Sewer of Slime / Daniela London Dekel
Daniela London Dekel writes a column about the verbal violence in Israeli political discourse, citing examples of incitement such as "Judeo-Nazi" and "auto-anti-Semite." She refers to the dismissal of Major General Avi Bluth and compares it to reality TV, describing the feeling of being polluted by the news. She argues that language enables lies and cover-ups, and that violence has become a tool in elections. She mentions the words of right-wing activist to Muni Moshonov, and shares the psychological impact on her personally, even questioning whether to disconnect from reality.
In a personal opinion column, Daniela London Dekel describes the feeling that political discourse in Israel has become so violent and toxic that it is hard to keep up with the news without feeling polluted. She cites concrete examples of incitement: calling Yair Lapid a "Judeo-Nazi," Yair Golan an "auto-anti-Semite," Moshe Kahlon a "deep state of the deep state," and those who signed up for hundreds of reserve days "draft dodgers." She refers to the dismissal of Major General Avi Bluth by Defense Minister Israel Katz, comparing it to a reality show. The author argues that verbal violence replaces the enemy: instead of "Arabs," the enemies are Kaplanists, traitors, Nazis. She mentions the words of right-wing activist Eliran Siman Tov to Muni Moshonov: "Why do you refuse to die?" She describes the psychological impact of the war and elections, including chronic vigilance and suspicion, and shares that she herself becomes a "disgusting" person because of the venom. At the end, she asks whether it is better to disconnect from reality until the elections.