Lieberman's Anti-Arab Ideology Wins Over Israel's Teens

[Purveyor]

The Yisrael Beiteinu youths gather for a final consultation as dozens of elderly party supporters slowly make their way into the white tent where the movement's conference is being held, behind the Plaza Hotel in Upper Nazareth.

The youths, ages 16-18, many of them good friends from school, had stood for a long time before the event began at the intersection near the hotel, waving Israeli flags and shouting "Death to the Arabs" and "No loyalty, no citizenship" at passing cars.

In the tent, they deliberate over what to shout when Lieberman enters: Calling out "The next prime minister" may sound a bit presumptuous with regard to the leader of what's likely to be the third-largest party in the next Knesset. But during a week when Yisrael Beiteinu won the highest level of support in mock high-school polls - the sky's the limit.

Not even the investigation of several close Lieberman aides, announced by the state prosecutor that very morning, could dampen their enthusiasm. To the sounds of kitschy Russian music, the party's candidates take their places behind a long table. The young people gather right in front of the stage and lovingly greet the new heroes of the right. Even Lieberman's rather colorless deputy, MK Uzi Landau, evokes strong, passionate cheers. But these pale in comparison to the reaction when the party chairman makes his entrance.

Now the youths are beaming, holding their flags aloft and shouting so loudly it makes them hoarse: "Here comes the next prime minister!" If not in the upcoming election, then maybe in the one after that, when these young people will vote for the first time.

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HAARETZ: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1061910.html

[tularetom]

1. See, I thought you meant...

Well, never mind, my bad. There's more than one Lieberman in the world.

[Jefferson23]

2. Very sad.

[iconicgnom]

3. "You want to enlist in the army so you can stick it to them."

a few para's later:

"Sergei Leibliyanich, a senior, draws a connection between the preparation for military service in school and student support for the right: "It gives us motivation against the Arabs. You want to enlist in the army so you can stick it to them. The preparation gives you the motivation to stick it to the Arabs and we want to elect someone who'll do that. I like Lieberman's thinking about the Arabs. Bibi doesn't want to go as far.""

[Larkspur]

4. This mentality is not any different than those of the settlers and soldiers

who fought the Native Americans and stole their land in the 19th century. No wonder the Palestinians fire rockets at the Israelis. There is no reasoning with thieves who have the power of the 4th or 5th most powerful military behind them.

[inthebrain]

5. I see you've picked a side in this conflict

Just curious, considering you are a lefty and all, where are the interests of the working classes being served here? Ya know, the guy who supplies that Palestinian with the rockets. Not to mention just who's interests the guy firing that rocket is REALLY serving.

[Larkspur]

7. Israel has the 4th or 5th most powerful military in the world

thanks to the United States.

The Palestinian militants have glorified fireworks/pipe bombs that they have to make by hand. Technologoically, the Palestinians have inferior military equipment.

The Palestinian non-violent movement is treated the same by the Israelis as they treat the Palestinian militants -- Steadfast Before Goliath. The Israeli government and the right wingers supporting them don't care which methods the Palestinians use to oppose Israeli occupation. To them the only good Palestinian is a dead one.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

11. Yet another who knows nothing about ordnance. Those "glorified fireworks/pipe bombs " are quite

lethal.

Your basic hand grenade has 6.5oz of explosive. Qassams have 10kg. They are an ingenious design set up for low tech manufacture.

The Grads are factory made and smuggled in. They are standard military rockets and quite deadly. The Nazis feared them more than other Soviet artillery.

The reason that Hamas is not more successful with them is IDF tactics/responses that forces them to shoot and scoot rather that walk fire on to their targets.

Your "glorified fireworks/pipe bombs" meme is total nonsense

[inthebrain]

16. I wonder how Hamas made anti aircraft batteries in their basements?

A lot of this stuff comes from somewhere and they ain't manufactured in backyards.

I thinkit's funny how quick these people are to criticize Isreal as a right wing regime while completely ignoring the right wing support and platforms of PLO/Hamas. This has nothing to do with "humanity" or concern for human well being at all.

It's about pawns on a chess board keeping the status quo the same.

As long as you're a poor Isreali dishwasher you can be thankful you're not a palestinian.

As long as you're a poor palestinian dishwasher you can be thankful you're not an Isreali.

[Name removed]

19. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Howardx]

10. considering YOU are a lefty and all

where are the interests of the working class being served by supporting war and occupation? as if you cared about the working class.

[shira]

12. nice non-response to the original question

too difficult a question for you to answer?

