Ethnic tensions between Israeli Jews fuel Netanyahu victory

[Lite Beer]

Ethnic tensions between Israeli Jews fuel Netanyahu victory
By ARON HELLER

ROSH HA'AYIN, Israel (AP) — Israel's visceral election campaign has exposed a rift that many here thought had long subsided — the deep-seated schism between Jews of European and Middle Eastern descent.

Mizrahi, or Middle Eastern, Jews heavily backed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party, while Ashkenazi, or European, Jews mostly identified with the opposition Zionist Union.

That dynamic has been going on for a while but passions have run particularly high this time, with jarring results. Since Netanyahu's win, the sides have been exchanging insults that have not been heard in public in a generation — with the Mizrahi voters accused of being primitive and Ashkenazi voters viewed as elitist.

The dispute goes back to Israel's earliest days of independence. Arriving from Arabic-speaking countries in the Middle East and North Africa after Israel's establishment in 1948, many Mizrahi immigrants were sent to shantytown transit camps and largely sidelined by the European leaders of the founding Labor Party.

They found their political savior in Likud's Menachem Begin — even though he was himself of Polish Jewish descent. With consummate skill the longtime opposition leader cultivated an outsiders' alliance that appealed to their sense of deprivation — and with massive Mizrahi backing he swept to power in 1977 to break nearly 30 years of Labor rule.

The exact population breakdown is hard to calculate because intermarriage is now quite common. But Mizrahi or part-Mizrahi Jews make up roughly half of Israel's Jewish population.

They have long complained of discrimination by the European-descended elite that traditionally dominated government, military and business institutions.

The complaints have diminished, as has some of the domination, but gaps remain. There has never been a Mizrahi prime minister, for example. Mizrahim far outnumber Ashkenazim in prison — and are far outnumbered in academia.

They also account for many more poor people — and yet the poorest towns, where they predominate, tend to support Likud and forgive it the capitalist policies than have often not served their economic interests.

"Our parents and grandparents have voted only Likud since the upheaval" of 1977, said Malkiram Bashari, who traces his roots to Yemen.

The prospect of voting for Labor? "It's too hard. There is just too much baggage there," said Bashari, 52.

Such sentiments are nothing less than mind-boggling for affluent Ashkenazi voters — who cannot grasp why Mizrahim would support Likud in an election when the country's high cost of living was supposedly a central issue.

They also often argue that Netanyahu's hard-line policies toward the Palestinians prevent a peace agreement that would bring on an economic boom that would benefit Mizrahim.

Yet voting patterns from this month's election indicate that Netanyahu largely owes his re-election to the last-minute mobilization of Likud's Mizrahi supporters.

Many had pledged to turn their back on Likud to protest its economic policies or because of disdain for Netanyahu's lengthy rule and perceived decadent lifestyle.

But when the moment of truth arrived — and after Netanyahu sparked turnout by warning of Arab voters coming out in "droves" — poorer, heavily Mizrahi "development towns" voted en masse once more for Likud over the Zionist Union, Labor's modern-day incarnation.

In Sderot, for example, a border town with Gaza that has been battered by both rockets and unemployment and has long complained of government neglect, Likud earned 43 percent of the vote, to the Zionist Union's 7 percent.

"The politics of identity are stronger than any economic interest," said Gideon Rahat of Jerusalem's Hebrew University and the Israel Democracy Institute.

He said the ethnic vote goes both ways and helps explain why even the wealthiest Ashkenazim continue to vote Labor — which favors high taxes on the rich — rather than the more capitalist Likud.

For years, as Mizrahi Jews made inroads throughout Israeli society, the rift with the Ashkenazim took a back seat to the conflicts between Arabs and Jews, and between secular and religious Jews.

But the ethnic genie was let out of the bottle at a pre-election left-wing rally in Tel Aviv, where Ashkenazi artist Yair Garbuz complained about a "handful of amulet kissers that have taken over the country." Other condescending remarks, including a Facebook post by leftist writer Alona Kimhi that referred to right-wing voters as "Neanderthals" and suggested they "drink cyanide," sparked further outrage.

The Shas party, which caters to religious Mizrahi Jews, tapped into the controversial comments and launched a campaign provocatively titled: "A Mizrahi votes for a Mizrahi."

The bitterness continued after the vote. The nadir came during a TV morning show, when a radical professor known for his online tirades against Mizrahi immigration lashed out at a fellow panelist that "nothing bad would have happened had your parents been left to rot in Morocco."

Nehemia Shtrasler, a columnist for the liberal Haaretz daily newspaper and an Ashkenazi Jew, said the left's historic discrimination of Mizrahim had come back to bite it.

"It wasn't the diplomatic-security issue that won the election," he wrote. "It was all about ethnicity, and revenge was served up cold at the ballot box."

Netanyahu, whose hard-line rhetoric taps into Mizrahi disdain for the Arabs who mistreated them in their countries of origin, "speaks not only fluent English, but also fluent Mizrahi," wrote Avi Issacharoff in the Times of Israel website.

