It didn't take more than an hour or two from the moment the leak about the Supreme Court ruling broke into our lives – to the point where you could read on social media and in the media that this was the opening shot of the "poison campaign" against the judges. The claim is that the leak itself – and the public criticism that followed it – are actually part of a deliberate move designed to incite against the court and undermine its decisions.
Only in Israel – or more precisely, only on the Israeli left – the publication of a leak, followed by criticism of the ruling of the Supreme Court, constitute an unacceptable act that will not be done, incitement, and part of a "poison campaign," a disgrace against which a red line must be drawn. The anonymous leaker, according to voices you will hear from senior judicial officials, "desecrated the holy of holies," and there are already calls to locate him and remove him immediately. After all, even worse than the mere leak – which is a breach of an oath of allegiance to the most secret noble order in our provinces – the leaker's greatest crime is opening the door to the spirit of public criticism, the one that casts doubt, examines with suspicion, disobeys, salutes and shuts up. Or in other words: the "poison campaign."
If it's good and if it's poison
"Poison," with your permission, is my word of the year. And the phrase of the year is "the poison machine." It is already difficult to remember who conceived it first and in relation to whom, but since the government of change, the expression "poison machine" indicates the national camp, the Likud right and the "Bibists." That is, to the opposition of the time. And it doesn't matter if the "poison machine" exercised its right to protest, or a newspaper article, or a TV commentator, or quibbled on what was then Twitter. If it is "against us" and if it comes from "them" - it is a poison machine.
18th consecutive week of protest: Yair Lapid speaks in the streets (Archive) // Hili Brook Blum
If the Israeli left was faithful to the principles of critical thinking in the Western world, it would be the first to admit that this is a tactic of forceful silencing. Incriminating labeling of opponents, painting them with shades of filth, and in fact delegitimizing any criticism that comes out of their mouths about the centers of power. Moreover, a "poison machine" is a dog whistle that mobilizes the camp to show loyalty to the elite establishments, who are now identified as defending themselves – and nobly protecting us all – from the rampant "poison machine."
Always a poison machine? Prime Minister Netanyahu comforts mourners at the family of Shaldag fighter Maj. Moshe Yedidya Leiter z"l, Photo: Haim Tzach, GPO
So yes, ever since Naftali Bennett spoke about the "poison machine," and since his government established the phrase as a derogatory term for its opponents, it has been a basic instinct to call anything that could be interpreted as criticism of the "good guys" camp part of a poison machine. It is amazing how we managed to be convinced, in the good old days of the government of change, that a handful of demonstrators with megaphones and a quarter of a sign standing on a traffic island within a safe distance imposed on them by the court from the homes of elected officials, are a poison machine. That tweets calling for the overthrow of the government is a poison machine. That opinion leaders and journalists who speak out strongly against a prime minister and his ministers are a poison machine.
And what has happened since then is even more astonishing: the "poison machine" against the government of change now looks like a coloring book for toddlers, compared to the venom, rage, violence and incitement that have been poured in every corner against the Likud government. What didn't we have, before and after the announcement of the reform? Comparisons to murderous dictators. Calls for rebellion, disobedience and refusal. Physical harassment and extreme harassment of Knesset members, even in the private sphere. Blowing up public events and desecrating sacred symbols, including Memorial Day ceremonies. All this was not a "poison machine" - but an amazing celebration of democracy and a necessary stage in the war against... The poison machine.
And the nice thing is that it doesn't matter if the Likud, the Right and Netanyahu are in opposition like then, or in power like they are today – they are always a poison machine. And somehow, they are always accused of a "poison machine" when they speak too loudly, too brazenly, against the institutions of power. Against the Supreme Court, which this week proves the most basic rule in sociology: the powerful institutions will do everything in their power to maintain their power and not share it with others. And when a minister or Knesset member does the elementary, necessary thing in a democratic regime, and demands explanations from non-transparent bodies such as the army or security services, and even criticizes them in official discussions, that too is a poison machine.
When they visit the police, they are a poison machine. When they criticize academia, they are a poison machine. When they criticize the Mossad, the Shin Bet, the General Staff, they are a poison machine. When they criticize the financial elite, they are a poison machine. And when they dare to criticize the judicial system, they are in a poison campaign.
Healthy Detoxification
It makes me miss the naïve and fresh left of yesteryear. The one who was not ashamed to criticize the judicial system, and even to demonstrate every Saturday night at the attorney general's office, the one who disliked worshipping the generals, and did not applaud their boastful speeches at the demonstrations. The one who "came to the bankers" in protest demonstrations, and did not beg for selfies with financiers in Kaplan. This left has gone with the wind. He is now, or always has been, on the side of the strong.
Out of a desire to repel "Bibism," the phrase "poison machine" has become the defense suit of the centers of power in society, which are now identified as defending themselves – and nobly protecting us all – from the rampant "poison machine," and a draconian means of neutralizing criticism of them. And just as there is no democracy without vibrant, lively, passionate debate (oh, the division! the incitement!) – there will be no democracy without continuous criticism of the centers of power.
2023 was the big year of The Poison Machine, before — and after — October 7. And there is no intention in these words to justify incitement, lashing out, agitation and spreading falsehoods. After all, the expression "poison machine" is also attributed to the articulate, polite and reasoned right-wing spokesmen. But even harsh and blunt things, as we know, are said in context. And as any young radical can quote, fighting the power establishments "is tough work, and for hard work, you need tough tools." And about this mythological phrase, by the way, is not signed right-wing. Maybe sometimes a poison machine is what it takes for institutional detoxification.
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