Published: 16 August 2018
Last updated: 4 March 2024
With a few notable exceptions Israeli society is extremely siloed. This is extenuated by the school system, which separates not only Arabic- and Hebrew-speakers but also secular, religious and ultra-Orthodox Jews from each other. In addition, many communities self-select to live with others whose practices reflect theirs.
As a result, it’s easy to lack empathy and understanding for the “other” who is different from you. This is the beginning of delegitimising people who make different choices, live elsewhere or have opinions that you do not share, whether that is about how people choose to practice their Judaism, their political leanings or sexual preferences.
While on a tour in Hebron and Kiryat Arba a few weeks ago, our group was harassed for an extended period by settlers who did not want to let our guide talk. They drowned out her voice with the use of a portable music speaker, loud incessant whistling, speaking loudly over her whenever she tried to explain something and completely invading her space.
It was a very unpleasant experience that I will not soon forget. You can see some of the “highlights” here, including the copycat behaviour by some young kids from Hebron emulating and even improving upon their parents’ actions by spraying the group with water and throwing small stones.
When I told family and friends about our experience, some responded by saying: “Well you went with Breaking the Silence (BtS), what do you expect?” While I understand how controversial BtS’s work is considered in a country that relies on mandatory military service, it shouldn’t mean that this group of former Israeli soldiers, who advocate to end Israel’s military occupation, should have no rights or protection - regardless of whether you support them ideologically or not.
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If I want to understand more about the situation in Hebron, where Israeli soldiers risk their lives to protect Jewish settlers, I shouldn’t have to face harassment from those settlers. How can I be expected to make an informed decision if I am not given the opportunity to learn from a variety of different voices?
Similarly, regardless of how you choose to pray (or not) the burning of a prayer book should be of concern no matter where you lie on the religious spectrum. Imagine if this behaviour was happening anywhere else in the world. The international Jewish community would be up in arms.
Yet Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men are so incensed at the idea that Jewish women are praying collectively in public they can justify physically assaulting them and burning their siddur. Where does their outrage end?
While I very much hope I am wrong, it is not impossible to see how these situations (and the lack of genuine response by police and army) can escalate to more significant damage. Our guide returned to Hebron days later to have paint thrown on her by a settler
More recently, the co-founder of BtS was physically assaulted during a tour. When he filed a complaint with the police the perpetrator was told not to enter Hebron for two days. This symbolic slap on the wrist is hardly going to discourage more of these attacks by extremists.
It is not hard to envision a situation where more serious bodily harm is inflicted on these guides and women, and potentially others who do not fit into their narrative of modern Israel. Why should those who disagree with them change their behaviour if they are being given a tacit okay to continue their incitement and harassment?
It is almost 23 years since former Israeli PM Yitzhak Rabin was shockingly assassinated by a fellow Jew. However, his murder did not come out of nowhere. For months before his death the Right-wing condoned and turned a blind eye to the deligimisation not only of Rabin’s views but also of his character. Political posters not only called him a liar, traitor and blood brother of Arafat but also depicted him in a Nazi uniform.
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This process of dehumanising the opponent, whether Jewish, Palestinian or Sudanese, contributes to a belief that these “others” don’t deserve the same rights and protections. If that’s your starting point, then it's OK to rationalise treating them differently and making their lives as miserable as possible. This problem exists throughout the world, not just Israel, and is most evident in the international community’s response to the refugee crisis.
Freedom of speech, freedom to practice your religion in the way you choose, these should not be controversial concepts in a democratic society, yet in Israel today these “rights” can no longer be taken for granted for all of the population. Israel needs to foster greater tolerance for diversity rather than curtail those who are not in the majority.
READ MORE
Parents’ requests to ban Arab bus drivers rejected by Jerusalem school district (i24news)
Main photo: Breaking the Silence guide who had paint thrown at her by a settler in Hebron (Mairav Zonsein/Twitter)
