Ugly Israeli Exceptionalism; With Apologies to Jews of a Progressive Inclination

Here's a piece by Jeff Jacoby, the Boston Globe's Neocon columnist, pontificating as if Israeli Exceptionalism is a universally justifiable truth. It's at least as arrogant and narcissistic a nationalistic attitude as that of dangerous and ugly American Exceptionalism.

Truly believing that one's own shit don't stink is at least revolting.

Jacoby cites all kinds of figures to prove, in his never-so-humble opinion, that main stream America, as represented by "real Americans", is still an uncritical friend of Israel. He goes on to claim and conclude that GOPhers, his crowd, are the real defenders of Israel which he claims is a "flourishing democracy". (Strange how the Palestinian people aren't likely to buy into that nonsense.) Democrats, always his whipping boys, are of course out of touch with Palin's "real Americans". (Strange how I don't buy into the nonsense of my not being a real American just because I hold in lowliest esteem the right wingnut fringe of American society.)

It's understandable why Israel was created as "the only Jewish state in the world". Centuries of unimaginably cruel and horrible persecution seemed to indicate a need for that as a "solution" after WW II. I've often mulled the idea though that the Nation of Israel might just be another Jewish ghetto on the grandest of scales, complete with all the historical memes of Jewish culture over the ages; separate but unequaled victims, along with actions which reveal tribal hatreds centuries old, plus the convenient claim that God named them His chosen people, entitled to their own land, regardless of the fact that the land they covet has also been the homeland of other peoples for centuries. It's also convenient to claim that those other peoples were and are outside of God's covenant with the Jews.

The Old Testament is replete with stories of God instructing the Israelites to smite their enemies and take their lands. Apparently there are those Zionists in Israel who still claim that kind of behavior as justified because it is a God given truth and gift. Thus we see the continued building of Jewish settlements in what the rest of the world calls Israeli occupied Palestinian land. Surprise, and so what else it new?

Jacoby uses the tried and true Neocon/Cheney/Bush tactic of accusing their enemies of the very same thing of which they, themselves, stand accused. He blames the Obama administration for "going out of its way to pick a diplomatic fight with Israel" following the Israeli announcement of more Jerusalem settlements during Vice President Biden's visit; clearly an offensive, rude and crude undiplomatic snub intended to humiliate the Obama administration, and visited on Biden as Obama's envoy. Such a thinly veiled, actually transparent in retrospect, political ploy is not becoming of any head of state, especially a state which claims that America is its best friend in the world.

There's an old axiom which has it that a great way to make an enemy is to loan money to and/or bail out a friend. Since Israel is the annual beneficiary of two Billion dollars in American aid, perhaps they are confirming the validity of that wisdom of the ages in the here and now.

There is a justifiable need to condemn the right wing, Likud, fundamentalist Israeli Jews and their apologists, such as AIPAC and ideological journalists like Jeff Jacoby, William Kristol and Charles Krauthammer. As with all fundamentalists of any stripe, they get their creds with their own people by reminding them and the rest of the world's citizens that what once was, should again be, just because it is their right, and only theirs. Sorry about that, but God told them to make it so.

The column is so full of other offensive nonsense that I won't take the time or trouble to cite any more examples. See for yourself.

When the tail thinks it can keep wagging the dog with impunity it should be washed, cleaned up and brushed off.

Leanderthal

P.S. Be sure to read, especially, the second-in-line comment on Jacoby's column by zking25. Talk about wisdom!