Ah how those Israeli cabinet ministers love to bob and weave after they sucker punch their politial opponents. The latest is Bogie Yaalon who spoke publicly in honor of Moshe Feiglin, one of Israel’s top proto-fascist settler leaders. He’s quoted by Haaretz as saying:
Yaron called “the elites” and Peace Now “a virus” and said that when he was in the army, he used to say that “the politicians brought the dove of peace and the army had to clean up after it.”
Well, it turns out Peace Now isn’t really a virus. It’s actually closer to a really bad cold:
Ya’alon said that he “recognized the importance of democratic discourse and respecting other opinions.”
The Haaretz headline for its article, Vice Premier Retracts Peace Now as ‘Virus’ Jibe, isn’t accurate (unless there is more in the original Hebrew version that would justify this claim). Yaalon didn’t “retract” his jibe against the peace group. He merely made a vague vacuous statement about what a swell thing democracy is. That and a couple of shekels will buy him a cup of Turkish coffee.
Nicely put Richard. Ya’alon’s “retraction” was, well, not a retraction.
APN just launched a petition to stand up to Ya’alon’s hate. More about this at link to peacenow.org