Israel's Ideal Zionist Is a Stormtrooper. And Its Biggest Threat Is an Arab Lawmaker - Opinion - Haaretz.com
"It's either us or them," Yehoda Vald, the CEO of the right-wing Religious Zionism party, wrote on his X account Thursday night. Two photographs, one on top of the other, made clear who, in Vald's view, is "us" and who is "them."
The top, "us," image, is around half a dozen Israeli soldiers, armed and armored from head to toe, photographed from behind as they march proudly toward the ruins of Gaza. The bottom image, "them," shows the heads of Israel's four predominantly Arab parties, their hands joined and raised high, announcing Thursday evening the renewal of their electoral alliance.
An image of despair, above a picture of hope. An image of devastation, above an image of rebuilding. An image of a war that is never sated, above an image of a possibility for change. Vald hoped the image of the renewed Joint List would terrify Israelis. If there were a real left-wing opposition in Israel, the scare-mongering would have turned into hope.
There is something disturbing about both of these photographs. Both show only men, and each is mononational: only Jews in one, only Arabs in the other. This is the world of Vald, a settler. But all Israelis must ask themselves whether they truly prefer the armed soldiers marching toward their crime scene, the total destruction around them, over the group of Arab politicians, among the best in the Knesset, representatives of the only opposition Israel has at the moment?
Is this the vision? Is this the hope? Shall the sword of the Vald devour forever – the sword of those who thrill at the images of those armed "us" and the terrible destruction they have sown and want only more of it? Must we identify with Vald's "us" just because he shows us Jewish soldiers, even if they are suspected of being war criminals?
Soldiers in Gaza.Credit: AFP
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Vald is a "moderate" settler, from the "liberal" Gush Etzion, and he does not participate in pogroms. He represents the majority of Israelis today, especially after October 7. They would prefer a Jewish occupation soldier over an Arab lawmaker, who by definition – that is, participation in the Knesset – seeks integration into Israeli society. The idea that a soldier who is suspected of war crimes is preferable to an Arab parliamentarian, simply because he is Arab, is truly sick.
Itamar Ben-Gvir was quick to call the new electoral bloc the "Terror Representative Alliance." The four leaders of its component parties have condemned Palestinian terrorism far more often than Ben-Gvir has condemned Jewish terrorism. He has not, and never will, condemn it. None of them ever resorted to violence as Ben-Gvir has, but the terrorism expert declares them to be terrorists.
What, in the view of Vald and his ilk, is Israeli? An occupation soldier. What, in their view, is the ideal Zionist? A stormtrooper. And what is scary and threatening? An Arab lawmaker. The worldview of most Israelis in a nutshell. The revival of the Joint List is almost the only chance for a change in government in Israel; one would expect that anyone who wants this would be happy about it. But the very fact that it is Arab is threatening to most Israelis. In contrast, what the IDF has done and continues to do in Gaza, the true extent of which no Israeli knows, is a source of pride and identification.
Members of the Joint List, in 2018.Credit: Joint List Spokesperson
It's hard to understand what about the images of the terrible destruction in Gaza inspires pride. What exactly are you proud of? Of the destruction, or of the killing? Of the dead babies, or of the women who were killed? And why do you see these soldiers as heroes? Have you not heard what they did, have you not seen?
Conversely, what scares you so much about the image of the Arab politicians? Have they ever threatened the State of Israel? Have you seen how they and their community have behaved since October 7? They swallow their humiliation and terrible pain over the killing of their compatriots – and remain silent. And condemn October 7. They are much greater heroes than the soldiers who trample Gaza in their red paratrooper boots.
If the choice is between that "us" and that "them," then I am with the "them," without hesitation.