks on both the Israeli and Palestinian sides. Too many people criticize only one side.

Invariable, it turns me off from the message. Especially when the attempts fail, in my opinion.

"Neither does anyone have exclusive rights to the meaning of justice. There is a name for the hard leftist who rejects the right of Jews to have a state of their own – any state in any part of the Holy Land, no matter how democratic and respectful of minority rights - but who accepts the rights of Muslims to have formally Islamic nations:

Anti-Semite."

But, my favourite part is -

But it's nowhere as simple as Jews versus Arabs. The real war now, the true battle for the future, is a contest between the side which wants to see justice for both Palestinians and Israelis, and, on the other side, maniakim.

Leftists who love Israel should turn their fury at the likes of Avigdor Lieberman and Eli Yishai into tangible support for the many activists who are working to reshape the country for the sake of a healthy and just future.

....that wouldn't make a bit of difference to the hard Leftists who fight just as hard against Israel's Liberal establishment as they do Israel's Right.

Their goal isn't to get rid of Israel's Rightwingers or to make life better for people in that region via human rights or civil liberties. That's all a smokescreen.

It's to destroy Israel.

FFS, they believe Israel's Liberals are the enemy!

Burston has a "word" for the hard left...who refuse to acknowledge the legitimacy of Israel - Anti-Semite.

But what word should we use for the hard right? The ones who work so hard to ensure a two state solution never happens - the ones, who, not so long ago, could not even admit that there were people in Palistine before the creation of Israel?

The situation is, that the hard right rides right up the middle while the hard left and left fight with each other......you know this is true. Lieberman's ultra national party holds a great deal of power within the coalition even though Kadima won far far far more seats, bleeding off seats from Meretz and labour.

And while it may seem relevant to point out the anti semitism of some aspects of the hard left position - the hard right WILL transform Israel into something unrecognizable right before your very eyes and would irradicate the principles that founded the state.

So the liberal left faces three fronts in Israel. Do not neglect one in hopes that the destruction of the hard left will finally allow you to find your voice of opposition. It will be too late. And if you don't think Lieberman holds a great deal of influence/power - simply consider this....he deliberately undermined Netanyahu's public position at the UN and presented a plan that would be very difficult for the world to swallow - and has been REWARDED with the recent loyalty oath vote.