Once upon a time, not too long ago, there was a state called Israel. It was a veritable paradise, with a booming economy, an egalitarian society and a unified nation. There were few terrorist casualties, and the border was rather quiet. Then came the stunning victories of the Six-Day War, and the country began going downhill. Capitalism, settlements, militarism, occupation, and religious fanaticism are but some of the results that came of this disasterous victory. The NRP dared to turn from a MAPAI lapdog to a party with a will of its own (albeit the wrong one, IMHO), the fascists took over (Likud) and the state became ostracized. Worse, the Jewish populace itself began to split into various factions, creating the chaos we see today.If you believe the above description, then I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you, real cheap. I will leave it to others to punch holes in the historical innacuracies in the above narrative. Indeed, I would not have bothered mentioning it if this were not the position of many on the left, from the lunatic-fringe (scroll down to Oren's letter on Judt) to the old-guard Zionists. I can't shake the feeling that the cry "back to the " '67 lines" means a lot more than just a position on the state's final borders. It represents a desire to turn back the clock and reverse the events and trends in Israeli society that have taken place since the Six Day War. How else can one explain Elazar Stern's desire to create a Ben-Gurion style IDF, Sharon's desire to actually become the next Ben-Gurion and the obsession with the Galilee and the Negev? More to the point, are so many people so deluded that they think that even a return to the Green Line will instantly solve all problems, like some magic wand? Do they really think they can turn back time? Comments would be greatly appreciated. AIWAC
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The answer to you question is a resounding YES. See Kenneth Levine's The Oslo Sysndrome: Delusions of a People Under Siege.
Further to Levine's book and thesis on the delusions of Israelis and Jews, and appropos to Comrade Gen. Stern, it is not unlikely that what has happened to a minority of Jews throughout history as members of an oppressed minority, as well as to a minority of Israelis as a beseiged minority in the Middle East is likely happening to a part of the National Religious grouping as a villified minority within the Israeli polity.
So yes, I'd have to say that they are deluded and that we should expect many more Elazar Stern types to crop out of our own woodwork as the next few years roll along.
The solution is as described in the book (and Yoav Sorek touched on this in his last colum in Makor Rishon) - strengthening communities. In this regard we have a lot to learn from the Charedim and we'd better start the lessons quick. This has to be coupled with outreach work - not religious outreach - but with making Israelis understand the importance of true liberal democracy - not the "Isra-bluff" we have now.
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