‘Weimar is over’: Israel is one solid mass of distilled evil

 

Two human rights practitioners used to have hope that Israel could be reformed, but no longer. "Today it is one solid mass of distilled evil," writes human rights lawyer Michael Sfard.

My friend Michael Sfard, one of the best human right lawyers in Israel and a very talented author, writes about the loss of hope among human rights practitioners. Please read his words, to which I add: 

My professional path crossed that of Michael in similar practices many years ago. I was an articled lawyer at Lea Tzemel’s law firm in Jerusalem when he was legal correspondent for the Ha’aretz Group Jerusalem weekly Kol Ha’ir. Then he turned human rights lawyer, and I went into Journalism, becoming news Editor for the same weekly. My first news story ever was written in collaboration with Michael. It was about what then shocked us completely: it transpired that the then President of the association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), Ruth Gabizon, voiced support for practices of torture. 

The loss of hope human rights practitioners are feeling was never a huge hope to begin with. And in retrospect we can probably both agree that moments like that above were during the good times. Or at least, they were more hopeful times. The very fact that we knew this was a story worthy of the front-page headline meant that we had some faith in the values a civil rights organization should stand for. We hoped Israeli society could be made better.

It was always, as Gandalf called it, “a fool’s hope,” but even in the very dark days of the first Intifada (1987-1993), you could get small remedies for your clients as a lawyer or make a dent by exposing some brutal wrongs. As a country, as a society, and for many individuals, there was still shame in being a senseless, brutal oppressor, in having murderers among you, in stealing the biblical “poor man’s sheep.” 

This is no longer the case. Those days are over, Weimar is over. Appealing to the high court of justice is no longer a real threat against power; getting a journalist to expose evil, even when you find that rare brave one who had not turned into a mouthpiece of fascism, is no leverage, and there is no “world” out there that might sanction you for not understanding the limits of power, because there are none. It is very bleak indeed. 

My heart and admiration are with Michael and with those who still fight the good fight, with fading hope, but I cannot imagine where it might come from. In this new world of the 21st century we will need to re-forge the mechanisms for making the world half decent again or at least re-install some checks and balances on the incredible brutality that enables the current genocide in Gaza.  (more...)

‘Weimar is over’: Israel is one solid mass of distilled evil