Soccer Dad

Non-representative ambivalence

Ethan Bronner has a misleading article about Israel's rescue efforts in Haiti, For Israelis, Mixed Feelings on Aid Effort

While the article points to a few op-eds expressing pride at Israel's efforts (and dismay at the worldn't cynical criticisms of Israel), Bronner inexplcably quotes from Larry Derfner and Akiva Eldar to demonstrate the "mixed feelings" felt by Israelis. I understand that moral grey areas are all the rage in newspaper reporting, but Derfner and Eldar are hardly representative of the Israeli population. To present them to "balance" the pride Israeli feel towards their country's achievement is dishonest.

Derfner, quoted by Bronner, wrote:

It's the Haiti side of Israel that makes the Gaza side so inexpressibly tragic. And more and more, the Haiti part of the national character has been dwarfed by the Gaza part.

This is sophistry. It is the Haiti, ( and Turkey, and India etc.) side of Israel that demonstrates Israel's good faith as a nation. Israel's attacks against Gaza are not arbitrary exercises in cruelty as Derfner suggests. Rather they are actions taken in self defense.

Eldar's despicable column, as reported by Elder of Ziyon, has been reproduced in many anti-Israel websites, including that of Hamas.

In other words, in order to show the ambivalence of Israeli society, Bronner used two extreme leftists to show doubts among Israelis. But neither Eldar nor Derfner is reprsentative of Israeli society. To present them in the way Bronner did was extremely misleading. In his attempt to demonstrate ambivalence in Israel, Bronner effectively showed his own ambivalence about Israel's right to defend itself.

Crossposted on Yourish.