Intifada and Racism (Haaretz – 2000)

Two points for thought:

A. The editorial (11.10) condemned the ‘racist’ phenomenon of Jews attacking Arabs. I wish to protest the repeated demagogic use of the term ‘racism’ in this context. Violence against innocents is certainly unacceptable, and morally and legally reprehensible, but there is no racism here. Racism, for example in the forms it takes toward Jews, is characterized by targeting Jews solely because they are Jews. Violence toward Arabs, as a rule, does not stem from hatred of Arabs, but from a feeling that the Arab public, as a collective (of course not every individual who makes it up), endangers us and is even hostile to us. The background to this violence was Arab violence, whereas anti-Semitic attacks on Jews generally require no background at all. It is worth noting in this context that Arab terrorism (at least against Israelis) also cannot be considered racist, for precisely the same reason.

B. A troubling phenomenon on Haaretz’s op-ed page. While the public, in its various shades, is beginning to reconsider its basic assumptions regarding the possibility of creating peaceful coexistence with the Arab public (both outside and inside the country), this finds no expression whatsoever in the commentary of Haaretz’s writers.

It is entirely legitimate to remain with a previous position despite a change in circumstances, but statistically it seems unlikely to me that not even one of Haaretz’s writers expresses such second thoughts, while the broader public is certainly split. Is it not possible, even theoretically, that there was some error in the positions we adopted? I am very troubled by this fanatical and ossified cognitive dissonance (found on the Left as well as on the Right).