Those people...

I must say, I'm having a lot of trouble maintaining my position here in mid-stream on the rushing currents of Israeli politics.

It's not that my views have changed that much... but rather I can't help the fact that more and more I am being forced to take people to task who are politically to the left of me for using inflammatory language... which ends up making me appear as though I am firmly entrenched on the political right. 

Political relativism aside, I still consider myself a centrist with a strong moral rudder that allows me to veer both right and left when necessary.

However, what keeps pushing my buttons lately is hearing/seeing people stake out a position against the anti-disengagement crowd without making even a token effort at espousing a rational pro-disengagement philosophy.

A relatively new blog on the scene here in Israel called 'Something Something' is written by a couple of eloquent people calling themselves simply 'he & she'.  I check it a few times a week because, while I don't agree with many of their opinions... I can always learn something from a well-written opinion piece... especially one that challenges me to mentally defend my own views. 

In fact, I firmly believe that many of Israel's social and political problems stem from people not paying enough attention to opinions other than their own.

Unfortunately, when I surfed over to read the latest installment on 'Something Something' all of my circuits blew. 

I would really rather not try to summarize the post that set me off because I know I can't be completely fair.  Go read it and then come back.  I'll wait.

Here's my response (warts and all):

I must say that I am a bit taken aback by the tone and content of your post.

You expressed very strong feelings against the color orange and the people who have chosen it as their banner, yet you have said nothing about your own beliefs on disengagement. This is, unfortunately, very typical of many on the far left today. Their agenda is not a free-standing one, but rather an active opposition of anything they perceive as coming from the religious and/or right.

You mentioned the actions of a couple of lunatics as your reason for denouncing the entire disengagement movement, yet you ignored the responsible, non-violent actions of the disengagement movement as if it doesn't exist (and yes, irresponsible/dangerous actions are loudly denounced by both the leaders and participants in the anti-disengagement camp!). This selective presentation of facts is both intellectually dishonest and blatantly biased. I doubt you would want someone in Europe to judge you as an Israeli based only on what they read about some underworld crime figure in Tel Aviv.

I have a feeling that if the government made a decision to give away your home you would do exactly what most of the settlers have sworn to do, which is to use all means of protest and civil disobedience at their disposal... and then walk away in tears once all efforts have failed.

These people are not criminals or evil. They were encouraged to live in Gaza by a grateful government who applauded them for their pioneering spirit in building a paradise amongst the sand dunes. What changed from that time to this? If a general orders his troops to pull back they have no choice but to comply... but these people are civilians and not bound to follow orders blindly. Regardless of what you feel about disengagement, you cannot ignore the basic issue of forcefully relacating Jews from their homes simply because they are Jews.

You insinuated that part of the 'orange agenda' is injuring police and soldiers, yet you made no mention of the many documented unprovoked injuries that have been inflicted on demonstrators by the police and mishmar hagvul. The leaders and organizers of the anti-disengagement movement have done a tremendous amount to ensure that protests and demonstrations are conducted responsibly, and without violence... can the police say the same?

You are entitled to have your say, but please recognise that blindly opposing someone else's opinion is not really the same as having an opinion of your own.

Pretty shrill and strident of me, huh? 

I will freely admit that I find it personally infuriating when people don't share my opinion on important issues.  I doubt that this small failing of mine is unique.  But to hate someone so much that you lose sight of your own position?  That's not only not rational... but the barely concealed hatred of an entire group of people because they hold an opinion different than one's own is repugnant. 

For the record, I actively denounce political violence and irresponsible/inflamatory language whenever I hear or see it (regardless of whether it comes from the right or left of me).  But I really try not to get so carried away (read: pissed off) that I lose sight of my own position relative to theirs!

If you oppose disengagement, please state your case... protest enthusiastically... demonstrate peacefully... march the length and breadth of the country... and even pray with all your might.  If you support the disengagement please do likewise.  We live in a democracy, so every demonstration and editorial is a celebration of what makes Israel unique here in the middle east.

But please, please don't pretend that the people who don't share your opinion are evil or sub-human.  They are not... and you are not. 

Nothing good can come from an orgy of schadenfreude at seeing someone else's agenda on the verge of being defeated when your own hatred has left you adrift in a sea of vitriol without an agenda of your own.

What this country needs is a couple of years of marriage counseling to learn how to fight amongst ourselves.  Both the right and left need to learn that at the end of the day we will all be sharing this big lumpy bed called Israel with 'those people' (meaning those with whom we are presently angry)... so everyone needs to fight fair and not say too many things that can't be taken back.

[UPDATE: Dave (author of A Current Window) was thoughful enough to post a link to a wonderful 'kevvanah' (meditation) that one should have in mind while reciting the prayer for the State of Israel.  I thought it was important enough to share the link here in case you aren't in the habit of checking the comments.  Thanks Dave!]