The melancholy media has for a few years now been making extraordinary efforts to create an atmosphere in which it seems that at any moment, violence, if not civil war, is on the verge of breaking out. By providing a platform to the anarchist fringes and ignorant but well-funded provocateurs, they seek to create rifts within Israeli society. Their goal is transparent and aimed at serving those all-too-familiar political interests.
Those who saw the reporting on the coronavirus outbreak in the haredi sector were given the impression that this community was responsible for mass infection of the virus. On the other hand, the protests outside of the Prime Minister's Residence were also widely covered by the media. These protests, however, were treated as if they had been sanctified, as if the demonstrators were all immune to the virus. And when a few ignorant people confronted a bereaved family in Caesarea, it seemed as if every single media outlet went out of its way to emphasize the foolish things they said.
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The objective is clear: Present these people as representative of right-wingers in general and use them to sully everyone else. On the other hand, when a professional protester compares Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, right-wing media outlets make it seem as if this is the opinion held by everyone on the Left. It sometimes seems like the fringes on both the Right and the Left are competing for the title of who can be the most arrogant, the most malicious, and the most foolish.
In order to become headline news, one has to make belligerent, hallucinatory, and irresponsible statements. One of the experts in the field is Yair Golan, a former IDF Chief of Staff and current Meretz MK. On Memorial Day, 2016, he "identified in Israeli society" processes that transpired in Europe prior to and during the Holocaust – terrible, baseless things. Instead of looking the people of Israel directly in the eye and apologizing for his remarks, he issued a clarification. The Left celebrated, and held Golan up like a local hero. In 2020, as a member of the Knesset, he spoke of the dictatorship in place under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and MK Naftali Bennett. If a brigadier-general and MK allows himself to speak this way, how should we expect protesters from both the Right and the Left to choose their words more carefully?
Ever since the people of Israel first appeared in the pages of history, we have been divided into tribes. During the thousands of years of our exile, we were scattered among the nations; we spoke numerous tongues, and we adopted a variety of traditions. After a terrible Holocaust, we returned home.
The Jews established a state, and many gave their lives for it. We have no other country, this is our one national homeland. There's no doubt that most of Israel's Jewish citizens see it first and foremost as the evolution of our redemption; they love Israel and fear for its safety. The sense of deep polarization is misleading, for it is merely an expression of the cooperation between politicians and media figures. A negligible and radical minority from the various political camps is fanning the flames of hate. We must not let these forces grow stronger. They could prove destructive.
Israel is a wonderful democracy. It's important to argue, to fight, to exchange opinions, even in a forceful manner. But we must always remember that we are all one people, and there are many enemies we have yet to face. In order to overcome our disagreements, we must remember that in a democracy, the leadership and the path are decided in democratic elections; there is no shortcut. And we must not let the street take over our vision and our lives in the land of our forefathers. We must defend our home.
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