The riots in the Capitol were a jarring and dismal ending chord that would hurt the president's legacy • But it is important to remember that not all Trump supporters are violent thugs or an incited mob • Interpretation
Yes, it was surprising.
The violent and anti-democratic raid on the Capitol surprised not only the security forces, but me as well.
Crowds stormed Congress, Wednesday // Photo: Reuters
She surprised me with her power, surprised me with her speed, surprised me with her very existence.
And she surprised me not because of Trump's rhetoric, that there is no way and no need to beautify.
She surprised me as someone who spent time with his supporters and met them on countless occasions: at rallies, demonstrations, processions and political rallies, and also in rural America, suburbs and school districts, small towns, cafes, workplaces, gas stations.
I met them - whites, blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Jews, men and women, veterans, rich and hard-working - and saw them for what they are: law-abiding citizens, patriots, motivated to act as citizens involved in a celebration of political participation.
Candidate Hillary Clinton called these people "deplorable" a little over four years ago, but Trump raised their stature, giving them a lot of pride, a sense of belonging and a positive political identity.
I have reported countless rallies and demonstrations of support - and I have never seen violence or felt a violent spark.
Hence the big surprise.
The same energies, the same atmosphere, I felt in Washington in front of Capitol Hill, so I did not assume that in a moment I would receive a reminder of reports of a threatened House of Representatives in Iraq or Afghanistan I reported, or from Mauritania where I served as ambassador.
I did not think it would happen in Washington 2021. These are not the people I have known on my long trips across America in recent years.
And as I said, I do not intend to embellish it.
Trump's remarks signaled to dangerous elements that they have permission to act violently, and they have been incorporated into the dangerous and bad message he has conveyed to his supporters since the election results were announced.
The violent riots are not only a jarring and dismal ending chord that will severely damage his own legacy, they are also a punch in the face of his many supporters, who are already marked as part of a coup attempt, as enemies of democracy.
Again "despicable", back to deplorable.
Support for Trump is not membership in a fascist militia
But do not fall into this spin.
Who like us, the Israelis, needs to understand how degrading, unfair, and especially dangerous, is the imposition of collective guilt on entire publics because of a marginal minority.
Not all Trump supporters in the US are violent thugs, and supporting Trump does not mean joining a fascist militia. Trump supporters are mostly citizens with political consciousness and rationale, not an incited mob. They also know how to read data on economic growth and unemployment, they are also able to analyze trends of An increase in the income of minorities, and this is only on the economic level.
And that also applies to Trump supporters in Israel - I admit, like me.
President Trump's critics in the country are celebrating the opportunity to signal to themselves what a moral advantage.
A "shameful day" for me and the newspaper I edit scolded me condescendingly a radio presenter on the studio, while I reported to him on the phone, from the field, from Washington, D.C.
The reason for shaming?
I dared to deviate from the line of the conformist choir and lead an unusual systemic line in the landscape of the Israeli press, which supports Trump.
Supports Trump first and foremost because he stabilized the Middle East and brought peace to our region after the Obama era, which rained down on our environment disasters, terrorism, killing, war crimes and dessert also gave Iran, the world's number one terrorist exporter, legitimacy.
Somehow we admire Obama, for his devastating failures, is considered a clear sign of intelligence and finesse, while support for Trump, the fruits of the peace he has initiated we enjoy every day - is considered something "shameful".
Well, I have supported Trump for the last four years because he was a good president for Israel - which is why the Capitol events are sad, disappointing, and very heartbreaking.
But even after last night, hollow rhetoric about "being on the right side of history" won't help.
In his four turbulent years, Trump has done a lot of good for Israel, and for that I appreciate him.
Because unlike many of our scholarly commentators who feel they are citizens of the world and live in an eternal cosmopolitan cocktail - I think of Israel.
And from an Israeli point of view, with all the sorrow and disappointment over its failed and dangerous ending chord - I do not back down from supporting its unprecedented pro-Israel policy.
US democracy is in crisis
But these riots have taken place, and they have been inspired by him, and they are, as has been said, shocking and saddening.
Violence of this kind should be shocking.
But the shock must not be selective.
In fact, much of what we have seen has to do with the very selective condemnation of violence.
The U.S. has been experiencing riots for the past year, since the horrific killing of George Floyd.
The images were harsh: violence, looting, arson, anarchy - accompanied by calls for the dismantling of the police and what not.
Despite the shock, the condemnations were not always unequivocal.
On the contrary, many of the defenders have been labeled "black haters," or at least as unworthy of judging or criticizing blacks.
The rage over police violence against blacks, we were told, must be understood within the historical context of oppression and discrimination - from slavery to the present day.
But anyone who did not condemn the violence in the black demonstrations, or who condemned with a weak mouth while hinting at understanding and perhaps even inclusion, can now warn against the collapse of democracy and the rule of law because of the political violence we saw yesterday.
And in general, where were the prophets of the end of democracy when protesters and celebrities adorned themselves with the slogan "not my president", when they happily promoted conspiracy theories about Trump as an agent or a plant of Russia?
This is by no means a justification for the riots, nor is it "wataboutism": it is simply necessary to put the riots in Washington within their historical context as well, to understand that yesterday's thugs and President Trump have no monopoly on fueling distrust in democracy and its aftermath.
The crisis of confidence in democracy in America is deep, and ongoing, and acute.
Yesterday it reached a peak that may, in retrospect, cause many, on both sides, to take stock.
For me, personally, it was a difficult moment - precisely because I supported Trump.
And sadly, the difficult events have taken a heavy toll not only on democracy in America, but on the entire conservative camp, turning the election defeat into an image and moral defeat that will be difficult to recover from.
And while commentators and historians, in Israel and America, can be trusted to remember Trump as a historic accident and do everything in their power to make history a resounding failure - we Israelis can take comfort in one thing: many of us can read their interesting books and scholarly commentaries on a hotel balcony In Morocco, or at a book fair in Abu Dhabi, or on a business flight to Sudan or at an academic conference in Bahrain. With all due respect to perceptions and memory, we live within the legacy he designed with his own capricious and frantic hands - and even the loudest tweeters will not be able to take that away from him.