The Blogs: I made a mistake this election

Last week, I heard an Otzma interview, addressing how we misinterpret their extreme rhetoric. They claim they have to speak this way – because they’re speaking to the Arabs. In the only language they understand: Threats. Noose pins and alligators are necessary to keep the Arabs at bay. Proof? She said: look how Arab terror in Yehuda vShomron has dropped since the rise of Ben Gvir!

And I guffawed at this claim. Seriously?

Then the elections came. And the Arabs showed up in unprecedented numbers. And they literally chanted, “Go away Ben Gvir.”

So, I was wrong. Our extreme right does know how to speak to our Arab neighbors. You just underestimate how well they listen and how strategically they would respond. (I’m beginning to notice a pattern here.)

From the Times of Israel: “In the southern Bedouin city of Rahat, voters told The Times of Israel on Tuesday that Ben Gvir had united and galvanized them like never before, pointing to a massive uptick in housing demolitions and lack of effort to deal with gun violence under the current government.

In the central Arab city of Qalansawe, Ahmad Matana, 40, told The Times of Israel that he voted in a Knesset election for the first time in his life, casting his ballot for Ra’am.

Asked why he is voting now, he said: “The whole mess — in short, we want change.”

And thanks to all those pro-Netanyahu bloc parties encouraging people to knock out those “small parties” and not vote for change. In trying to eliminate the change parties and grab their votes, you knocked out significant numbers of votes from the brave ones who rightfully voted their conscience – who without your interference, may have crossed the threshold and joined your coalition. You underestimated the Arabs who want change- and they would never vote for you. You shot yourself in the foot.

So. Congratulations. The more moderate Arab party (Raam), with an Israeli Jew (who was the first head of the Israeli national crime and corruption police unit!! could this be any more ironic??) in its second seat, is now fielding calls from both the change and the pro-Netanyahu bloc.

Wow, how man plans and God laughs. And wow, how the effectiveness of extremism is misunderstood.

(PS. Could Otzma’s harsh rhetoric have been a key to reducing terror? You never know… Could also be the rise of all us keyboard warriors out here too. Pretty intimidating. Could also have been related to the IDF operations that were approved and launched under Bennett in 2022 and have continued under the Ministry of Defense ever since. Meanwhile, Ben Gvir’s ministerial responsibility is to take care of Jewish attacks on Arab civilians in Yehuda vShomron – and those have risen dramatically. Just to lay out the facts.)