Today’s date is cause for some introspection and begs for the discussion of a difficult subject, one I hope I can bring about with clarity and objectivity, knowing full well words are hard to find to address such matters, for which I apologize in advance should I fail to do it properly. Keep this in mind as you walk with me.
It started yesterday evening, and goes on today. The 57th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967, following the Six-Day War, when Israel seized control of the Eastern part of the Holy City from Jordan. The date is celebrated each year as Jerusalem Day and thousands of Israelis from all over the country gather there to participate in the event, which includes the Flag March. A day supposed to celebrate peace and religious freedom it is sadly anything but.
As Benjamin (@holylandspeaks) bluntly puts it, it has become a nightmare. Every year right wing inspired crowds march through Jerusalem in defiance of peace itself as they claim their divine right to the Promised Land with the exclusion of the Arabs still inhabiting it, especially those known as Palestinian Arabs, for better or worse.
This is the reality we need to come to terms with, not just in Israel, and not only about this particular manifestation of this phenomenon.
It applies to the so called “pro Palestinian” movement in the Western World, that became in reality the pro Hamas movement through its ideological take over by radical elements that inevitably came to define it as such. These extreme elements are NOT some rogue portion of supporters in the movement’s fringes; they are very much mainstream. The reason we know they are widespread and rather large is because the organization of the movement and the vast majority of it do NOT stop it.
In fact, not only organizers and followers of this movement do not put an end to extreme manifestations from fundamentalist sections among them, they either tolerate or encourage them, which means they are not some fringe aberration but actually large enough to thrive and dictate the movement’s direction and purpose.
The same exact thing is happening to our very own Republican Party these days.
You see, this is not a problem exclusive to Israeli politics and society but one that exists across the world with seemingly opposed ideological tendencies. Radicalization is no one’s exclusive, as we will undoubtedly witness again today, during the Jerusalem Day celebrations in the holiest of cities. Unfortunately it has been so for many years and due to the reasons I described, not least because of the present crisis, this year is not about to be any different; it may even be worse.
Yes, the majority of Israelis want Netanyahu gone. Yes, most of them wish this last deal to get all the hostages back is made. Yes, there is hope for real change in Israel. And yet we see how all these things have but a very small chance of coming to be. Ben-Gvir and Smotrich have already threatened to leave the government, causing it to collapse and forcing elections, if this last deal happens. And don’t be fooled by the ultra orthodox party’s endorsement of the deal either.
The main reason behind the most religious extremists support for the present deal proposal comes as a solution for the eminent recruitment of the Haredim into the IDF. Not the best motive. I already echoed Benjamin’s words (@holylandspeaks) regarding the radicalization of Israeli youth by right wing ideology, namely that of religious Zionism, since the Second Intifada. It’s a brutal reality we need to face. If they were just a few rogue elements they would have been stopped by now.
Unfortunately, their parents and their rabbis don’t do anything to change their views. They actually share them and encourage them. They represent a mainstream movement in Israeli society, hardly a fringe phenomenon. This year’s Flag March in Jerusalem has been approved by the city and the police, as it always is. The itinerary includes the Damascus Gate and goes through the Muslim Quarter on the way to the Western Wall. What could possibly go wrong…
In past years, angry mobs surrounded Arab houses during the march, banging on their doors and windows, shouting at their Arab neighbors, many of them Israelis, with hate in their hearts. I don’t expect this year to be any different. Any time these deeply rooted feelings surface is a bad time; it will be worse while war rages with no hope of stopping anytime soon, especially as the northern front where Hezbollah dwells gets more active and the West Bank shitshow progresses.
This is not an occasion to diminish support for Israel and her fight for survival or to deny the need for Hamas to be removed from Gaza. On the contrary, today we must renew our support for these objectives as the need for the existence of Israel and the destruction of Hamas have never been more evident. But we can not ignore the challenges posed by this current that rises in Israel as everywhere else in the world. We must not surrender to the subversion of our values.
As I write these words, the Flag March is underway in Jerusalem. I don’t expect we will see many images of it, especially images not sanctioned by Israeli authorities, who will try to suppress any that show it’s ugly side. People like Benjamin (@holylandspeaks) will surely post them on social media, the Haaretz and other liberal Zionist legacy media will report it, but I don’t expect many of us to see it. Yet it exists.
Once again the chants of “Death to the Arabs” and racist songs will echoe through Jerusalem as thousands march in its streets waving Israeli flags in celebration of Jerusalem Day. Once again hate will flow instead of love and revenge will obscure the search for Justice. We need to understand why. We need to try and change this trajectory as it seems to overwhelm otherwise reasonable and justified aspirations all over the world.
Be it for the existence of Israel and her right to self defense, the need to eradicate Hamas and other fundamentalist factions from the body that is to govern Palestine as History made it a reality we need to face, or the absolute necessity to preserve Western values and civilization in the presence of radical forces determined to end them. All these realities need to be accepted for what they are if we are to achieve positive outcomes in the fight for the Justice inherent to them.
Today the ugly beast will raise its head again in Jerusalem, showing its hate and anger, just as it does right here, in the US, dressed in apparently opposing colors. They are not. They are the same. Their goal is subverting Justice into revenge, order into chaos, and eventually democracy into authoritarian rule. In a world where coexistence is threatened as never before we must be aware of the dangers posed by this global strain of fundamentalism rooted in religion.
Make no mistake about what drives these movements, for no matter if based on Christian, Jewish, or Muslim values they all want the same exact thing: supremacy. Whether it’s localized, as in Israel or in the United States as claimed by religious Zionism and Christian Fascism, or global as it is professed clearly by fundamentalist Islam, the end game is similar and leads to destruction.
Unfortunately for us all, it’s really self destruction that will emerge as consequence.
We must find ways of living together in peace without destroying everything we hold dear. There are solutions for the problems we face, no matter how difficult, that do not involve the obliteration of the other. All these answers are found in the resolute fight for and establishment of a secular society tolerant of the private religious beliefs of their citizens as well as the staunch defense of its morality. We are in dire need of a renewed renaissance.
A Renaissance for the XXI Century, that acknowledges the challenges we face are at the same time local and global, with solutions to be implemented simultaneously at the micro and macro levels of society, starting with ourselves.
Change comes from awareness. Awareness means recognition and it will not be pleasant as we are confronted by reality. Denying that reality only sets us back, so today I am asking you to face it.
On Jerusalem Day, take a moment to search your soul for answers based on the truth, whether you like it or not. Just as we, Americans, should be proud of our flag and what it stands for, so do Israelis and the diaspora Jews need to be aware of why they are proud to fly the flag of Israel. We must reject hate in all its forms so peace can have a chance. Our fight is rooted in the same wish for Justice, for ultimately that is what we wish for.
Search your soul; may you have the strength to overcome all that stands against us, above all the hate that blinds so many. Renew your support for a long lasting land of Israel, where peace may endure, and on Jerusalem Day, if you have an Israeli flag and a reason to fly it, consider that reason, make it count and be proud of it. We will prevail against all odds. We have no other option.
Am Yisrael Chai.
