Ha'Aretz, the extreme Left newspaper has a ridiculous op-ed by Gideon Levy which begins with:
"What constitutes the life of a settler? A house on the cheap; a standard of living above the national average; a job usually subsidized by the government..."
Here's my reply:
We're in Shiloh since 1981, and you're describing some fancy Leftist tzfoni place, with lots of well-paid government people whose kids are jobniks, far removed from the worries of ordinary Israelis.
The tough questions should go to your neighbors and their parents who shot fellow Jews on the Altelena and turned in their neighbors to the British.
Get off your high horse and weed your own garden!
10 comments:
i read the levi article, and your snippet of the article is actually supported by statitistics, though i dont know about a govt-subsidized job. you should see the higher standard of living as a source of pride and success.
and there are plenty of leftists who serve in combat units, and die for the country [shalit comes from a leftist family...]
in general, i wonder if levis articles deem a response. he is so over the top as to be his own worst enemy. the guy has nothing positive to say about anyone. even arabs: its not that they do things right, but that they dont do anything and are pitiful victims.
What house on the cheap, what govt jobs, besides lots of teachers? If there's any subsidies it's welfare because people are poor. We paid for our house. We didn't get govt housing, the same for most of our neighbors.
It's cheaper to live in the Negev.
yeah, but nobody lives in the negev. it is cheaper than the coast, where most of israel lives.
I read the article, too. The snippet you included doesn't make sense to me and seems contradictory. Houses on the cheap yet have a standard of living above the national average?
It doesn't make sense, unless he's implying that you have money but prefer to live in cheap houses. Again, contradictory.
More troublesome is his concluding paragraph:
"Let's ask and then try to understand. We will continue to indulge your religious whims and territorial lust, but give us an answer on where you think all this will lead. Will Jewish immigrants relocate to the territories by the millions? And if not? Will the Arabs continue to compromise, beg and submit? And if they don't? Will the Palestinians live forever under apartheid conditions? And if they don't? Will the world keep quiet and will America continue to act like Israel's patron state? And if not?
Perhaps God will help. But what if he doesn't?"
This guy sounds like he's left of left wing. And Haaretz for printing it seems less like a left wing though mainstream newspaper and more like a radical alternative press.
He's basically telling settlers to give up their land, give up their religion or else G-d and the world is coming after them.
Below the article is a link to a related story--West Bank Settler, Father of Seven Killed in Attack.
a, right, the Negev, the Gallil, the Jordan Valley are all inexpensive per meter to live, but they aren't popular, no matter how many special deals the govt offers.
keli, it's a leftist paper, and there's lots of irrational hatred from the Left. When you don't have religion you have to find some substitute to worship. They have their ideology and hatred.
It's the 'small fire' like this one that can do a lot of damage.
BTW, this is why we counter-protest the balagan here but sometimes I wonder who we are really fighting ... enemies within and enemies on the outside.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/32623805@N07/4232015877/
keli, the houses cost less, not cheaper quality.
actually, to give levi his due, he has a question that the right has yet to answer: what to do about the arabs in israel? they do not share our culture, language, vision, religion, heritage, etc. they do not want to be ruled by us. why would we want to rule them? it is not a healthy situation to rule over those who do not want to be governed.
the left at least has an answer, wrongheaded though it may be.
Anonymous--excellent points. Something does need to be done. Personally, I think those who would live in peace should probably be allowed to stay and the vast majority of other Arabs exported to Jordan etc.
It just seems as though the Arabs have a partial state--maybe even an unofficial commenwealth status in Gaza. Yet it's cut off from Israel yet Israel provides electricity and humanitarian aid.
I think Israel needs to make a clean break. But the PR impact of rounding up and exporting Arabs and cutting off support to Arab communities?
Can the majority of Israelis withstand the media and political backlash?
Just some thoughts. I don't know enough to really have a well-thought out solution to throw out.
Forever we've been saying thsat Arabs willing to be loyal, pay taxes, obey laws etc can stay. If not go. all countries have such rules.
keli, most israelis will follow the most confident and determined leader, regardless of ideology.
It makes sense, Batya. Here in the US we've got the grand daddy of all pied pipers in Barack Hussein Obama.
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