The art critic
The assault by an Israeli ambassador on an exhibition in Sweden was supported by the majority of Hebrew Web site surfers. So discovered Emad Gad in this debut look at the Israeli media
Following the English-language Israeli press does not necessarily allow one to put a finger on the pulse of Israeli society nor does it always reflect current debate on any number of issues. For this, one must follow what is written and said in Hebrew. In many cases, one may find stark differences between the Hebrew-language version of one article and that of another non-Hebrew version. It also becomes clear that there are disparities between material published in traditional media like radio, television and the press and material published on the Internet.
Monitoring various media -- traditional and electronic -- in various languages gives us a truer picture of Israeli society and its dynamics.
Over the last week, for example, the Israeli media focussed on several topics, including the decision to send the issue of the wall of separation to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the ICJ's decision to allow the Arab League to participate in a discussion of the matter. The confusion in Israeli government circles over how to deal with the ICJ was clear. Should Israel boycott the court or work with it?
Another prominent story concerned statements made by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in which he condemned Holocaust- deniers and attacked the way in which Arabs and Muslims have been treated in the West since 11 September.
But it was the damage done by the Israeli ambassador in Sweden to an art exhibition in a Stockholm museum which touched off the most heated controversy in the Israeli media. Indeed, the incident eclipsed all other domestic and foreign issues of the week. Israeli Ambassador Zvi Mazel damaged an art exhibit entitled, Snow White and the Madness of Truth, which included the replica of a sailboat bearing the picture of the suicide bomber responsible for the Maxim Restaurant attack in Haifa last year. The red-coloured water in which her picture floats is to symbolise the blood of the victims. The work was presented by Israeli artist Dror Feiler, who lives in Sweden, as part of an exhibit in Stockholm's Historical Museum, held on the occasion of an international conference on genocide.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom expressed their support for the ambassador's actions while Minister of Justice Tommy Lapid openly opposed the ambassador, saying that while he understood the ambassador's behaviour it was not appropriate to destroy a work of art. It would have been better, Lapid said, if the ambassador had simply left in protest.
One of the most interesting aspects of the incident was the reaction of the Israeli public, made clear by reader responses and comments on Hebrew Web sites. Most came out in support of the ambassador, while only a minority opposed his behaviour.
Most of those supporting the ambassador stated that he had responded to a work that revealed growing anti-Semitism in Europe -- even though the artist is an Israeli Jew. The majority considered the ambassador's response an act of bravery in confronting anti- Jewish sentiment and anti-Semitism. One such comment read: "A proud Israeli. I wish there were more like him. Start thinking like the great and shake the hand of the courageous ambassador." One reader went so far as to say that the ambassador "should have shot the artist". Others expressed their anger at the Swedes. One reader stated, "We're fed up with these hypocritical Swedes who praise anyone who kills Jews." Another reader added, "The time has come to expel the Swedish ambassador from Israel."
Among the reader responses published on the News First Class Web site (www.nfc.co.il): "What the ambassador did is a source of pride for Israel. The ambassador acted like Mr Herzog who ripped up the documents in the UN when he was Israel's ambassador. We must boycott Swedish products and boycott anti-Semitic peoples. We must boycott the Swedes."
The minority who opposed the ambassador's actions included this reader: "We would have expected a more civilised response from the ambassador. Sweden is not the Knesset or the Likud Party headquarters. As a diplomat, he should have controlled himself and his reactions. It would have been better to leave the hall, protesting in a civilised manner."
Israeli artist Feiler said that the Israeli ambassador acted like a soccer hooligan. "If the Israeli ambassador acts like this, then how do soldiers in the occupied territories act?" he asked. Feiler said the ambassador acted before he read the meaning of the exhibit, which clearly touches on the pools of blood in Israel and the Palestinian territories. The exhibit also contains the names of the 20 people who died in Hanadi Jaradat's attack.
The various aspects of the controversy and other issues highlighted in the Israeli media, particularly those that reveal the extremist or racist aspects of Israeli society towards Arabs, Jews, and non-Jews can be found on the Arabs Against Discrimination Web site, updated every Thursday (www.aad-online.org).
