In an entertaining display, journalist Chen Lieberman interviewed Environmental Protection Minister Tamar Zandberg about the wildfires near Jerusalem this week. Throughout the entire, well-oiled interview, they both tiptoed around the issue and took care not to mention the words "arson" or "Arabs," and focus on the big problem – climate change. The minutes ticked by, and the two kept up their politically correct game.
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To tell you the truth? It hurt. If only they had known that some of the people suspected to have a hand in starting the fire were Jews, the climate crisis would have vanished immediately from the interview.
Studios have a hard time with words that aren't supposed to be spoken, like "Arabs," "arson," and "terrorism," because there are subjects that mustn't be touched. This is part of the PC culture, which people like Lieberman and Zandberg proudly lead. But while they are merely careful not to speak the forbidden words, there are others who are actively trying to prevent people from doing the same thing.
This week, Facebook shut down the accounts of Dr. Michael Ben Ari and his social media managers, without giving them a chance to appeal. The people in favor of this move repeated a paradox, from the enlightened side of the map: "I'm totally in favor of freedom of expression, it's sacrosanct!" they said, with false awe. Then they added "but…" "But Ben Ari is different, he's calling to kill Arabs," "But he's a neo-Nazi," and some simply made due with "But Ben Ari? That's going too far." Why too far? Because. It's obvious to everyone. Isn't it?
Well, no. I've never voted for Ben Ari, but nevertheless I try not to lie or cling to a false narrative. Facebook, on the other hand, lied boldly in its response: "We do not allow organizations and people who declare violent goals or deal in violence to be present on Facebook." You don't need to be a great researcher to feel embarrassed. While the Jewish doctor with the incorrect opinions was blocked, pages with very clear opinions – death to Jews and Zionism – continue as usual. Pages glorify terrorist murderers and continue to celebrate, and even Sheikh el-Baz from Lod, who incites to murder, is still busy online. And that's only the tip of the iceberg.
Ben Ari wasn't blocked because he is "in favor of killing Arabs" – this is a lie, he never said it. Ben Ari also wasn't blocked because of his posts. This past year, he has written five posts, the last of which was criticism of the State Attorney's Office. No, Ben Ari was blocked because he is part of the wrong militia and because he acts without taking the rules of political correctness into account. He said what he thinks.
You'll be surprised. This isn't a political column. Take this as a rule – freedom of speech is freedom of speech. If there's no explicit call to violence, there's no reason to block people. Yes, even if the page is antisemitic, or argues that the earth is flat or worse – run by a right-wing doctor. It's really very simple. The microphones or user pages being shut down now because they've "gone too far" mark a very slippery slope. Tomorrow, someone else might be at the switch and decide that you're next in line. I would like to hope that this apolitical message will be understood by the enlightened side, but how should I put it? That might be going too far.
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