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Police officers hatefully referred to as 'Nazis' (archives)
Photo: AFP
Yoram Kaniuk
Photo: Michael Kramer

A country full of hate

Op-ed: Yoram Kaniuk bemoans hateful Jewish state where ‘Nazi’ is legitimate curse

At 7:30 am yesterday morning I crossed Tel Aviv’s Rothschild Boulevard at a green light. I reached two-thirds of the way. A bus came to a halt right next to me and when the light changed it almost crushed my leg. With my walking stick, I had to take a leap that almost killed me. I looked at the bus driver and yelled at him. He looked back at me with hate. Not anger or violence; hate.

 

Had this city had a local police force (which our mayor cannot convince the government to approve,) maybe this driver would have been scared to try and kill me. Because without police, the people are lost. Had city police officers been deployed through this city, many people who had been hurt in this town would still be alive and well. Had we had police here, the elderly would be able to cross the street.

 

In the past two years I often quote Trumpeldor, who said that “it’s good to die for the sake of our country.” At my old age, a year more or a year less won’t make a difference. But there are so many good people around here who do wish to live for the sake of their country, yet cannot live this way.

 

Had we had a local city police here, as is the case in every city in the world, all the bad guys who drive in order to hurt – because they’re too hot or too cold, or their wife was mean to them in the morning, or their kids annoyed them – would be scared of the law.

 

Nazi curses

The fear of the police should be greater than the need to kill, as if one is permitted to kill whoever one hates (and Israel’s drivers are inborn haters,) not many people would remain alive in the Jewish state, which Netanyahu wants everyone to pledge allegiance to.

 

Had this truly been a Jewish state, it would have been able to detain, without a trial, traitors who hatefully refer to Hebrew police officers or soldiers as “Nazis.” Had this state been Jewish, we could have minimized the police deployment in the territories, and deployed more police officers in the ranks of local police forces in Israel’s cities and saved many lives; as the old Jewish dictum says, he who saves one soul of Israel has saved the whole universe.”

 

Meanwhile, our defense minister, who is preoccupied with acquiring luxury apartments, our prime minister, who resides in his Caesarea fort, and the army chief, whose soldiers are referred to as “Nazis” are not giving much thought to this issue.

 

As if it’s a very Jewish thing to act this way. As if calling a police officer “Nazi” would be allowed in a non-Jewish state. Only in Israel, the word “Nazi” is not one of fury and anger, and only in the Jewish Israel did the faithful forget that there was a Holocaust, and who perpetrated it.

 

 


פרסום ראשון: 10.19.10, 12:22
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