Meet the anti-Zionist "Hilltop Youth"... wait what?!?

Former Hilltop Youth Dov Moral on Shin Bet's structural problem, with a fascinating comparison between Hilltop Youth and Kahanist's raison d'être...

[2025] Israel's secret police, Shin Bet, operates anti-democratically, systematically violating human rights-of Palestinians and Israelis alike

Moral was Hilltop Youth. Unlike Kahanists like Ben Gvir who are Zionist wanting to transform the state from within, Hilltop Youth are anti-Zionist, seeing the state itself as obstacle: blocking them from "dealing with" Palestinians, building the Temple, establishing halakhic rule. Their strategy: force every tension between "Jewish" and "democratic" to explode.

Moral participated in "price tag" attacks. Celebrated the Duma murders. Shin Bet interrogated him, which involved sleep deprivation, psychological manipulation, coercion.
Then heartbreak sent him into depression. Time abroad shifted his perspective. Now he's a human rights law intern handling administrative detention cases, married to a Haaretz editor, father of two.

So when right-wing outrage erupted over Shin Bet's so-called "Jewish Division" (the unit monitoring far-right Jewish extremists) Moral's critique focused on the real problem with the Shin Beth. The recordings exposed anti-democratic methods, but the real problem is these same methods are used daily against Palestinians without similar outcry. For example, administrative detentions jumped from ~1000 before the war to ~3500 after.

"The problem isn't the Jewish Division or the Palestinian Division. The problem is the powers given to Shin Bet and how easily exceptions are accepted." Close one division and these tools will be redeployed when politically convenient.

Hebrew https://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/2025-04-07/ty-article-opinion/.premium/00000196-0fd8-d93f-a7f7-4fffcaaa0000 or https://archive.ph/A4ZcP

Hebrew https://www.mako.co.il/news-israel/2023_q3/Article-9cabc77ef6b5981027.htm

#ShinBeth #HilltopYouth #Kahanism #BenGvir #Israel #Palestine #apartheid #PolicState #Zionis #AntiZionism

#Haaretz Editorial: Israel must oppose transfer, whether it's advocated by Rabbi Kahane or President Trump.

#Israel must reject the idea of transferring the Gazan population, regardless of whether it is proposed by figures like #Trump or Kahanists. The editorial insists that such proposals are unacceptable and should be opposed by Israel.

[...] In the Knesset, the serious concern about such a preposterous proposal was aptly expressed by United Arab List leader Mansour Abbas, who correctly pointed out that this isn't a political agenda but rather outdated, Kahanist thinking that normalizes the unacceptable.

[...] "One can't carry out a transfer without committing war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide [...] I urge all who are sane not to be dragged into an adventure that'll deepen hostility and hatred, not just between the two peoples – Israelis and Palestinians."

https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/editorial/2025-02-06/ty-article-opinion/.premium/whether-its-pitched-by-trump-or-kahane-israel-must-reject-a-gazan-population-transfer/00000194-d804-d6d4-a3d6-ffacb2100000

@israel
@palestine
#IsraelOccupation
#IsraelWarCrimes
#GazaGenocide
#Kahanism

Quoting Shanir Klein:

[...] Opposition to using violence to conquer territory and empty it of its inhabitants must be an unwavering red line. The argument against displacement, especially from those who claim to be on the left and support human rights, should never have been solely about its impracticality (though that remains true). Rather, it must be rooted in the fundamental right of people to live in dignity, respect, and freedom from the fear of being driven from their land. These are the core lessons of World War II, the very foundation of the new global order that brought us peace and prosperity in the latter half of the 20th century.

Having failed to reject unequivocally the genocide in Gaza, why should Israel's "left" be trusted to oppose forced population transfer? Displacement is a war crime and a crime against humanity, regardless of framing, and is widely recognized as such outside the U.S.

Shanir criticizes the idea of transferring residents from #Gaza, acknowledging that #Trump's proposal has revealed a disturbing level of acceptance for such plans within the Israeli political spectrum, even among those who identify as left-wing. It shows that opposition to transfer thus far has been primarily pragmatic, rather than morally grounded. Shanir criticizes the silence of the Israeli opposition, arguing that opposing displacement should be a clear moral imperative, not just a matter of political expediency.

[...] While we may be grateful to Trump for his help in the recent hostage deal, this should not translate into support for his utterly unacceptable displacement plan. We reject a world where displacement is even considered an option. We oppose transfer because that is not the kind of world or country we want to live in. We must not jump on the bandwagon of #Kahanism just for short-term political gain with the White House. Trump won't be around to deal with the consequences of his words – we will.

https://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/2025-02-05/ty-article-opinion/.premium/00000194-d6da-ddbc-a1dd-d6deb50e0000 or https://archive.ph/Ii1dm

@israel
@palestine
#IsraelOccupation
#IsraelWarCrimes
#GazaGenocide
#OatmealQuotes