An act of vandalism

What Zvi Mazel, Israeli ambassador to Stockholm, did in Sweden, speaks volumes about the intentions and attitude of Israel's extreme right. The Israeli diplomat wrecked an artwork co-created by an Israeli-born artist, Dror Feiler, who has lived in Sweden since 1970 after refusing to serve in the occupied territories.

The artwork, an installation entitled "Snow White and the Madness of Truth", was a commentary on the suicide bombing carried out by Hanadi Jaradat at a restaurant in Haifa last October. It left 21 Israelis dead. The installation, a photograph of Hanadi folded into a boat and floating in a square basin filled with blood-coloured water, invited spectators to examine the motives of the suicide bomber. It suggested, furthermore, that occupation, violence, blockades, murder and displacement could create dozens of similar suicide bombers, and more innocent victims.

Israeli government officials were quick to congratulate the ambassador on his act of vandalism. Sharon phoned Mazel in person to express his support, accusing Feiler of anti-Semitism. Israel has threatened to boycott the forthcoming Stockholm International Forum -- Preventing Genocide, if the artwork, part of an exhibition linked to the forum, remains on display.

What happened in Stockholm is nothing new. Such confrontations between Israel's extremists and those who oppose their actions are common. The violence in the Stockholm exhibition is one more example of the persecution faced by Israeli soldiers who refuse to serve in the territories. The Israeli right continues to intimidate and sully the image of everyone who works for peace.

Those who are in power in Israel reject dissent just as they reject peace. This kind of thinking is deeply rooted in Israeli society. Years before the creation of Israel, David Ben Gurion ominously announced, "In blood and fire Judah fell, in blood and fire Judah will arise."