Israel's Barbaric Glee Over Nasrallah's Assassination Is a New Low for Israeli Society -
A Channel 13 News reporter distributed chocolate to passersby in the city of Carmiel Saturday morning, on live television. A mass-media journalist, who doesn't have a clue about his job, distributed chocolate to exhausted people who do not remember a different Israel. Never before had chocolate been distributed live over a targeted killing. Never before had we sunk so low.
A different journalist, far more important and popular – Ben Caspit, a representative of the sham "moderate center," wrote on X, "[Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah was squashed in his den and died like a lizard ... a fitting end." As if he had busted the bunker himself.
This barbaric patriotism raised its head Saturday, Israel rejoiced. The Nazis called Jews rats, and Nasrallah is a lizard. Who could take issue with that? The most extreme fascists were still holed up in their synagogues, waiting for the three stars at dusk to spew their profanity and sick joy, but in the meantime the decent and enlightened Ben Caspits did the job admirably.
"Shehehianu vekiamanu," one wrote, referencing a prayer of gratitude – a sentiment felt by many. The scale of the death caused by the 80 American bombs is not yet clear, but the numbers will have no effect in Israel – 100 or 1,000 innocent civilians, even the deaths of tens of thousands of children will not change anything in the Israeli mood. Why not a small atom bomb? After all, we killed Hitler.
You don't have to be a serial killjoy to question the joy and the reasons for it. Is Israel's situation better on Sunday morning than it was Friday morning? The mood of most Israelis has been lifted after a bleak year; we've gone back to worshipping the military (everyone) and revering Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (not everyone), but what changed? Hassan Nasrallah was marked for death because he was a bitter enemy of Israel (and of Lebanon). His killing will not save Israel.
In our first week without Nasrallah, we would do well to look around us. The West Bank is on the verge of exploding; Israel is stuck in a ruined Gaza with no exit in sight, as are the hostages; Moody's has downgraded the economy to the floor; the mass slaughter that began in Gaza is shifting to Lebanon. Half a million people have been displaced from their homes, on top of 2 million of their fellows in the Strip who wander hither and yon, destitute. But hey, we killed Hitler.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the 79th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., Friday.Credit: Mike Segar/ REUTERS
It's better not to even mention Israel's international standing; it was enough to look at the UN General Assembly during Netanyahu's speech Friday. The security situation, too, is shakier than it appears. Wait for the regional war that may still erupt; we made great strides toward it Friday. Meanwhile, the country is living in terror; Friday did not bring the tens of thousands of people displaced from their homes in the north even one step closer to returning, but Israel rejoices in the fall of its enemy.
In the past year, Israel has spoken only one language, that of unbridled war and force. It is maddening to consider that millions of people have lost everything over this. While the bombers were bombing Dahiyeh, to applause in Israel, millions in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon cried bitterly at their fate, for their dead, for the crippled, for their lost property and for the loss of the last shreds of their dignity. They are left with nothing.
That is the reality Israel is promising. Nasrallah dead or alive, one day the volcano will erupt. Dependent on America, the slavish accomplice to the slaughter in Gaza and the war in Lebanon – which did nothing to avert them but for the lip service of President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who are helpless before Netanyahu – Israel thinks it can go on like this forever. And sees no other option.
It would be impossible without Washington's support. America will not stay like that forever, given its isolationist trends. What will happen then? Hearty congratulations for killing Nasrallah, mazel tov, his successor is waiting in the wings and judging from past experience he will be even more dangerous. And Israel? It will kill him too, and hand out chocolate to passersby.