Politicians and military leaders in Israel have been on the edge of their seats since the revolution in Egypt began. Though many have pointed out that this concern with events in the region stems from a fear that Arab empowerment will lead to a decline in Israel's security or that Palestinians will be able to use this momentum to gain concessions from Israel regarding settlements, borders and the status of Jerusalem, what they really fear is an awakening amongst Israeli Jews of what their state has actually become: a racist, apartheid, militaristic entity which is as repressive to dissent, both Jewish and non-Jewish, as their fellow Arab dictatorial regimes are. Thus as Tunisians, Egyptians, Libyans, Yemenis, Bahrainis and others are uprising against the entire state system that has been oppressing them, those who benefit from the status quo in Israel, mostly the military and weapons manufacturers, are tense that Israelis will no longer be fixated by the "Arab enemy" and begin to examine their own state and the very foundations it is built upon. And this would mean that potentially, the entire Zionist project would be in danger and not from hostile neighbors, but from within, from Jews themselves.
There have been progressive voices within Israeli society questioning and fighting against the militarization of the state and the continuing excuse of security to occupy and humiliate the Palestinians. These include Breaking the Silence, Israeli soldiers openly talking about their experiences in the Occupied Territories, Shministism, Israeli teenagers who refuse to do military service, and Boycott from Within. Even though these Israelis make up a very small percentage of society, the Knesset is on a rampage against any such efforts to question the status quo by creating a parliamentary committee of inquiry to look into the activities of left-wing groups and "their contribution to the delegitimization campaign against Israel."
These regime members are afraid that efforts on the "fringe" now will become mainstream as Israelis become inspired by what their brothers and sisters in the Arab world are accomplishing. And they have a right to worry. Veteran diplomat Ilan Baruch recently quit his post saying he can no longer represent Israel because its foreign policy is "wrong" and that blaming global anti-occupation views on anti-Semitism is "simplistic, artificial."
How do you say the people want the fall of the regime in Hebrew?
There have been progressive voices within Israeli society questioning and fighting against the militarization of the state and the continuing excuse of security to occupy and humiliate the Palestinians. These include Breaking the Silence, Israeli soldiers openly talking about their experiences in the Occupied Territories, Shministism, Israeli teenagers who refuse to do military service, and Boycott from Within. Even though these Israelis make up a very small percentage of society, the Knesset is on a rampage against any such efforts to question the status quo by creating a parliamentary committee of inquiry to look into the activities of left-wing groups and "their contribution to the delegitimization campaign against Israel."
These regime members are afraid that efforts on the "fringe" now will become mainstream as Israelis become inspired by what their brothers and sisters in the Arab world are accomplishing. And they have a right to worry. Veteran diplomat Ilan Baruch recently quit his post saying he can no longer represent Israel because its foreign policy is "wrong" and that blaming global anti-occupation views on anti-Semitism is "simplistic, artificial."
How do you say the people want the fall of the regime in Hebrew?
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