Isabel Kershner’s tragic piece in the NYT from inside Israel (and totally inside the Israeli mindset), "Tough Military Stance Stirs Little Debate in Israel," offering the rationale for the horrifying Dahiya doctrine, prompts this response from a regular correspondent:
Broadly speaking, Israeli society and its intelligentsia supports increasing violence directed at Palestinian civilian population. There is no guilt, no second-guessing, and absolutely no empathy with the victim.
This needs to be juxtaposed against Tom Friedman’s (NYT) constant refrain: where are the moderate muslims that denounce and renounce violence? Where are they within Israeli society? Unlike friedman’s grotesque generalizations, they exist.
There’s another recent article that explored how within Gaza there is support building for "Salafi" Islam which is very similar to the Wahhabis. Violence directed against Gazans has produced a violent reaction, which should not come as a surprise.
Note how Kershner identifies NGO Monitor’s president Gerald Steinberg:
Nothing about his role in the infamous orwellian organization.
The latest killings – which B’tselem has called possible executions, were greeted with joy by the talkbackers, who display a bloodthirsty relish for Arab deaths.
I would say that Kershner rather minimizes the prevailing attitude. There does not seem to be any level of violence the typical Israeli would not cheer on.
I was speaking to someone recently who had visited Israel and who told me that those Israelis who are not hardline are for the most part not interested in politics at all. They enjoy sport and the arts.
It seems rather awful to use a country as a playground, thinking as little as possible of the harsh military machine that sustains your pleasures by excluding others who have a right to live there. If politics is divided between fanatics and apathetics things aren’t too good.
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