Great piece on JTA by Gila Orkin of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, saying Jews condemn rightwing parties all the time in the west, and fail to condemn the trend in Israel:
The other [Yisrael Beitenu party] campaign slogan, "Only Lieberman understands Arabic," was steeped in demagoguery and unbridled racism.
Staying true to campaign promises, Yisrael Beiteinu already has
played an instrumental role in pushing forward a slew of
anti-democratic legislative proposals mainly targeting the Arab
minority. These bills include the Nakba bill, which would make it a
criminal offense to hold a public event commemorating Israel's
Independence Day as a "Nakba," or catastrophe, for the Palestinian
people; and the loyalty oath bill, which would require new immigrants
and 16-year-old Israelis to swear allegiance to the "State of Israel as
a Jewish, Zionist and democratic state" as a precondition for obtaining
an Israeli identity card.
Lieberman, like his far-right counterparts in Europe, scored
significant electoral success in a time of crisis and uncertainty. The
election took place in the immediate aftermath of the war in Gaza, when
militarism and extreme nationalism were at an all-time high among
Jewish Israelis, and against the backdrop of security threats, economic
instability and dwindling public faith in democratic politics.
Like his European counterparts, Lieberman constructed an
ultranationalist campaign that tapped into the public's fears while
feeding on and fueling the growing atmosphere of racism and intolerance
in Israel.
And, like his European counterparts, Lieberman deserves unequivocal
condemnation for his racist and anti-democratic messages and policy
proposals.
