One post by Eran Etzion was enough for liberal Zionists to change course
It turns out that liberal Zionism also has its limits. Those who procrastinated, or took the mass killing in Gaza lightly, are suddenly taking a stand. ■ A single X post by Eran Etzion, which called for refusing orders over the generals’ plan, which he defines as a “war crime” — and behold, some of those who “sobered up” [those who no longer had illusions about such matter as peace and accommodation with the Palestinians] are no longer on the wagon. ■ Suddenly, when Etzion says “enough,” and when there is a partial arms embargo that may expand, and the “target bank” is about to be exhausted, the liberals change course and show concern about war crimes.
By Hanin Majadli • Translated by Sol Salbe
There are morality theories based on universal moral values, such as the principle of equality, human rights, and most importantly: an intuitive conception of good and evil. The Ten Commandments, which can be seen as having universal validity, are considered the basis of morality in many societies. But in Israel, even among the liberal segment of the population, morality is based on a security-military consensus. Or in other words, on Twitter posts by Eran Etzion, former deputy head of the National Security Council (NSC).
From the posts Etzion writes and shares, it is evident that he is the humanistic, intellectual and intelligent marker of the Zionist movement. But all these qualities and insights are always revealed when these security top brass become “has beens” This is evidenced by [former chief of Israeli Navy and security service head] Ami Ayalon’s video in which he says: “If I were a Palestinian, I would fight Israel” who holds the top position in the chart of the most popular video clips in the Arab world.
It turns out that liberal Zionism also has its limits. But those who draw the lines are not the disproportionate number of non-involved civilians killed in Gaza. Neither the reports by foreign doctors who entered Gaza about the number of children shot directly in the head and chest, nor the fact that Gaza City has resembled like Dresden since November have impacted liberal Zionists limits, for that matter neither have the repeated attacks on displaced persons tents, and nor have the in-depth investigations by the foreign press, which try to bring to the Israeli public pictures that [TV’s favourite presenter] Danny Kushmaro does not show them
All of those have gone under the radar. But a single post by Eran Etzion, which called for refusing orders over the generals’ plan, which he defines as a “war crime” — and behold, some of those who “sobered up” [those who no longer had illusions about such matter as peace and accommodation with the Palestinians] are no longer on the wagon. Those who procrastinated, or took the mass killing in Gaza lightly, are suddenly taking a stand. That is, sharing a post. Large segments of the liberal camp who in recent months did not support ending the war are now, all of a sudden, sharing his post enthusiastically. Eran Etzion and Yair Golan, head to head.
The reverence with which democratic liberals treat security honchos is truly astonishing. These are their rabbis. But more astonishing is the disregard for Palestinian lives and the perception that the Palestinians’ very existence is inferior. Someone wrote to me: “Wait, what’s better — that people continue to support the war, or start opposing it now? So what if they supported mass slaughter until a week ago. Why not appreciate that people change? If now they want an end to the war, then let’s join forces, we need every voice to end the war. I don’t think we can be choosy.”
True; The most important thing right now is to stop killing the residents of the Gaza Strip — but look how much hypocrisy is embedded in this argument. Suddenly, when Etzion says “enough,” and when there is a partial arms embargo that may expand, and the “target bank” is about to be exhausted, the liberals change course and show concern about war crimes. Those who, until a few minutes ago, supported snipers who shot children and the elderly, the burning of families, the bombing of hospitals, the flattening of buildings upon their inhabitants and starving a besieged population. Shooting, crying, and cleaning up.
