Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on March 27, 2022

Omer Bar-Lev was not confused. He is also not as disengaged as he is accused of being. On the contrary, hes proved that he is in touch with Israels political reality, reflecting it faithfully.

Obviously, he erred in an embarrassing way in saying that the terrorist who murdered four passersby in Beer Sheva last week would be imprisoned and brought to trial with a harsh sentence meted out, after he had already been shot dead at the scene, but his speech was remarkably similar to all official eulogies, resembling most statements made by Israeli politicians in their mixture of hollowness and mendacity.

Former AIPAC leader slams lobby's 'bullshit' political endorsements

Thus, it wasnt a slip of the tongue at the funeral, as he later said, but the usual batch of clichs spouted by an average blathering politician. But Bar-Lev got lost in the abundance of his clichs. He didnt hurt anyones feelings and was therefore not deserving of the uproar that ensued. But without meaning to, the public security minister held up a mirror: This is the face of Israels public discourse. See how easy it is for a politician to recite nonsense and platitudes. We wont let this rest, well pursue them until they are brought to justice, were ready for every scenario, Israel seeks peace.

When Foreign Minister Yair Lapid repeats his condemnations of the attack on Ukraine without mentioning the attacker, he evades the truth much more than Bar-Lev does. When Labor chairperson Merav Michaeli publishes condolences at this difficult moment following the death of Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, she is off-key. When Likud MK Miri Regev bows her head, writing that Kanievsky was an exemplary role model whose wisdom and blessings accompanied nationalist leaders at many important junctures, she too is spouting empty words indiscriminately. And when Benjamin Netanyahu accuses the government of being responsible for the attack, he knows full well that this nonsense is greater than the embarrassment caused by Bar-Levs words.

Somehow, weve gotten used to the fact that politicians never speak the truth. They dont say what they think and dont think what they say. Its become the norm, something obvious theyre allowed to do. Its their only language and thats the level of their discourse, and thats as it should be. Its hard to think of one senior politician who only speaks the truth. Theres no such animal. Despite this, they are welcomed guests in all TV studios, making the media outlets full accomplices to this malpractice. They enable the fraudulence and never makes politicians lives difficult. Where is the journalist whod ask Regev in what manner did Kanievskys wisdom accompany leaders at different junctures? Where?

Bar-Lev stumbled over trivia, and hell pay for it. He should have paid for other things, items that dont interest the media, the public or him. They havent even heard about what Bar-Levs police officers did only a few days before his career threatened to implode because of a minor slip-up.

Border Police officers, who come under his responsibility, shot a 16-year-old youth for no reason near the Balata refugee camp. This is yawn-provoking routine, but this time they vent their fury on a young scooter driver who dared ride alongside their vehicle, firing 12 bullets at him.

Heroic Border Police officers at a shooting range. At first, they said that the youth fired at them, then they inexplicably changed their version, saying that hed only held a pistol. No such pistol was ever found. Only the bullet-riddled body of Nader Rayan, from a family of refugees from Nablus, was found. The horrific photos of his death, with his body torn, are kept by his father on his cellphone, hidden from his wife and other children. They are difficult to look at even for a stranger.

This is what should have caused a scandal police officers who so barbarically shoot youths, the fact that no one even thinks to question them, let alone punishing anyone. The scandal is that Bar-Lev, who is one of the leaders of Labor, a veteran of that special elite commando unit, a person considered to be decent and value-driven, doesnt shake up the police after such an insane shooting.

But all that is not important. He made a slip of the tongue at a funeral, and for that hell pay.

The rest is here:

Israel's police minister will pay for his gaffe, but what about the Palestinian teen killed by his officers? - Haaretz

Category: Israel
Tags: