My opinion on Herzl and Jabotinsky?

On July 1st, 2023, My dear online friend Myron Sugarman (charming@eclipse.net) has asked me:

Avner,

Your opinion of Herzl and Jabotinsky if you’re up to it?

I replied:

Dear Myron,

I'm not an expert in history. Since you asked, I made a short research, and I'll tell you my opinion based on my best understanding.

As far as I learned, Dr. Theodore Herzl was a phenomenal, and somewhat tragic figure.

It seems that unlike many other people in politics (especially these days), he really dedicated his life to finding a practical solution to the then-"Jewish problem", namely the Jews being a prosecuted minority, in times when other nations became free from foreign powers. And he paid a terrible price in health and family relations.

He had what most politicians these days lack - both a long foreseeing vision of the solution he had in mind - a liberal, democratic, secular, advances State that Jews would manage but will be free for all - and not for the Jewish religion; and he had the people skills, and charisma, to carry his ideas out. He was a journalist, playwright, author and a jurist who became a political leader, who mobilized hundreds of thousands in enthusiasm to go to a desert land (albeit not empty), and started a nation almost from scratch.

This activity took a terrible toll - he died at the age 44 from bad health. Historians today regard Herzl as a successful combination of a visionary, modern prophet (not in the sense of future teller, but as an educator of the public with his ideas), a diplomat and a political leader. To me, he is a combination of an idealist, a revolutionist and a Real-Politics person.

The tragedies never left his family. His wife tried to kill herself. His older daughter died at the age 40, her brother (who converted to Christianity and back to Judaism) took his life soon after. The younger daughter gave birth to a son, but suffered mental illness all her life, and died in the holocaust. Her son also killed himself.

Jabotinsky was a great leader, especially when you compare him to his "successors" - whom he would most certainly be ashamed of.

BTW, this is what he had to say about Herzl, after the one time that he heard him speak, in the 6th Zionist congress:

"Herzl made a huge impression on me - there is no other description that would fit: huge; And I will not bow down to personality easily - in general, from all experiences of my life, I do not remember a person who "made any impression on me", neither before Herzl nor after: only here I felt that I was truly standing before the chosen one of destiny, a prophet and a leader with supreme grace, who even when he errs and loses his way - he is still worth following..."

He was one of few who warned the Jewish world of the Nazi danger. He was a hard-liner, who always demanded action, and tended not to depend on foreign entities. Sometimes he was right, sometimes less so.

For instance: his activity to establish organic units of Jewish soldiers put the foundation to a future Jewish military. On the other hand, he was a maximalist, who demanded a full solution - or no action at all. He took this approach in the Tel-Chai case.

Tel-Chai was a Zionist community, one of 4 in the Hula valley, at the northmost tip of Ertz Israel. It was attacked by Beduins in March of 1921, eight residents were killed including Yossef Trumpeldor. The point was abandoned, but later on other communities were built in the area. Some historians claim that this battle and insistence led to the British to include the area in the Mandate, and later on in the State of Israel.

Jabotinsky did not support the defense on Tel-Chai and the other communities. Instead, he demanded that the British be held responsible for keeping this area under Jewish control...

I grew up in Kiryat Shmona, just 3 miles south of Tel-Chai. It is a town named after the 8 killed in Tel-Chai (we used to walk there from school in the Tal-Chai memorial days).

So I think that Jabotinsky was a combination of visionary, practical leader, and a non-realistic maximalist.

There used to be Likud members who could read, and they knew his books and papers; That includes Mr. Netanyahu - who has nothing but sheer disdain to the lower-class Mizrahi fans, who know nothing about Jabotinsky. Those "followers" of Jabotinsky today can't even spell his name correctly, let alone know anything about his history. There is nothing left from the "grace and glory" that Jabotinsky preached for.

Cheers,

Avner E.

Has the Likud party become a Terrorist Organisation? (Dialog with Datsun, vol. 4)

My friend Datsun has posted this comment (August 7), to which I wanted to elaborate:

Avner,
I’m very disappointed by you In you’re reply to Dan.
It’s look like if someone don’t agreed with your views, he is low life’s low IQ
And none worthy living , in the view of your great leader (Stalin )send them all to....
Or like China doing doing today sending there Muslims to camp for Education.
Bravo Avner.


My reply:

My dear Datsun,

I think that you got me wrong.

I did not claim that this creep Dan Friedman was a low-life retarded, just for his political views.
As you know, having views different than mine is perfectly OK with me.
I just suggested, that this Friedman was stupid, because to any of my detailed arguments, and replied with single-word defamation. This is why.

I actually enjoy arguing with educated, to-the-point rivals (such as yourself!).

The above is actually good news for me, because it points out that those imbeciles are extinct-to-be breeds.
I don't need to worry about them, because the process of Evolution by Natural Selections will take care of them (you know, this process that they know nothing about, because they are too busy studying "intelligent design", or whatever they want to call this stupid "theory").

Good luck to them being so stupid.

Cheers,
Avner E.


So Datsun said:

Avner,
I don’t understand how can you compare, the Likud party with Hizbollah?
The Likud in power cause is election, who elect Mohamed?
I understand you don’t like the prime minister, but the comparison is unacceptable.

I said:

Dear Datsun,

I can prove to you, that the Likud party has become a terrorist organization. We experience it every day in Israel now.
The proof is based on the exact definition of "terror". It has nothing to do with elections.

But I'm not sure that you or I have the time for this long proof...

Cheers,
Avner E.


To which Datsun said:

Are the Likud party dealing with drugs? Can you find me a dealers? Are they smuggling weapons? Are they’re killing People on the streets ?
Are they having truck loaded with explosives and killing Marine? Or they have a bus loaded with explosives and park it next mosque In Jaffa or any Arabs place? 
No you have no proof . So please don’t make yourself fool.

Datsun

And here's my detailed explanation:

No, the Likud doesn't do any of that.
But that's not the essence of Terror.

Terror = extreme fear.
From Oxford dictionary: "The use of extreme fear to intimidate people."
https://www.lexico.com/definition/terror

That is exactly what terror does.
It does not necessarily have to do with physical violence.

The best definition of Terror was given by Prof. Yuval Noah Harari. He demonstrated it by an image of a mosquito, who wants to destroy a porcelain shop. The little bug can't do it himself, but he can sting an elephant, and the big animal will go crazy, and destroy the shop for the mosquito.

This is what a typical terrorist organisation does: it wishes to make a big damage, but it is too small to take over an entire country. So it does small (usually violent) actions, which affects a small number of people (even 3,000 dead is a small number, compared to the casualties of a war; but usually terrorist kill just a few dozens). The panic in the public, makes the government start a war, in which hundreds of thousands are killed. Mission accomplished (for the little terrorist organization, not for George Bush...).

The same is done by the Likud. Without the physical violence, but as I said, violence is not the point.
They stigmatize people with labels, such as "Leftist", "anarchist", "Arab-lover"; They publish embarrassing stories from the past about politicians who are not obedient to the Likud policy; They send the police to fine people 5,000 Shekels for not wearing masks in demonstrations; they give tickets to parking cars (Beitar fans never get such tickets, when they park on the walkways during football games); and fear is doing the rest for them. People are so afraid, that they won't go to protests (with which they agree 100%).

This is exactly the definition of Terror, in the service of political goals. The Likud members Miki Zohar, Amir Ohana, Miri Regev and others, have mastered this technique to perfection.

BTW, there is another reason that I said, that Hizballah is not more a terrorist organization than the Likud. Hizballah, like the Hamas, are political organisation, which are also engaged in Terrorism. Hizballah is a major part of the Lebanese parliament, and Hamas is the leading movement of Gaza strip, providing welfare, jobs and civic services to the public, in addition to its military activity.

Hizballah is even less engaged with Terrorism, because most of the time it is fighting against an ordinary army (and one of the strongest in the world at that), and NOT against civilians. It is much more a military than a terrorist organisation.

To summarize, the Likud is not engaged in violence DIRECTLY (only through mercenaries - have you heard about the Judo-Nazi organisation La-Familia? They are being used by the Likud to attack protesters, much like the Sturmabteilung - SA); but other than the violent activity (which is NOT an essential part of terrorism) - they are using the same tactics, in order to intimidate and influence the public.

Q.E.D.

Cheers,
Avner E.