{"id":61923,"date":"2024-03-18T13:15:05","date_gmt":"2024-03-18T12:15:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/libmod.de\/?p=61923"},"modified":"2024-03-18T15:16:36","modified_gmt":"2024-03-18T14:16:36","slug":"mind-games-regarding-the-resettlement-of-the-gaza-strip-harm-israel-immensely","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libmod.de\/en\/mind-games-regarding-the-resettlement-of-the-gaza-strip-harm-israel-immensely\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cMind games regarding the reset\u00adtlement of the Gaza Strip harm Israel immensely\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Foto: Imago<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=\u201d.vc_custom_1508251598805{margin-top: 30px !important;}\u201d][vc_column width=\u201c2\/3\u201d css=\u201d.vc_custom_1508252250311{padding-right: 20px !important;}\u201d][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Yossi Klein Halevi in an interview about the goals and motives of the far right in Israel\u2019s govern<\/span>ment<\/span> \u2013 and why the decision whether to exempt the ultra-Orthodox from military service could lead to the fall of the <\/span>coalition<\/span>.<\/span><\/h2>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=\u201d.vc_custom_1710771306367{border-top-width: 5px !important;border-right-width: 5px !important;border-bottom-width: 5px !important;border-left-width: 5px !important;padding-top: 20px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #bdede0 !important;border-left-color: #bdede0 !important;border-right-color: #bdede0 !important;border-top-color: #bdede0 !important;border-bottom-color: #bdede0 !important;border-radius: 10px !important;}\u201d]Yossi Klein Halevi<\/span><\/a> was born in New York in 1953. He is the author of the bestseller \u201cLetters to My Pales\u00adtinian Neighbor\u201d and publishes in Israeli and US magazines. At the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, he heads the Muslim Leadership Initiative, which aims to deepen connec\u00adtions between North American Muslims and Jews. Most recently, he also took part in the protests against the planned judicial reform. Together with Donniel Hartmann, Klein Halevi hosts \u201cIsrael at War\u201d as part of the \u201cFor Heaven\u2019s Sake\u201d<\/span><\/a> podcast series, availi\u00adbleon Spotify and other platforms.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]In a conference taking place in Jerusalem at <\/span>the <\/span>end<\/span> of January, <\/span>several <\/span>government ministers and coalition lawmakers pledged <\/span>to <\/span>rebuild Jewish settle\u00adments in <\/span>the<\/span> Gaza Strip<\/span> and were celebrated by an enthu\u00adsi\u00adastic audience. <\/span>What\u2019s the <\/span>cultural and political <\/span>signif\u00adi\u00adcance <\/span>of that <\/span>plegde<\/span>?<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s enormously destructive. Amidst the war with Hamas, Israel faces several threats. That includes the external threat of a growing movement that seeks to declare the Jewish state the arch-criminal among nations. But there are also internal threats: coming from far-left Jews, living mostly in the diaspora, who support the effort to crimi\u00adnalize Israel as well as from far-right Jews, mostly in Israel, fanta\u00adsizing about returning to Gaza. The inten\u00adtions, actions, and rhetoric of the latter seemingly validate the worst accusa\u00adtions against us and harm what\u2019s left of Israel\u2019s good name abroad.<\/p>\n

The far-right fantasies are also enormously destructive to the internal dynamics of Israeli society. If liberal Israelis felt that in the end, this is a war to rebuild settle\u00adments in Gaza, we would stop supporting war, stop sending our kids to fight and stop fighting ourselves. To be clear: That is far from the case. Because Israelis under\u00adstand that the goals of this war are strategic and rational <\/a>\u2013<\/span> and not messianic fantasy. But, unfor\u00adtu\u00adnately, much of the inter\u00adna\u00adtional community doesn\u2019t understand.<\/p>\n

So, how likely is it that the far-right plans become reality?<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not going to happen. Neither do most of the Israelis support that nor would the inter\u00adna\u00adtional community, especially our allies, accept it. But the damage that far-right does is incal\u00adcu\u00adlable. In the middle of the most brutal and most necessary war that Israel has ever fought, the last thing we need to do is to deal with the fantasies of the far right and its supporters within the Likud.<\/p>\n

