Fateful Triangle

Aftermath6426.3 “We” and “They”: Defiling the Beautiful IsraelThe attempt to focus blame on Begin and Sharon took various forms.The New York Times was positively ecstatic about the fact that “thepeople of Israel have broken the resistance of their Government to forcea full and fair inquiry,” ignoring the attempt by the Labor Alignment toforestall such an inquiry. By doing so, the Times editors continued,Israelis have “affirm[ed] their humanity,…shame[d] the killers of theirown children,…expose[d] the hypocrisy of many of their critics.” 115 Wehave already seen how the genuine revulsion of many Israelis over theirgovernment’s role in the massacre was converted by supporters here intoa device to intensify settlement in the occupied territories andmilitarization of Israeli society (see chapter 3, section 4.2.2).Commentary of the sort just quoted made its effective contribution tothis process.Within days after the report of the massacre, the U.S. press wasflooded with letters and statements by people who had accepted whatcame before with silence or acclaim, in some cases, with occasionalqualms during the Begin-Sharon intensification of the oppressive practicesof the Labor government in the occupied territories and the Peacefor Galilee Operation. Daniel Bell, Irving Howe, Seymour Martin Lipsetand Michael Walzer wrote that “All of us must now say to the Begin-Sharon Government: ‘You are doing grave damage to the name of Israel,long associated with democracy, conciliation and peace’.” 116 On thesame day, Howe added in a separate statement that “This has notchanged my attitude toward Israel but it has certainly confirmed andstrengthened my opposition to the Begin and Sharon Government.” Thefollowing day, in his third statement on the massacres in two days in theNew York Times, Howe explained the difference between “We”Classics in Politics: The Fateful TriangleNoam Chomsky