Thursday, March 19, 2015

Benjamin Netanyahu and Stephen Harper's Netanyahu Moment



Benjamin Netanyahu is as any decent person knows, a brutish right-wing demagogue, a racist, and a war criminal.

And his victory in yesterday's Israeli election couldn't be more tragic. 

Or have left the Middle East and his own country more deeply wounded. 

Many Israelis called it the “gevalt campaign,” using a Yiddish expression for alarm. In the final days of a closely fought election race, Mr. Netanyahu threw all political and diplomatic niceties to the wind.

“More than a gevalt campaign it was a ‘Let’s blow up the world’ campaign,” said Gadi Wolfsfeld, a professor of political communications at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Israel. “It was a scorched-earth policy to stay in power.”


For only a beast like him, as Joe Klein writes, could find disgrace in victory.

He won because he ran as a bigot. This is a sad reality: a great many Jews have come to regard Arabs as the rest of the world traditionally regarded Jews.

For the sake of his own future, Benjamin Netanyahu has made dreadful Jewish history: he is the man who made anti-Arab bigotry an overt factor in Israeli political life. This is beyond tragic. It is shameful and embarrassing.

But while many decent world leaders are appalled at the way he won, and what he has done to the Middle East peace process. 

His good buddy Stephen Harper couldn't be more supportive....



And with good reason.

For he was, is, and always will be his most shameful stooge.

And he too is running a "gevalt" or fear campaign right here in Canada... 



And as Thomas Walkom writes, is no doubt hoping that his boyfriend Benny's victory will be his good omen. 

Like Netanyahu, Harper is trying to shift public attention away from the economy and onto national security, an area in which the governing Conservatives feel they have a significant edge.

For his tactics couldn't be more similar or more racist.

Netanyahu successfully frightened enough Israeli voters by raising the spectre of Arab fifth columnists trooping to the polls. Harper defines the enemy within as radical Islam. Radical Islam, in the Conservative way of telling, includes not only those potentially attracted to terror, but Muslims who choose to act in un-Canadian manner.

The existence of Islamic terrorism makes it politically acceptable to focus any generic frustration over immigration onto those who happen to be Muslim. Harper is taking advantage of this.


And what we must hope is that the next election will not be Harper's Netanyahu moment as Walkom believes it might be.

Indeed, this may be the prime minister’s Netanyahu moment. Yes, Harper has been around too long. Yes, he’s a bully. But, the Conservatives will argue, the times demand a bully — someone who calls a spade a spade and a niqab offensive. 

Our guy won’t take any guff, they’ll say. He’ll send those terrorists back to hell where they came from.


For he is not making us safer, he is making our lives more dangerous. 

He is a miserable coward...



And the most morally departed Prime Minster this country has ever known.

And all I can say is let's hope he does not succeed, for it is a scorched earth policy. It would leave Canada and its values in ruins.

And if we are saddled again with a bully like Harper, we will deserve the leader we get. 

As Gideon Levy, the great Israeli journalist, says his people deserve Netanyahu. 

If after six years of nothing, if after six years of sowing fear and anxiety, hatred and despair, this is the nation's choice, then it is very ill indeed. If after everything that has been revealed in recent months, if after everything that has been written and said, if after all this, the Israeli phoenix succeeded in rising from the ashes and getting reelected, if after all this the Israeli people chose him to lead for another four years, something is truly broken, possibly beyond repair. 

Netanyahu deserves the Israeli people and they deserve him.

Which should make our task even clearer and more urgent.

We must fight fear and bigotry, as hard as we can.

We must stand up for the Palestinians and their right to have their own country.

And if our own country is to survive.

We must send this ghastly bully monster back to the hell he came from...



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10 comments:

Anonymous said...

If they would have actually been allowed to count ALL the ballots, he would have lost in a landslide. Creative counting wins the day yet again!
More of the same kind of shit from the same kind of hateful, warmongering fascist asshole like his pals "w" and heil harper. I can't believe all the decent, intelligent Israelis (as opposed to the neo-nazi zionists) actually would want that fucking monster to further destroy their reputation (such as it is) in the world community even more.
I can tell you which country is at the top of my list to not vacation in and also to boycott every product that says "made in . . ." Can ya guess?

Marmalade said...

And furthermore, if you are paying close attention, we all know where all this is going. Pay close attention to what is happening south of the 49th parallel !

Anonymous said...

As long as Bibi has assholes like Harper to stroke his ego and who knows what else, the middle east will keep deteriorating into an endless abyss of misery. We however, will win back Canada from this POS Harper and we will erase all the sneaky, underhanded changes this vile human being has and continues to try and inflict on us. As the leaves change this fall, it will hold a special significance for me. They will ultimately fall to the ground and blow away, and so will Harper.

mizdarlin said...

Some of us have been doing that for awhile...but nothing will matter if the Harperoids, or Bibi's biggest idolaters, don't get bounced from power....

David said...

Why did Netanyahu and Harper both bring media along when they prayed at Western Wall?

Benjamin Netanyahu Prays At Western Wall
http://www.nbcnews.com/watch/nbc-news/benjamin-netanyahu-prays-at-western-wall-414925891615

http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/conservative-mp-begs-for-million-dollar-shot-with-pm-at-jewish-holy-site-1.1649947

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/mark-adler-conservative-mp-this-is-the-million-dollar-shot-1.2505212

http://on.aol.ca/video/stephen-harper-visits-jerusalems-western-wall-518093922

Jesus said in Matthew 6:

5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words."

e.a.f. said...

one difference between Israel's voting system and ours is they get to "campaign" on election day, Canadians don't. Bennie's racist comments on election day regarding Arabs voting, is what "motivated" extremists in Israel to go and vote for Bennie. Canada's law would have prevented Harper from doing like wise, of course the tweet system would be exempt.

Benny is simply another idiot. Israelis will rue the day they re-elected him.

Simon said...

hi anon...I don't know about the balloting, but I think it was just the triumph of fear over hope. Netanyahu literally stampeded the settlers, other religious fanatics, and the uneducated into voting for him with a combination of fear and racism. It's very depressing, but it should also serve as a warning. Because that's exactly what Harper is trying to do here...

Simon said...

hi anonymous...The situation is desperate, but not hopeless. The Palestinians will have justice, and in a strange kind of way this could actually help the peace process. But yes, I like your fighting spirit. We can't do much in the Middle East, but we can get our country back, and once we have, help make the world a better place...

Simon said...

hi David....Netanyahu went to the wailing wall just before he went to the U.S. and it couldn't have looked more staged or more phony. And the very thought of him and Harper praying together is enough to make me ill...

Simon said...

hi mizdarlin....you're right. I dream of the day when we can help the peacemakers instead of the war mongers...