‘We have seen the enemy’ is a likely summary of this Haaretz article on a report of the state of Israel by the Reut Institute, a think tank. “Enemy” in this context refers to anyone involved in peace activism inside or outside of Israel and the Palestinian territories. Not surprisingly, Israel has recently begun a intensive campaign of arresting Palestinian peace activists and raiding offices of Palestinian organizations such as the venerable International Solidarity Movement, which has offices all over the world and on many US college campuses.
According to Reut,
“Israel is facing a global campaign of delegitimization, according to a report by the Reut Institute, made available to the cabinet on Thursday. The Tel Aviv-based security and socioeconomic think tank called on ministers to treat the matter as a strategic threat.
The report cites anti-Israel demonstrations on campuses, protests when Israeli athletes compete abroad, moves in Europe to boycott Israeli products, and threats of arrest warrants for Israeli leaders visiting London.
Reut says the campaign is the work of a worldwide network of private individuals and organizations. They have no hierarchy or overall commander, but work together based on a joint ideology – portraying Israel as a pariah state and denying its right to exist.”
While you would expect a think tank to repeat old propaganda, the “existential threat” meme that Israel politicians have been pumping since Iran announced its nuclear plans, the real enemy is us, individual bloggers sitting behind computers.
After reading the report, Philip Weiss of Mondoweiss, put it this way, Toronto, London, Berkeley just became Israel’s ‘axis of evil.’
