False Dichotomies

Now in the style of five comments on the situation…

1. On Sunday, I went to the protests at the Ministry of Defence following the injuries sustained by American ISM activist Tristan Anderson at the weekly demonstration against the Separation Barrier in Ni’lin. I’ve been to a similar demonstration once before – at Bi’lin - and I can testify to the heavy-handed tactics employed by the IDF, tactics that are not employed when it comes to dealing with settler demonstrations. Anderson was injured by a new tear gas cannister, one that had been banned in the past and only recently reintroduced. One of the demonstrators showed me the offending item; from holiding it I quickly realised that it would prove lethal if fired from close quarters. In a particularly ironic moment, one of the soldiers patrolling the protest warned the demonstrator not to throw it, “as it might cause injuries.” Most of the forty protesters were drawn from the anarchist movement, a fact reflected in their incendiary slogans, in which the IDF was frequently referred to as a “terrorist organisation”. While I do not share the politics of Anarchists against the Wall,  it’s a shame that other groups (Peace Now, Meretz etc) weren’t represented. The sad truth is that only when the Israel-first brigade (also known as Hasbaraniks) are at the front of these protests will progress be possible.  

2. A few days later, I found myself looking down at the spot where the demo took place. At a meeting at the top of the Azrieli (‘Round’) Tower, Tel Aviv lay naked before me, the helipad at the top of the Kirya looking like the X on a treasure-map. A poster in the board-room reads “Touch the Sky,” depicting the Azrieli Towers peaking out over the clouds, while Tel Aviv lays hidden below. It might not be an original point, but it’s always worth reminding oneself of the hubris of skyscrapers. Without buying into the traditional Babel narrative, there’s something consistently disturbing about great heights built by man, in contrast to the humbling and reasuring feelings found at the top of mountains. In fact, the Azrieli is so high that I found it impossible to pick out the Vineyard’s low-rising, ramshackle buildings. I think there’s a moral in that for us all.

3. In his latest weekly missive, Uri Avnery contrasts outrage regarding the rape allegations levelled against former President Moshe Katsav and the withdrawal of Chas Freeman as candidate for Chairman of the US National Intelligence Council. Geopolitically speaking, he’s right to say that the Freeman furore is more significant than the Katsav case. I was surprised, however, to see him dismiss the outcry over Katsav as trivial. If a President has managed to rape while in office, that’s a pretty big deal. It’s also disappointing to see Avnery dismiss the as trivial Katsav’s call for affirmative action for “promising young immigrants from Oriental countries,” although it’s indicative of the Ashkenazi elitism which has meant that the peace camp has consistently remained on the fringes of Israeli political life.

4. Liverpool got knocked out of the European Cup by Chelsea on Israeli Holocaust Memorial Day. Because of this, television stations in Zion weren’t broadcasting. I watched the game (via German tv) beamed onto an East Jerusalem wall, surrounded by bemused Palestinians, wondering why I was screaming with all the virulence of an anti-Occupation demonstrator. Avram Grant wore a black armband in memory of his family killed in the Shoah, while it was Frank Lampard’s first appearance since his mother, Pat, had died. I knew we would lose – the sentimentality would be marshalled in Chelsea’s favour, leaving us with no chance. And so it came to pass; Lampard scored a decisive penalty, and that was that. Fast forward a year and Liverpool are appealing not to play their Champions League second leg on the anniversary of the Hillsborough Disaster. This is strange.  Everyone knows that a second-leg at Anfield 20 years following Hillsborough will result in a Liverpool victory come what may. Sentimentality is an all too powerful force in our world.

5. The Shalit deal has fallen through and everyone’s battering down the hatches. Israel have nabbed another 10 Hamasniks; Hamas are threatening to worsen Shalit’s conditions. The reverse should have happened. While the gaps between the two sides may be too great to produce a deal, why wasn’t there at least an agreement to guarantee bettter conditions? One important step would have been to ensure that all the prisoners involved can be visited by a third party, for example the Red Cross.