Wh<\/span>at exactly <\/span>do <\/span>the <\/span>radical <\/span>coalition partners of Netanyahu<\/span>\u2019s <\/span>government<\/span> desire<\/span>?<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The coalition encom\u00adpasses a range of parties. I would certainly put Shas, the Mizrahi ultra-orthodox party, outside of that far right constel\u00adlation. They tend to be a little more moder\u00adateon political issues, being mainly concerned with maintaining the ultra-Orthodox separatist community. I would have said the same thing about the Ashkenazi ultra-orthodox party, United Torah Judaism. But there has been a certain radical\u00adization, creating two camps in that party, with a minority supporting the above\u00admen\u00adtioned conference or Gaza settlement.<\/p>\n

W<\/span>hat <\/span>about <\/span>Bezalel Smotrich, head of <\/span>the <\/span>Religious Zionism party<\/span> and Minister of Finance,<\/span>and Itamar Ben \u2011Gvir, <\/span>leader of <\/span>Jewish Power party <\/span>serving as <\/span>Minister of National Securit<\/span>y<\/span>?<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

They want Israel to declare that there is no chance of an agreement with Pales\u00adtinians ever. That the whole land belongs to us not only by right, but also in practice. Most Israelis would agree that the land belongs to the Jewish people by right. But they would also agree that there is another people in that land that we need to come to terms with.<\/p>\n

On the far right, however, there is no other people in that line \u2013 and, thus, no moral dilemma. Instead, they emphasize our strength and resoluteness and declare the world around us being irrel\u00adevant because everybody would hate us anyway \u2013 as if there were no of allies on our side. Ultimately, the real goal of the far right is to \u201cdo whatever needs to be done.\u201d That\u2019s aeuphemism for effec\u00adtively expelling the Palestinians.<\/p>\n

Do<\/span> Ben<\/span>-<\/span>G<\/span>vir<\/span>, Smot<\/span>r<\/span>ich,<\/span> and<\/span> other<\/span> propo\u00adnents of the reset\u00adtlement in Gaza <\/span>consider any <\/span>constraints of realpolitik <\/span>and<\/span>,<\/span> effec\u00adtively<\/span>,<\/span> moderate their plans?<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

I would draw a small distinction: Smotrich is more rational and more patient, and he seems to believe to be more statesman-like. Ben-Gvir, however, is a thug, behaving without any strategic sophis\u00adti\u00adcation. Look, what\u2019s that play here is messianic ideology, declaring that now is the time of the Messiah. That implies the idea that the Jewish people needs to defy the world, can trust only in God, and must not only protect itself against its enemies but destroy them. It\u2019s a kind of Jewish version of radical Islamism, like the radical Shiism being embedded in the Iranian regime, believing in the destruction of Israel as a necessary pre-requisite for the return of the Messiah.<\/p>\n

C<\/span>an you exemplify that by the specific language <\/span>the far-right<\/span> Jewish <\/span>messianists<\/span> use<\/span>?<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

They constantly speak about Amalek. Histor\u00adi\u00adcally, Amalek is the ancient tribe that attacked the children of Israel when they left Egypt and tried to destroy them. In the Jewish imagi\u00adnation, Amalek became a mythic archetype for a deadly enemy that must be wiped out. For many Jews of the Holocaust gener\u00adation, including me as a son of a Holocaust survivor, Germany repre\u00adsented Amalek. That equation was a mere fantasy, a Jewish self-defence and coping mechanism.<\/p>\n

Applying the mythical figure of Amalek to the Pales\u00adtinians, however, is very dangerous. Because we have power over them. Undoubtedly, on October 7, Hamas fulfilled every\u00adthing that Jews have always imagined about Amalek. But we have a moral respon\u00adsi\u00adbility to draw a clear distinction between Hamas and the Pales\u00adtinian people \u2013<\/span> even if many Pales\u00adtinians themselves don\u2019t draw that line. I don\u2019t think most Israelis see Pales\u00adtinians as repre\u00adsenting Amalek. It\u2019s very much restricted to the mindset of the radical right.<\/p>\n