In Rosh Ha'ayin, a former dusty town now on the outskirts of the greater Tel Aviv metropolis, these sentiments ring true.

"Bibi knows our mess. He is good for us," said 32-year-old Shalom Tairy, who runs a hummus restaurant in the Yemenite neighborhood of Shabazi, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname.

"He knows how to talk. He knows how to make every 'fool' not feel like a 'fool' and raise his morale," Tairy added.

Sitting next door, drinking Turkish coffee and smoking cigarettes at a local convenience store, the neighborhood elders say Shabazi has always been a Likud stronghold and that is how it will remain.

They angrily recalled how Mizrahim were denied good jobs, passed over for promotions in the military and police, beaten in school and prevented a good education. They insisted that Israel's founding father David Ben-Gurion didn't even want them to come.

"We should be regarded like Holocaust survivors," said Uri Barzilai, 60. "We were treated like third-rate citizens and we still feel damaged."

-- (c) Associated Press 2015-04-05

[ezzra]

"Mizrahi, or Middle Eastern, Jews heavily backed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party, while Ashkenazi, or European, Jews mostly identified with the opposition Zionist Union."

Mizrahi is incorrect, that should read Sepheraddi, as oppose to the Ashkenazy, it's well known that

Ashkenazy originate people tend to be more liberal, left leaning voters, while the Sepheraddi are

more ' hot blooded' nationalist, right leaning Zionists.... and Netanyahu perceived as the keeper

of the gates and a hawkish leader....

[noitom]

Why in the world would the Thai press be putting out an Israel information piece? Thais care little for anything not Thai or of the outside world. The Thai press should be reporting of the rift in its own land in the Thai south between the muslim community and the Thai military. The Thai south, where upwards of 7,000 have been killed and tens of thousands injured, maimed and disrupted.

[Seastallion]

Of Netanyahu, ""He knows how to talk. He knows how to make every 'fool' not feel like a 'fool' and raise his morale," ."

Sounds about right, if Netanyahu's supporters are anything to go by.

[beechguy]

Why in the world would the Thai press be putting out an Israel information piece? Thais care little for anything not Thai or of the outside world. The Thai press should be reporting of the rift in its own land in the Thai south between the muslim community and the Thai military. The Thai south, where upwards of 7,000 have been killed and tens of thousands injured, maimed and disrupted.

It says AP, as in Associated Press at the end of the article. Is it unusual for other publications, to publish article from someone else? I didn't think it was.

[JingerBen]

The Palestinians are the common enemy in Israel.

If it weren't for that, Israel would self-destruct.

[Ulysses G.]

The Palestinians are the common enemy in Israel.

If it weren't for that, Israel would self-destruct.

The same thing could be said for Israel as related to Arab countries and a lot more realistically, but it looks like some countries are finding more and more in common with Israel and are attacking each other instead.

Edited April 5, 2015 by Ulysses G.

[samran]

The Palestinians are the common enemy in Israel.

If it weren't for that, Israel would self-destruct.

My understanding is most of the ME give even less of a toss about the Palestinians than the Israelis do.

[Jingthing]

The info in the OP isn't really news at all to people with basic knowledge of Israeli history, but I reckon it is news to some.

Zionist Union needs to cultivate some ethnic non-Ashkenazi leaders ... if there can be gay republicans in the U.S. that shouldn't be that hard!

U.S. Jews are mostly liberal Ashkenazi so that explains part of the political/cultural rift between them and Israeli Jews.

Edited April 5, 2015 by Jingthing

[mania]

The Palestinians are the common enemy in Israel.

If it weren't for that, Israel would self-destruct.

My understanding is most of the ME give even less of a toss about the Palestinians than the Israelis do.

Seems to be true given historically the lack of help they are ever given.

I guess they just have nothing to trade/offer

Not unlike some African sectors that none seem to mind what injustices are heaped upon them decade after decade.

Edited April 5, 2015 by mania

[Ulysses G.]

The Palestinians are the common enemy in Israel.

If it weren't for that, Israel would self-destruct.

My understanding is most of the ME give even less of a toss about the Palestinians than the Israelis do.

Correct, but they do make useful pawns.

[samran]

The Palestinians are the common enemy in Israel.

If it weren't for that, Israel would self-destruct.

My understanding is most of the ME give even less of a toss about the Palestinians than the Israelis do.

Correct, but they do make useful pawns.

Indeed. Read somewhere once that the Kuwaiti explusion of Palestinians after the Gulf War was in the 100's of thousands. Many were long established for generations. While not the same amount who fled the newly created Israel, it wasn't too far off. I think Arafat at the time said it was worse than what the Israeli's did.

[Thorgal]

Ethnic gap in Israel was created after (1948) arrival of Mizrahi Jews in majority 'controlled' new nation of Ashkenazim pioneers.

Conflict between both has nothing to do with the Palestinians and/or other Arabs.

Relationship between both ethnic groups was also not strong before creation of Israel in other places around the world.

It's not a typical Israeli issue.

Edited April 5, 2015 by Thorgal

[Beetlejuice]

"Mizrahi, or Middle Eastern, Jews heavily backed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party, while Ashkenazi, or European, Jews mostly identified with the opposition Zionist Union."

