"No violence! Do you know how many gave up? Kill!" - shouted an elderly man to anyone who tried to calm him down after forcibly pushing Reshet 13 reporter Avishai Ben Haim at a gathering of the families of the abductees in the plaza of the president's residence. "1,400 people he killed," another shouted as he waved an Israeli flag. The audience's sense of satisfaction was evident.
Ben-Haim had meanwhile disappeared from the area, but that didn't stop the crowd of people from shouting at him with outstretched hands, "Go." Not only those around this violent man supported the attack on Ben-Haim, but also many of his colleagues, as did cultural figures and social media influencers. Few voiced criticism, some issued feeble opposition. Others went so far as to compare Ben-Haim to Leni Riefenstahl, and his book to Mein Kampf. One would think that they were cautious for fear that the attacker was one of the families of the abductees.
But even after it became clear that he had no connection to the abductees, no one backtracked. In fact, it seems that parts of the public saw this violent act as necessary, especially now. This was not an attack, they argued, but self-defense against the danger that Ben-Haim embodies. The violence against him is not like the violence against any other journalist who expressed his opinions during the war (for example, the despicable violence against journalist Israel Frey). Ben-Haim didn't say a word. He came to the poll for a channel he works for. The provocation was his presence in a place (or any other public place). His very existence has been described as inflamed by spirits, as wickedness.
Therefore, all justifications for attacking him are nothing more than exploiting the state of war to set a new standard of exclusion. Who would have thought that during this terrible war, a new wave of hatred against the "Bibists" would emerge? The same invented public that was defined only in order to better direct the arrows of hatred (at Mizrahim and/or rightists and/or those with social criticism). The leaders of the "Just Not Bibi" protest are trying to accustom us to the fact that there are unworthy figures or people whose existence offends public sentiment.
The "babysitters" become a target for elimination, with which there is no need to play according to accepted rules of the game. All this, of course, happened long before the Simchat Torah massacre, but now the perception of "Bibist terrorism" continues to intensify. PHR-B members take ownership of grief even if it is not personal to them, and the "Bibists" are dehumanized to the point of dispossession of the national trauma. On them it is allowed to cast all the slime. And by the way, almost anyone who is not wanted can be put into this category.
It is so limitless that even Tal Gilboa, whose nephew was kidnapped, was expelled from various places for being a "Bibist." They are all part of this national trauma. One example is the young woman who cordially told two demonstrators, "We are all brothers," and they rejected her. That Shabbat she fought for them too. The elimination of critical voices in the public discourse has been and is ongoing.
The "babysitters" become a target for elimination, with which there is no need to play according to accepted rules of the game. All this, of course, happened long before the Simchat Torah massacre, but now the perception of "Bibist terrorism" continues to intensify
For decades, Mizrahim's demand for equality has been perceived as illegitimate. As someone who consistently deals with the Mizrahi issue, I, too, am used to receiving negative reactions and even damage to my livelihood. But since the beginning of the war, I've received some disturbing messages from people demanding that I apologize for the social criticism, implying that I, too, am to blame for what happened. Unity? Unity is conditional on quiet. In that Mizrahim and/or rightists will no longer talk about issues such as exclusion, social gaps, discrimination. Let them not overwhelm their problems and strive for equality.
If there's anything we've all learned since October 7, it's to stop denying, ignoring. But quite a few influential people want to continue to close their eyes to what needs to be done in the future in order to preserve the integrity of Israeli society. Ignoring it weakens Israel first as a society and then as a state.
The removal of critical voices from the public sphere not only perpetuates the gaps – it deepens the division in a period of unity, albeit an imaginary one.
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