The shocking clips that went viral over the weekend of Likud activist Itzik Zarka berating anti-judicial reform protesters and calling out that “another six million [Ashkenazim] should burn” is sadly not an aberration. While the protesters are ostensibly out demonstrating against the legislation that they think is threatening the democratic nature of the country, the counter-demonstrations are directly aimed at the protesters.
Perhaps nowhere was this better exemplified than at Saturday night’s demonstration in the West Bank city of Ma’aleh Adumim. It was only the second one held in the Jerusalem satellite community, a stronghold of the Likud and Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) Party.
Some 150 anti-judicial reform protesters who gathered at the exit to the city were orderly and passionate – shouting the oft-used slogans of “de-mo-cra-tia” and singing patriotic songs, while waving the ubiquitous Israeli flags.
The protesters were standing behind metal barricades with heavy police protection. Across the double lanes of traffic and a median strip, an equal number of local residents gathered and attempted to drown out the protesters – angrily shouting “Traitor” and “Go back to Azariya” (the city’s neighboring Palestinian town).
Motorists leaving Ma’aleh Adumim after Shabbat slowed down, some giving a thumbs up to the anti-judicial protesters, but many giving the middle finger. More than a handful of drivers opened their windows and spat at the protesters. One burly driver, with a kippa and tzitzit hanging out from his shirt, stopped his car in the middle of the lane, jumped out of his car and, yelling, started heading for the barricade.
A swift policeman grabbed him from behind with a full nelson hold, slammed him into the car and forced him back inside. With a farewell spit, he drove off.
At the end of the hour-long demonstration, one of the protesters with a megaphone thanked everyone for coming and, in the spirit of national unity, urged both sides to join in singing “Hatikva.”
The anti-judicial side sang the anthem loudly but was continuously met by the “traitor” and “anarchist” catcalls. Then, like fans of opposing soccer clubs, both sides walked away, back to their homes, some which were next to each other – and others even in the same house.
The two sides protesting against each other seemed close to breaking point
However, the animosity those drivers and the counter-protesters hurled toward the demonstrators was scary and ominous. One demonstrator reported on a WhatsApp group that a counter-demonstrator grabbed her flag, threw it to the ground and pushed her.
The two sides squaring off against each other, one protesting the government’s policies, and the other protesting the protesters, was a scene that seemed ready to burst into violence – and surely would have if not for the police presence.
The anti-judicial protesters are being accused of delegitimizing the government, and the counter-protesters are definitely aimed at delegitimizing the other side. Between the two is a chasm of suspicion and growing hatred that opens the gates for tragedy to sneak in.
The specter of an explosion of venom emerging from the pro-government forces is real and getting closer. From Saturday night’s vantage point, it’s only a matter of time until there’s bloodshed in the streets.
Disclaimer: This reporter was also present as a participant in the anti-judicial protest.