Interesting article. The last paragraphs caught my eye..
The divisions within Jewish Israeli society that were evident in the period preceding this war will definitely re-emerge in some form. Essentially, this will intensify the contradiction between two camps within Israeli Jewish society - on the one hand, the messianic wing and, on the other, the modern, secular business section of the Israeli bourgeoisie. There will be moves by the messianic Zionists to annex the West Bank to Israel. But in terms of the regime that this will create, it will annex Israel to the regime of the West Bank: this repressive, authoritarian, theocratic regime would be extended in one form or another to the whole of Israel. But that would be inimical to the interests of the secular bourgeoisie, whose activities are essential for making Israel one of the world’s modern, developed capitalist countries.
How this will be resolved is, of course, a matter for conjecture. I cannot predict what will happen, but there will be trouble ahead and I think this internal contradiction will be very difficult to paper over.
He's talking about the tension between a majority (A) who actually just want to live in a 'normal', cosmopolitan, sunny beacon of western liberalism, and a small obnoxious minority (B) who use the bible to justify almost incredible cruelty, brutality and exceptionalism. I've mentioned how divided Israeli society is, and it is in many ways, including this.
There's a great deal of resentment among liberals and actually I even think your middle of the road conservatives, who stand-with-the-Golan, about the opprobrium and criticism that 'settlers' bring upon the nation, and worse that it costs their tax money to do (as much of the infrastructure for it is state funded.) A war will distract for a while, but will also bring on a crisis where that tension will have to give, and whatever form it takes won't I expect be pretty. Especially when family members start coming home in body bags - and for what? Some acres by the sea? The river to the sea? And to keep bibi out of jail obvs. At some point - well honestly, I wouldn't like to make rash predictions but I do think Israel will end up solving its own problems.
The problems of the Palestinians, they definitely require international action. And again, I think Israel is going to provoke that. I wonder then what happens in 'the only real democracy in the middle east'.
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