Death to the Arabs - ‘Mavet La Aravim’

In scenes reminiscent of what a Russian or Romanian pogrom must have been like, Israeli demonstrators in the Old City of Jerusalem marched through, chanting 'Death to the Arabs' and 'Arabs Out'.

The video at YouTube was filmed on June 2nd, 2008, the anniversary of the 1967 ‘reunification’ of Jerusalem`. It is to celebrate ‘Jerusalem Day’. And what better way to celebrate than to hold a demonstration in the Arab quarter of Jerusalem (or what is left of it).

The video shows how right-wing religious Zionists, such as the ones at Yeshiva Mercaz Harav, which was recently bombed in retaliation for their role in the settlement of the West Bank, celebrate this anniversary in the narrow streets of the Old City. Among the slogans they are chanting, in the presence of police who look on without a care in the world, is `Mavet La`Aravim` which means `Death to Arabs`. For readers who do not know, people of this ilk are heavily subsidized by the State of Israel and are one of the tools of the ethnic cleansing policy in the West Bank.

This is sourced from Occupation Magazine.

Dorothy Naor, an Israeli anti-Zionist, writes that:
‘The video won’t mean much to you if you are unfamiliar with the Old City in Jerusalem and if you don’t understand Hebrew. In both cases you will miss what the action is all about. So, let me explain. What you will see in the video is a crowd of gung-ho happy young religious idealists marching through the Arab quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. Let me repeat, the Arab quarter. From time to time you also see Israeli police and barricades, neither of which stop the young men from progressing in their march and chanting. And what are they chanting at the beginning? "Arabs go home," meaning, Arabs get out (sound familiar? like ‘Juden raus,’ i.e., the Nazi’s ‘Jews out’? These young men indeed fit that much of the Nazi image well, except appear to be less disciplined). Following that, these nice sweet young bullies start chanting loudly in the Arab quarter (let me repeat: in the Arab quarter) of the Old City, "Death to the Arabs."
Ah yes. Brave New World. To whom will you belong?'

Contrast this with the annual demonstration of Israeli Palestinians on 'Land Day'. Then squads of Border Police, without fail attack the demonstration with gas, dogs and in the past live ammunition. Yet here we see Police nonchalantly fraternising with these racist maniacs. And that should tell you everything you need to know about the Israeli State and why it bears comparisons with the most anti-Semitic regimes of the past.

Tony Greenstein