Within the current coalition, w<\/span>hat power and leverage do<\/span>es the messianic far-right<\/span> have to push <\/span>forward <\/span>the<\/span>ir <\/span>ideas<\/span>?<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The far right is part of the government but not part of the war cabinet. For all practical purposes, they have no say in how this war is being fought. And that\u2019s the actual reason for why they have staged that conference in January. It\u2019s absurd having political parties that are part of the government acting as if they\u2019re the opposition.<\/p>\n

In contrast, h<\/span>ow would you describe the people in the war cabinet?<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

As moderate. They\u2019re very hawkish but reasonable. I\u2019m thinking of Minister of Defence Yoav Galant and certainly the leading opposition figure Benny Gantz who joined the war cabinet to help moderate this government. Prime Minster Netanjahu has used the notion of Amalek immedi\u00adately after October 7 but referred to Hamas only. Never\u00adtheless, this notion and the far-right religious language are foreign to him. Even he is not in for rebuilding settle\u00adments in Gaza. The war in Gaza is a mainstream war supported by the overwhelming majority of Israeli\u2019s who trust both the war cabinet and the army.<\/p>\n

To<\/span> forge <\/span>and keep <\/span>his coal<\/span>i<\/span>tio<\/span>n<\/span>,<\/span> inaugurat<\/span>e<\/span>d in Janu<\/span>a<\/span>ry 2023,<\/span> however, <\/span>Netanyahu <\/span>gave the far-right <\/span>a lot of<\/span> power<\/span> and <\/span>attention.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Netanjahu has given the far-right more power than it ever had. It\u2019s a historic scandal that Ben-Gvir oversees the Israeli police. As finance minister, also Smotrich has been put in a very powerful position. Not having an impact on the Gaza war made them very frustrated.<\/p>\n

So, Ben-Gvir has threatened to bring the government down more than once. Undoubtedly, he will run in the next election. Not against the left and the center, but against the Likud and Netanjahu. He will say that if he was in charge, he would have finished the war quickly and decisively, with Netanjahu and the Likud are sell-outs only pretending to be right-wingers. Ben-Gvir is looking to unseat the mainstream right.<\/p>\n

How did the <\/span>democracy <\/span>movement<\/span>, fighting against the attempted judicial coup before October<\/span> 7<\/span>, <\/span>react to the fantasies<\/span> of <\/span>resettle<\/span>ment in<\/span> Gaza?<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

By ignoring it. That was right because these fantasies are completely irrel\u00adevant. But what is not irrel\u00adevant is Ben-Gvir overseeing the police and Smotrich in charge of the budget and in charge of settlement expansion in the West Bank. Those are issues of concern, certainly to the democ\u00adratic movement. But for tactical purposes, the movement is really focusing on bringing the government down and holding elections.<\/p>\n

How likely <\/span>are the coali\u00adtion\u2019s resig\u00adnation and elections <\/span>to happen?<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

An important date to watch is March 31. That\u2019s the date when the Knesset is going to have to vote on whether to extend the wholesale military exemption for the ultra-Orthodox. My guess is that the government will not be able to pass that bill because there will be a revolt within parts of the coalition.<\/p>\n

When you have hundreds of thousands of young people fighting in a war, it\u2019s very bad timing for Netanjahu to try to hold his coalition together by continuing that military exemption thathas been criti\u00adcized for a long time anyway. So, if that bill doesn\u2019t pass and the army beginsthe process of drafting ultra-orthodox young men, both ultra-orthodox parties, Shas and United Torah Judaism, will almost certainly break up from the coalition. The current government will fall.<\/p>\n

What chances would the opposition have in new elections?<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

I think the current opposition will win by a landslide. That\u2019s what all the polls show. That\u2019s the sentiment in the country. People are so fed up with this government. Other govern\u00adments fell for far less offenses that this government has done to the country.<\/p>\n

The interview was conducted on March 11, <\/span>2024<\/span> and reviewed for timeliness on March 14.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Textende\"[\/vc_column_text][vc_separator][vc_column_text]Hat Ihnen unser Beitrag gefallen? Dann spenden Sie doch einfach und bequem \u00fcber unser Spendentool. Sie unter\u00adst\u00fctzen damit die publizis\u00adtische Arbeit von LibMod.<\/p>\n

Spenden mit Bankeinzug<\/h2>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]