"Two states" has been the mantra of Palestinian leadership the last 20 years. What have they done economically to prepare for it (like getting ready to house and employ not only those in the OT but outside coming back as refugees)?

What are YOU or those like yourself doing - you know, as leftist progressives supposedly - to see that homes and jobs come first for Palestinians BEFORE more guns, war, hate indoctrination, incitement to genocide, and terror?

How progressive is it to pretend to care for Palestinians only when they're victimized and suffer due to Israelis - and remain silent when that victimization and suffering comes at the hands of Hamas or Fatah? Maybe you think it's just tough shit for Palestinians who have to suffer under Sharia Law, or act as involuntary shields for Hamas thugs? You believe their lives under Hamas/Fatah will be great once Israel completely withdraws?

Why are "progressives" like yourself quick to tar and feather Islamophobic haters, but not antisemites? And why is it that "progressives" like yourself can recognize hate from Islamophobis or RW'ers against Jews, but you cannot for some reason recognize demonization and defamation when it comes from the far left?

[inthebrain]

13. Where have I supported any of that?

AH HA!!!

You need that canard though don't ya!!!

See also need this ridiculous construct of race and ethnicity to make it appear that you "really care" for the Palestinians. As I am also quite certain you claim that it's innocense when the PLO or Hamas gives the order to blow up an Isreali school bus.

Not to mention the phony construct of land designation, as if the land was here with these phony lines on it.

Fact of the matter is, you people are fake leftists. Palestine doesn't manufacture their own weapons and receive them from other right wing regimes(which is every fucking regime in the ME) to meet their ends. As they also serve the right wing goals of Hamas and the PLO. Funny, Hamas has fucking anti aircraft batteries.

I wonder where they got those? HMMMMMMMMM?

What you really don't want is a reorganization along class lines in Isreal/Palestine. If that ever happens you'll be sitting for tea and crumpets with Isreal, PLO, and Hamas trying figure out how to get these people to start killing each other again. Your flag waving support for Palestinians is about the same support one has for pawns on a chess board.

The PLO and Hamas do not have the goals of the working class in mind here. No more than the Isreali gummint either. Oh, and the REAL LEFT gets this.

[Howardx]

14. pfft

the "real left" doesnt support a country that willfully kills children. full stop.

[inthebrain]

15. Welcome to your state of anomie, BUDDY!!!

You need the dichotomy. That's what's so freakin funny about all of this and unveils what a complete fraud you are.

You don't understand class and how it works.

But of course, one has to fit into one of your predertimined "sides". Especially when that side obviously has no interest in addressing class or would even support society reorganizing along class lines. You need it to be divided among ethnicity and religion.

Thanks for displaying how "fake leftism" works.

I suppose it's a daunting effort for you to define who I am.

[LeftishBrit]

17. You might be interested in this link. Don't know whether it's got anywhere, but it's interesting.

http://www.tufi.org.uk/2008/09/historic_agreement_for_israeli.html#more

[iconicgnom]

6. There's a similarity,

but NA natives weren't so equally technologically advanced nor so equally attuned to the their situation with respect to an imperialistic war as the Palestinian people are vis-a-vis their annihilation.

Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, over the time of the European invasion and occupation of NA there wasn't a sense of a larger, and perhaps somehow stronger, world of overarching "opinion". But that sense exists with respect the palestine/israel conflicts.

I think the world has progressed over the past 4 centuries, and before that too, of course. I consider it a self-evident fact that human history is and ever will be one of progress, of advancement. Technologically, the advancement has been parabolic in recent years. So likewise there are different expectations now, when we study the palestine/israel conflicts, than we have when we study the European occupation of the new world.

[Crunchy Frog]

8. Okay. Am I the only one who's seeing some scary parallels here?

[LeftishBrit]

9. I see 'scary parallels' with loads of places.

E.g. the British National Party over here.

There are far-right xenophobic parties in most places; and often their biggest 'clientele' are teenage boys and young men.

Let's hope that Yisrael Beiteinu get nowhere! (and ditto for the BNP and the far-righties everywhere!)

[GoesTo11]

18. Why?

Interesting explanation from the article:

"The Israeli reality can no longer hide what it has kept hidden up to now - that today no sentient mother can honestly say to her child: 'Next year things will be better here.' The young people are replacing hope for a better future with a myth of a heroic end. For a heroic end, Lieberman fits the bill.

I also think there's some cultural influence from the Russian immigrant population. Anyone know?