From Wallwritings
Adam Shatz, writing in the London Review of Books, described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's legislative victory on April 9, as a "tribute" to his "transformation of the political landscape." He wrote:
"At no point were [the legislative elections] discussed in terms of which candidates might be persuaded by (non-existent) American pressure, or the 'international community,' to end the occupation.
"This time the question was which party leader could be trusted by Israeli Jews -- Palestinian citizens of Israel are now officially second-class -- to manage the occupation, and to expedite the various tasks the Jewish state has mastered: killing Gazans, bulldozing homes, combating the scourge of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement (BDS), and conflating anti-Zionism with antisemitism."
Israel brags about its collective business successes. In his succinct summary of "the various tasks the Jewish state has mastered," Adam Shatz writes that Israel's success story is the achievement of a colonial state.
To emphasize and repeat, Shatz's list capsules that colonial state success as "killing Gazans, bulldozing homes, combating the scourge of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement (BDS), and conflating anti-Zionism with antisemitism."
That "success story" list should be posterized, emphasized, and weaponized, in the opening of any discussion of Israel as a "democracy."
To convince the world of its success, Official Israel lives in a constant state of deceit. Fortunately there are Jewish voices within the state who refuse to join the deceit.
In a recent Ha'aretz column, Gideon Levy exposes a governmental set of deceits as he reacts to this week's Eurovision song contest, underway this week in Tel Aviv.
Tourist Israel describes the event:
"The 2019 Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Tel Aviv, Israel from May 14-18, 2019. The 64th edition of the international song contest, this will be the first time that Eurovision has been hosted in Israel for 20 years, and will be held at Expo Tel Aviv. Eurovision in Israel will be a memorable and exciting event, with international fans traveling to visit... Eurovision is set to be the event of the year, bringing locals and tourists together to celebrate music and unity.
Gideon Levy is well-aware that visitors to Israel under the guidance of Israelis, need to study his 'A Trip Advisor to the Real Israel.'
"So you've decided to come, despite Roger Waters and everything. Welcome to Israel. You're here and everything is wonderful: sunshine, alcohol, rock and roll, nice people, a terrific production, a big party. I suggest you also dedicate one day to reality. See the Israel that the video postcards shown before each song will never show you the Israel that's hidden from view, the dark side of the moon on which you're now dancing."
Levy's Trip Advisor begins its tour:
"When you leave Expo Tel Aviv, walk west for a few minutes. You'll see a huge complex of buildings. This is a security compound, and the people who work there are responsible for many of the crimes and injustices you'll see throughout the day. From here, for example, they dispatched the agents who instructed female soldiers to conduct a rectal and vaginal search of a Palestinian woman in her home.
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