Dov Halbertal often writes like a douche, but I pretty much agree with his latest article.
To sum up what Halbertal writes : We have suffered enough in history as the conquered people. We were discriminated against. We were separated, removed from public bus lines, discriminated against in universities and removed from academia, forced to wear unique clothes or items to easily identify us, spat upon, publicly beaten.
At this point, after his first paragraph, I thought he was going to criticize his own Haredi community for the way they treat non-Haredim who live near them - women on buses, women held back in the public arena, non-haredim living near haredi communities, soldiers - especially haredi soldiers, etc.
But no. Halbertal goes on to explain that we who suffered so much throughout history should be so much more sensitive to how we do such things to others. The Nationality Bill. Attempts to separate Palestinians from our buses, people who hit and spit on Palestinians and Christian clerics in Jerusalem, and the like.
Sure, we can explain each idea. We can justify it. We can show why it is necessary.
But shouldn't we have learned from our own history?
I happen to mostly agree with what he says. I also think what he says applies to the way the Haredi community treats others, and he does not go that far, but I do agree with his point regarding the bus separation that was recently briefly attempted in Judea and Samaria.
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