Response to Burg

In Haaretz Magazine:-

There is something irksome in Avraham Burg's liberalism. It is an intolerant, trampling liberalism, which is contemptuous of its ideological rivals and refuses to allow them even the right to take part in the discussion in which it slanders them. All well and good, but before the collective uprising against Burg's remarks and the ugly, hysterical wave of attacks that will assuredly ensue (and this is precisely the violence which Burg attributes to the Israeli public), would it not be worthwhile to look at the article and identify in it a number of legitimate warnings?

The violence in the public and personal discourse, the media hysteria and the "closeout sale" of humanistic values on the grounds that others are bent on our destruction - are these not phenomena which we, the public, would do well to reflect on? Let us examine what Burg said calmly and judiciously, and extract some benefit from it.

Ari Shavit did his work well, and exposed some of the less Zen Buddhist aspects in the sparkling personality of someone who has crowned himself the paragon of justice on earth. Our task now is to look unflinchingly at our turgid image as reflected in Burg's comments, and to understand that, yes, we have plenty to think about.

Noam Morahi, Tel Aviv