Mizrahi is incorrect, that should read Sepheraddi, as oppose to the Ashkenazy, it's well known that

Ashkenazy originate people tend to be more liberal, left leaning voters, while the Sepheraddi are

more ' hot blooded' nationalist, right leaning Zionists.... and Netanyahu perceived as the keeper

of the gates and a hawkish leader....

Totally incorrect.

Sephardic ,Ashkenazi and Mizrahi Jews are all different groups.

Although some Sephardic Jews do have origins in the middle east and north Africa, the majority originate from Portugal and Spain, where as the Mizrahi are 100% middle eastern or known as oriental Jews.The three groups even have their own distinct languages Then of course there are the south Asian Jews, African Jews from Somalia and other African countries.

Jews cannot actually be described as a race because in fact they cover a wide spectrum of peoples according to where they were born.

Israel was mean`t to be a sanctuary for the Jews regardless of race, but it seems this does not work in practice. Multi cultural and multi racial societies rarely work. There is no such thing as what the Americans describe as the melting pot and Israel is no exception to the rule.

[Jingthing]

Some random Israelis try to explain it all for you:

Edited April 5, 2015 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

Ethnic gap in Israel was created after (1948) arrival of Mizrahi Jews in majority 'controlled' new nation of Ashkenazim pioneers.

Conflict between both has nothing to do with the Palestinians and/or other Arabs.

Relationship between both ethnic groups was also not strong before creation of Israel in other places around the world.

It's not a typical Israeli issue.

It seems you're quite wrong.

Israel is in the Middle East.

The Mizrahi Jews largely came into Israel from the Middle East, often the ARAB Middle East.

Where other than Israel have these two groups been so concentrated together (with a minority of Arabs as well) in a single political entity?

Nowhere.

Of course it is a VERY Israeli issue.

Duh. Double Duh.

[simple1]

The Palestinians are the common enemy in Israel.

If it weren't for that, Israel would self-destruct.

My understanding is most of the ME give even less of a toss about the Palestinians than the Israelis do.

Correct, but they do make useful pawns.

Indeed. Read somewhere once that the Kuwaiti explusion of Palestinians after the Gulf War was in the 100's of thousands. Many were long established for generations. While not the same amount who fled the newly created Israel, it wasn't too far off. I think Arafat at the time said it was worse than what the Israeli's did.

Arafat's support for Hussein was a political mis-calculation that cost the Palestinians dearly - after the war nearly the entire Palestinian population of 400k were expelled from Kuwait.

[Thorgal]

Ethnic gap in Israel was created after (1948) arrival of Mizrahi Jews in majority 'controlled' new nation of Ashkenazim pioneers.

Conflict between both has nothing to do with the Palestinians and/or other Arabs.

Relationship between both ethnic groups was also not strong before creation of Israel in other places around the world.

It's not a typical Israeli issue.

It seems you're quite wrong.

Israel is in the Middle East.

The Mizrahi Jews largely came into Israel from the Middle East, often the ARAB Middle East.

Where other than Israel have these two groups been so concentrated together (with a minority of Arabs as well) in a single political entity?

Nowhere.

Of course it is a VERY Israeli issue.

Duh. Double Duh.

" France, once, consisted of Sephardic Jews, originally refugees from the Inquisition and concentrated in the southwest, while the other community was Ashkenazi, concentrated in formerly German Alsace, and speaking mainly Yiddish. The two communities were so separate and different that the National Assembly emancipated them separately in 1790 and 1791."

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashkenazi_Jews

The Ashkenazi Zionist Project was not designed to give Mizrahi Jews equal opportunities in the creation of Israel. They were looked as dangerous having too much affinity with Arabs and for other racial reasons that I will not post on TV.

Later on, Mizrahi Jews from North Africa came to France after independency of their colonies. Here again they lived with the Ashkenazi Jews. But separate.

So, for me, OP refers to a Jewish ethnic issue who dated long before creation of Israel.

Edited April 6, 2015 by Thorgal

[Jingthing]

In Israel a very very small land. So they're all in it together now.

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[Thorgal]

In Israel a very very small land. So they're all in it together now.

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No, in fact majority of Jews in Israel are Mizrahim.

Majority of world Jewish population (16 M) are Ashkenazim. So, they are not really 'all in it together now"...

Israel isn't also a 'very very small' land, if you remember that 750.000 Palestinians had to leave the country in 1948 and even before.

[Jingthing]

In Israel a very very small land. So they're all in it together now.

Sent from my Lenovo S820_ROW using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

No, in fact majority of Jews in Israel are Mizrahim.

Majority of world Jewish population (16 M) are Ashkenazim. So, they are not really 'all in it together now"...

Israel isn't also a 'very very small' land, if you remember that 750.000 Palestinians had to leave the country in 1948 and even before.

Typical. Can't resist the Israel demonization huh? Look at a map of the middle east. Israel is tiny. There are about 6 million Jews in the US and 6 in Israel. That comprises the vast majority globally.

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