Profile: Avigdor Lieberman
My brief profile of Avigdor Lieberman can be read here, in the Cambridge Student online.
6 comments6 Comments so far
Leave a reply
My brief profile of Avigdor Lieberman can be read here, in the Cambridge Student online.
6 comments
Alex:
You too? Involved in the make-over of this fascistoid former bouncer? That must complete your metamorphosis (halcyon days when you were still posing with Seth as a couple of freedom fighters).
In any European country they’d draw a cordon sanitaire around people like that, in Israel he attracts some heavyweights, lots of votes and possibly the post of foreign minister.
Says a lot about Israel too: a Russian guy lands in Tel Aviv 31 years ago and now promotes policies that will determine the fate of those who were born there, from parents who were born there etc etc. It’s absurd, if not obscene.
Please don’t tell me he might be good for the TSS because you don’t seriously believe that. An ‘enlightened proto-fascist’? Sounds like an oxymoron to me…
Gert, first of all I’d like to politely ask you to stop with the caustic tone. It’s fine at JSF or Tikkun Olam, but not at little old falsedi.
Secondly, I am aware that the piece comes across as a bit ‘too easy’ on Lieberman. This is because I felt that the press was all going one way, and it was worth being a little more balance or optimistic in order to challenge people, in much the same way as they have been challenged vis-a-vis the notion of Hamas’ ultimate good intentions. As someone who voted against parties who were prepared to sit with Lieberman, you can hardly think I am an apologist for him.
I assume you’d say all of the above about Hamas.
Well, I’ll do my best on the tone (slap on wrist, ouch!). Not sure how a bit of mild mockery can be construed as “caustic” and why the tone of commenting is so important to you but it’s your dwelling and I’ll respect that.
I guess everyone deserves a defense and so does Lieberman (the sound you hear are my teeth grinding now). I was of course inspired by the fact that US conservatives (broadly speaking) are clearly painting an untruthful picture of this man. Lazy readers could easily be convinced that the pledge of allegiance and Lieberman’s loyalty oath are one and the same but we know that isn’t true. Not to mention some truly vile things he’s said.
About Hamas: no probably not. It’s crying damn shame these aren’t Western Enlightenment-style noble Freedom Fighters, fighting with an open vizor and a clear conscience (and it’s right to point out that they aren’t), yet I see no moral equivalence between them and, say, Lieberman. Or Blair. Or Livni. Or Netanyahu.
Considering also the demonisation they receive (and dole out, I guess) it would be fair to draw attention to whatever else they do, other than firing missiles. And there’s a lot of other blather said about Hamas that would deserve serious scrutiny: they get their weapons from Iran? How come all they’ve got are Kalashnikovs, some RPG’s, home made missiles (and allegedly some Grads and Katyushas)?
One of the things that is very frustrating is the lack of sources one can trust in regards to Hamas and Iran, at least that’s the way it looks to me. The issue is very partisan and each side tries to pull the blanket to its side. Pro-Palestinian position is automatically associated with pro-Hamas and pro-Iranian ones (whatever these mean) and vice versa for pro-Israeli position. There is disinformation and propaganda on both sides.
Regarding those Iranian arms, Jim Lobe had a post (and another one) that was very skeptical of the version peddled by Elliott Abrams. Given that Adams’ credibility is next to nil, this makes sense, but are there more reliable claims about those Iranian weapons? The task of evaluating all the evidence and sorting lies from truths looks daunting.
I need to get round to writing something about Hamas/Lieberman contrasts and comparisons – hopefully in the next couple of weeks.
Good piece Alex. I think that maybe you were a little easy on Lieberman but the press has generally been absurdly hard on him. As much as I dislike him, if I had to choose between him and Bibi, I’d probably take Lieberman. He is not averse to the idea of a 2-state solution and he is for secular rights which is more than can be said for Netanyahu. Yes, he has objectionable opinions, but the “moderate” Abbas wrote a Holocaust denial book and yet he has been treated by the media like a powerless Mandela figure. I also think that people outside Israel do not fully understand the difficulties Israel faces with its Palestinian population. (Or the difficulties they face). It is not similar to the Roma in Italy or minorities in Britain or elsewhere. Israel is at war with the Palestinians which as one Palestinian Israeli put it, means “Our country is at war with our nation.”. In Canada, during the Second World War, we put ethnic Germans and Japanese in internment camps. I’m not justifying the hatred by any means. Palestinian Israelis need to be treated much better, but I can understand where the mistrust comes from for sure.
One of the interesting things about the election is that how people looking in at Israel don’t seem to understand that the Israeli /alestinian issue is not the only issue to Israeli voters. Occasionally, domestic matters get in the way too. The idea of civil marriage was undoubtedly the biggest single reason for Lieberman getting votes.