Opinion | The Israeli Elections Were Bleak, But Don’t Give Up On Us
Just thinking about the government that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is forming fills me with a deep sense of dread.
Just thinking about the government that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is forming fills me with a deep sense of dread.
In Israel, the left still exists in the minority despite right wing rule.
Yoram Hazony argues that Nationalism is better for the world than Globalism.
It took the Holocaust to make casual anti-Jewish talk so toxic that polite society wouldn’t stand for it. Eroding that sense of toxicity is much easier; internet memes can do it. But it’s also possible to invite backlash against strong, important taboos by clinging to weaker ones that are broader than necessary. We ignore the distinction at our peril.
Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked
Until white members of our tribe repudiate default correlations between religion and race, and until we treat our black and brown brothers and sisters with equal dignity, we can never fulfill the promise of becoming a diverse, welcoming community in which every individual is seen as tzelem elohim, a mirror image of God
Ilhan Omar’s tweets caused a controversy. But anti-Semitism in Congress is nothing new.
So on the eve of another round of Israeli elections, in which a “right” is supposedly battling a “left,” we have to ponder two options. The first is to agree that most of what Israelis argue about is either relatively unimportant (should we pass a nationality law?) or strictly tribal (do you belong to this or that segment of the population?), or just personal (do you approve of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu?). The second option is to change the definition of our political camps and what they mean. Do not contrast the small, vocal and largely irrelevant minority of people who still call themselves a left with the majority—because it skews the real political picture. Do not even call it a left—it’s confusing. Do not pretend the major debate in Israel is about the peace process—because it’s not. What is it about then? Hmmm. Good question.
No one doubts that Donald Trump’s approach to immigration is two parts bombast, two parts cruelty and two parts fear. Other than a general antagonism to immigration, illegal or legal, from non-Nordic countries, he offers no serious or comprehensive plan to solve the real and continuing problems at our borders. Unfortunately, many Democrats have largely given up on any effort to do so either.