John Chuckman
COMMENT POSTED TO AN ARTICLE BY ELI BITAN IN DESERTPEACE
“The rise of the global far-right could energize the anti-occupation movement
“The warm relations between Israel and a new crop of anti-democratic leaders are tragic, but they also expose the true nature of Israel’s relationship to the Palestinians.”
Absolutely true. And it comes as no surprise that Israel would embrace the likes of Brazil’s Bolsonaro and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, both violent, vile men.
I've observed in my commentary writing many times the often-overlooked fact that Israel likes kings and tyrants in the Middle East, so long as they are kings and tyrants which toe the American policy line, which, of course, includes the conception of Israel as a special and privileged place in the region.
King of Saudi Arabia. The late President Mubarak of Egypt. King of Jordan. President el-Sisi of Egypt.
It hates democracies, everything from the brief one we had in Egypt to the democratic emergence of Hamas in Gaza. It has worked actively to destroy or discredit them in virtually all cases.
This attitude of comfort with authoritarians has been a notable part of Israel's character from the beginning.
I think it quite an important observation, and one generally overlooked while our press and politicians parrot Israel's meaningless slogan about being “the Mid East's only democracy.”
Real democracies are not comfortable with tyrants.
And I've long said, if Israel can be construed as a democracy, it is a good thing the world does not have more democracies like it.
We did have a couple of quite notable ones in the past, Nationalist South Africa and the American Confederacy.
Both of those historical states were democratic and had protected rights, so long as you were the right type of person. And the law was used ruthlessly against those who were not the right type of person.
That describes Israel perfectly. It is stunning that the fact is so widely accepted by those with power.
