Constantinople’s ghosts …or theocracy against ochlocracy
By Alexander Maistrovoy
In 2000, at the very beginning of “intifada”, the famous political correspondent Ehud Yari warned, that even a drawn game with Palestinians will be a disaster for Israel. Today there are no doubts: we haven’t succeeded in bringing this round of conflict to a drawn game, we’ve lost it.
After five years of a wild outburst of violence two new substances were born from the bloody foam almost simultaneously, changing the essence of the conflict dramatically. Until very recently the confrontation was on the democracy-dictatorship line. Now it has changed to theocracy-ochlocracy conflict (according to Aristotel ochlocracy is government by the masses which can’t either reasonably use power or hold on to it).
The transformation periods of both, Israel and Palestine were long, but they ended practically at the same time. And it’s very symbolic. Islamic Palestine was born from boundless corruption, infinite despotism and money-grubbing, disgusting power of gangster bands, clans and local “barons”. The Israeli ochlocracy arose from the ruins of democracy – not a perfect one, but democracy nevertheless.
Two factors lead to this tragic phenomenon, which we can’t comprehend in full measure. The first one was the emasculating of the inner world of the society, the cynical and unrestrained cult of consumption. The second one was the collapse of all ideologies. The “right” and “left” have disappeared – the worst enemies couldn’t live without each other. The present “right” not only began to implement the Meretz’s dream, but did it and continue to do it in the worst possible way. There was certain logic in the ideology of Meretz, although Utopian: the creation of two states existing side by side. Disengagement, of course, corresponds to the aspirations of “starry-eyed”, but doesn’t comply with their conception of two states. The unilateral withdrawal does not make the Arab world recognize the Jewish state. It retains the “occupation” and legitimizes terror. It also deprives Israel its “trump cards” in the negotiations.
The present parties have lost any ideology and meaning they used to have. And finally they have lost their voters. The political system of Israel turned into an impetuous whirl, in which, as it happens in similar cases, not statesmen with principles and steadfast views but popular oracles, who give the crowd what it thirsts for, come to the top of the social pyramid.
Only in such atmosphere a one-day party like Kadima, an eclectic formation without ideas, program and already without a leader, could become the leading force in the country. Its main strategy is to indulge the public opinion of the “silent majority”. And what is the state of mind of the “silent majority” now? It’s tired of shocks and only desires for quietness. The unilateral withdrawal gives such a chance. However, it’s the worst scenario of all the possible. It doesn’t reveal any long-term perspective. There are practically no examples in history, when a civilized society could hold barbarians on any frontier, having begun to retreat.
Kadima is the picture of the triumphant ochlocracy. It is the case of people who have lost their ideology and national values. This resulted in bringing to power conformists and adherents to populist solutions.
Hamas gave its people some national-religious idea. It headed for the victory zealously promoting its ideas, absorbing the best things of the “Palestinian street”, inviting such famous and respectable people, as professors, teachers, engineers and public figures not involved in corruption.
There was no power in Israel, adequate to such enemy. All activity of the national-religious camp leaders only alienated the Israeli masses. Efi Eitam and Arye Eldad behave like generals, who got involved into a skirmish in the firing line, forgetting their army. Instead of working out some strategy and recruiting new supporters, they started brawls in Amona and East Jerusalem. And that was the maximum of their creativity and the same zealots’ outlook, which ended in the destruction of the Second Temple and the tragedy of the Jewish people. Ismail Hania would hardly enroll such scholars even at the first-year studies.
What were the purposes of Palestinian theocracy and Israeli ochlocracy? Hamas doesn’t conceal that it aims at creation of Islamic Palestine “from the river to the sea” and then in the Jordanian territory. And what about Kadima? Does it have any aim at all? To all appearances, its purpose is a banal flight called the bombastic name “disengagement”; an attempt to gain time, hide beyond the fence, live “here and now” not thinking about the future.
It may be astonishing, but the goals of the two sides coincide. Hamas needn’t even make efforts. Its enemy does all the work instead of it. It’s not so difficult to foresee the development of the events if Israel does not revalue the situation. To learn the future the Kadima leaders should conduct a spiritualistic séance and bring to life the Basilevs of Byzantine ghosts. And they would see what the usual end of those who try to appease the aggressive Islam is. Once the most potent and developed East Mediterranean power turned into a typical ochlocracy during the last decades of its existence. It suffered from endless disturbances and civil wars that brought to power the third-rate corrupt temporary leaders.
The rich Genoa’s assistance was the last hope of the Byzantine Empire. But Genoa couldn’t save the doomed Constantinople…
