Gideon Levy : devastation not shown on Israeli TV, rampant extremism

[tocqueville]

Days of darkness

By Gideon Levy

In war as in war: Israel is sinking into a strident, nationalistic atmosphere and darkness is beginning to cover everything. The brakes we still had are eroding, the insensitivity and blindness that characterized Israeli society in recent years is intensifying. The home front is cut in half: the north suffers and the center is serene. But both have been taken over by tones of jingoism, ruthlessness and vengeance, and the voices of extremism that previously characterized the camp's margins are now expressing its heart. The left has once again lost its way, wrapped in silence or "admitting mistakes." Israel is exposing a unified, nationalistic face.

The devastation we are sowing in Lebanon doesn't touch anyone here and most of it is not even shown to Israelis. Those who want to know what Tyre looks like now have to turn to foreign channels - the BBC reporter brings chilling images from there, the likes of which won't be seen here. How can one not be shocked by the suffering of the other, at our hands, even when our north suffers? The death we are sowing at the same time, right now in Gaza, with close to 120 dead since the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit, 27 last Wednesday alone, touches us even less. The hospitals in Gaza are full of burned children, but who cares? The darkness of the war in the north covers them, too.

Since we've grown accustomed to thinking collective punishment a legitimate weapon, it is no wonder no debate has sparked here over the cruel punishment of Lebanon for Hezbollah's actions. If it was okay in Nablus, why not Beirut? The only criticism being heard about this war is over tactics. Everyone is a general now and they are mostly pushing the IDF to deepen its activities. Commentators, ex-generals and politicians compete at raising the stakes with extreme proposals.

Haim Ramon "doesn't understand" why there is still electricity in Baalbek; Eli Yishai proposes turning south Lebanon into a "sandbox"; Yoav Limor, a Channel 1 military correspondent, proposes an exhibition of Hezbollah corpses and the next day to conduct a parade of prisoners in their underwear, "to strengthen the home front's morale."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/744061.html

mmmm another anti-semite ?

[Joanne98]

1. They sound like the freepers.

[ShortnFiery]

2. In this day and age The Israeli Citizenry is getting the full scope

by also viewing these foreign channels. Like our country, there's a few Right Wingers who ONLY listen to FOX news, but EVERYONE else has easy access to The Internet and other diverse media outlets.

[jonnyblitz]

3. Fascist Israel. nt

[Jade Fox]

4. Sounds an awful lot like the response of most Americans to....

our invasion of Iraq and bombing of Afghanistan.

"The devastation we are sowing in Lebanon doesn't touch anyone here and most of it is not even shown to Israelis".

Those in power, both in the US and Israel, know how important it is to keep the reality of what is being done in the name of their people inaccessible to those people. Controlling the images is very effective.