"When did it become illegal to be a Leftist in Israel?,"

The police, the legal system, the Knesset, the Shin Bet, and the IDF have joined forces with the propagandists of the right to act as prosecutors without a trial.

By Gideon Levy

It's high time a legal ban on the Israeli left be instituted. Why do we continue beating around the bush? Why do we need such a taxing, exhaustive legislative process in enacting law after law? What's the use of all these various proposals and amendments? In lieu of all the aforementioned, let's just do one very simple thing: declare the left an illegal entity in the State of Israel. From then on, whoever thinks left, acts left, demonstrates left or tolerates left will belong in jail.

Let's build another "holding facility" for foreigners, but this time for the foreigners from within - the leftists - thus purging and purifying our camp. Such a step would accurately reflect the zeitgeist that has taken hold among the majority of Israelis, and allow them to sketch a genuine portrait of Israeli democracy.

In the Israel of 2011, it's no longer legitimate to belong to the left. It's illegitimate to campaign for human rights or to oppose the occupation or to investigate war crimes. Such actions earn Israelis a mark of shame. A land-stealing settler is a Zionist; a warmongering right-winger is a patriot; an inciting rabbi is a spiritual leader; a racist who expels foreigners is a loyal citizen. Only the leftist is a traitor.

The nationalist loves Israel, while the leftist despises it. One doesn't have to apologize for anything, while the other must disprove rumor and speculation. In the Israel of 2011, we can no longer speak of the sentiments expressed by the vendors of the open-air markets and bazaars. Now, a majority of government agencies and legal entities are taking part in this dangerous bonanza of delegitimization.

The Knesset has resolved to create a parliamentary committee of inquiry to look into the activities of left-wing groups "and their contribution to the delegitimization campaign against Israel." Such a panel would make even Senator Joseph McCarthy blush.

Nuri el-Okbi, a Bedouin citizen and rights activist, was sent to prison for operating an unlicensed business by Judge Zecharia Yeminy, who wasn't embarrassed to admit that he upped el-Okbi's punishment solely due to the fact that he'd acted on behalf of the rights of the scattered Bedouin population.

Jonathan Pollak, a member of "Anarchists Against the Wall" and an anti-occupation activist that any healthy society would be proud of, was sent to jail for riding his bicycle on the road.

Mossi Raz, a former Knesset member who was innocently standing on the sidewalk during a protest against the killing of a Palestinian activist in Bil'in, was beaten by a police officer, handcuffed and arrested.

Peace activists are questioned by the Shin Bet security service and warned ahead of time against committing any violations. A physicians' group is "on the extreme left," a social foundation "despises Israel," dedicated women who monitor checkpoints are "traitors" and an information center is considered "an accomplice to terrorism."

Settlers who hurl trash at Israeli soldiers and their friends who set fire to Palestinian fields are not placed on trial, and yet Pollak is sent to jail. Soldiers who killed Palestinians carrying white flags have yet to be punished, but those who revealed such incidents are denounced. All of this is compounded by a plethora of bills - from the loyalty oath to the Nakba law. Everything blends together to form one horrifying picture: The left is an enemy of the people and an enemy of the state.

While all of this transpires, the real damage to Israel's image and its international standing is being caused by its obstructionist policy and the government's efforts to further solidify the occupation. It is caused by the violent activities of the Israel Defense Forces and the settlers, along with the racist actions of Israel's legislators and rabbis.

One day's worth of Operation Cast Lead did more to putrefy Israel's stench than all of the critical reports combined. One torched mosque did more to drag Israel's name in the mud than all of the columns and editorials criticizing Israel combined.

Yet nobody is demanding that any of these incidents be investigated. Very few people, if anyone, have been put on trial for such actions. What remains of the left, the only group who continues to preserve Israel's moral standing? The lone few keeping the flickering flame of humanity burning are accused, convicted and punished while the true guilty parties are cleared of all charges. The police, the legal system, the Knesset, the Shin Bet, and the IDF have joined forces with the propagandists of the right to act as prosecutors without a trial, while the left is deprived of a defense attorney.

One single law could simplify matters: Let every Israeli know that it is forbidden. It's forbidden to believe in a just Israel, forbidden to fight against any of its injustices, forbidden to struggle for its soul. Still, a bit of doubt manages to creep into the heart. Do all of those waging a fight against the left - from the heads of the Shin Bet and the police, to the judges and the right-wing lawmakers - really want a "democracy" without the left?