There's an intrinsic sampling bias involved in talking to Israelis who don't live in Israel. Once somebody takes the step of yeridah (opposite of aliyah), they've done something that, from the standpoint of hardcore Zionism, is regarded as near-treason. Their attitudes toward the State may vary--they may feel committed to it but guilty about their personal choice, or they may have left because they realize to one extent or another what a fucked-up place it is, but if someone leaves it means they've already given up on a key tenet of the dominant ideology.
This selection bias is especially so for those of us who are leftists, since the only Israelis who will talk to us in something resembling a civilized, honest tone, unless like marrythebed we are related to them, are the ones who realize to one extent or another the fact that it is a fucked-up place. And it is even more so the case when one does not speak or understand Hebrew. People will often express themselves differently in English than in Hebrew.
When I was there, I got to be a bit undercover. I understand Hebrew well enough to know most of what is being said around me. But I don't speak it well enough for Israelis to think that I understand. I really got to be a fly on the wall. Even Meretz voters who are related by blood or marriage to known commies will come out with statements so astonishing in their blatant racism that, transposed to a North American context, one would only expect them from Tea Partiers. The atmosphere on the radio, the television, in the tabloid press, and in the cafe-table conversation of strangers is even more vicious.
You can't judge the tenor of Israeli political discourse from Ha'aretz any more than you can judge that of the U.S. from The Nation. The fact that Yitzhak Laor or Gideon Levy or Amira Hass can publish in a national newspaper is a sign only of the fact that, in a country where 95% of the population belonging to the dominant nationality is to one extent or another bonkers, not everyone is. Which is a hopeful sign, but not a promising one.
What's worse is that, if anything, the younger generation skews more to the right, not less. "We have always been at war with Eurasia" is a message that has had its impact.
The revolts and revolutions in the Arab world will have their counter-impact. They already are. But the impact on the consciousness of Israeli Jews can, in the most hopeful scenario, be compared to that of the drunk who, finding himself on the edge of a cliff, is suddenly sobered up by an adrenaline surge. Whether he can stumble away from the brink in time is almost a matter of chance.
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This selection bias is especially so for those of us who are leftists, since the only Israelis who will talk to us in something resembling a civilized, honest tone, unless like![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
marrythebed we are related to them, are the ones who realize to one extent or another the fact that it is a fucked-up place. And it is even more so the case when one does not speak or understand Hebrew. People will often express themselves differently in English than in Hebrew.
When I was there, I got to be a bit undercover. I understand Hebrew well enough to know most of what is being said around me. But I don't speak it well enough for Israelis to think that I understand. I really got to be a fly on the wall. Even Meretz voters who are related by blood or marriage to known commies will come out with statements so astonishing in their blatant racism that, transposed to a North American context, one would only expect them from Tea Partiers. The atmosphere on the radio, the television, in the tabloid press, and in the cafe-table conversation of strangers is even more vicious.
You can't judge the tenor of Israeli political discourse from Ha'aretz any more than you can judge that of the U.S. from The Nation. The fact that Yitzhak Laor or Gideon Levy or Amira Hass can publish in a national newspaper is a sign only of the fact that, in a country where 95% of the population belonging to the dominant nationality is to one extent or another bonkers, not everyone is. Which is a hopeful sign, but not a promising one.
What's worse is that, if anything, the younger generation skews more to the right, not less. "We have always been at war with Eurasia" is a message that has had its impact.
The revolts and revolutions in the Arab world will have their counter-impact. They already are. But the impact on the consciousness of Israeli Jews can, in the most hopeful scenario, be compared to that of the drunk who, finding himself on the edge of a cliff, is suddenly sobered up by an adrenaline surge. Whether he can stumble away from the brink in time is almost a matter of chance.