Gideon Levy is a renowned Israeli journalist and broadcaster who writes for Haaretz, regularly covering the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. Levy, who is also an opponent of the war in Lebanon, spoke to Â鶹´«Ã½ Weekly's Kim Bullimore.
You are well-known in Israel as a long-time opponent of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories. Why do you oppose the occupation?
I have covered the occupation [as a journalist] for almost 20 years now and I saw things that most of the Israelis did not see. I was witnessing things that most Israelis have never been exposed to. I came to the conclusion that not only [was the occupation] brutal, inhuman and illegal, but that most Israelis have not the slightest idea of what the occupation looked like.
What did you see that other Israelis don't see when you went to the Occupied Territories?
That we were dehumanising the Palestinians, that we were treating them really like animals. That the occupation is brutal, inhuman, and a democratic society cannot live with this.
What sort of distorted reporting happens because many reporters do not actually report from the Occupied Territories?
I think they do not get the full picture, the full story of the occupation. And they have not the slightest idea what it means to live under the occupation ... [they] leave out the bloodshed and the demolishing of houses — many, many things.
In January, Hamas was elected to the Palestinian Authority (PA) and it came as a shock to many in the West and Israel. Were you shocked by the election?
No, because it was quite expected. The Palestinians said "no" to the old regime and said "yes" to the alternative, like in any other election in the world.
What impact do you think the economic blockade is having on the Hamas-led PA?
The whole world is boycotting the Hamas PA, and Israel, together with the United States, is leading this boycott ... the Palestinian population will not only live under occupation, but it will live under a government that cannot provide services.
A boycott will always unite the people, and the Hamas government is seen to be a victim of the foreign forces; it will just increase its power. I do not know where it will go in Palestinian society, but for sure it will not go in the direction that the West is expecting. They will not go back to the PLO [the Palestinian Liberation Organisation — the Fatah-led resistance organisation] ...
With the current assault on Gaza, with 170 people dead, where will this go? Will it stop soon?
It will go from one bloodshed to another bloodshed, because no-one is talking with no-one, and only the military force is speaking. It cannot lead to a positive outcome, it will only lead to more and more [violence].
In a recent Haaretz article, "Days of Darkness", you drew parallels between Israeli policy in the Occupied Territories and Lebanon. Could you expand on this?
I think in both cases Israeli society is ignoring the real big thing; instead it focuses only on itself. It does not see, and is not exposed to, the suffering we create. With Lebanon, it is obviously much harder, because we are in war and nobody cares here about the enormous prices that the Lebanese people are paying for this unnecessary war.
While there was a provocation by Hezbollah, there was an overreaction by Israel and I do not see the connection between the kidnapping of two soldiers and destroying half of Lebanon.
How should the Israeli government have reacted?
It should react in the context of fighting Hezbollah, not Lebanon. What has the bombing of the international airport of Beruit got to do with Hezbollah?
In the article you talked about Israeli chauvinism.
Always, war brings chauvinistic expressions. We get them now in this war. Mainly from generals, but also from politicians. The tone is to kill as much as possible, to conquer as much as possible, to demolish as much as possible — this is part of the war but no-one should be indifferent to it.
Many people are saying that Israel's indiscriminate bombing of Lebanon will only create more support for Hezbollah. Do you agree?
At the beginning it was not the case because the majority of people were mad at Hezbollah, but the more that Israel was violent and destructive, the more the anger was directed against Israel. [Hezbollah leader Sheikh Sayyed Hassan] Nasrallah is now a popular hero in Lebanon and in the Arab world.
Zeev Sternhall, in a recent article in Haaretz, called this war the most unsuccessful war that Israel has ever taken part in. Would you agree?
Absolutely. The war is not only unnecessary, it will not achieve anything. You cannot win a war against a guerrilla movement because you can never beat them. You can beat them for a while, but they will be back. And now one-quarter of the Israeli population is in shelters for three weeks, the Israeli economy is suffering and so many innocent people are dead on both sides. And so much destruction, so who can win such a war?
How long do you think Israel will continue to bomb Lebanon?
Only Washington will decide — only Washington will decide how long this war will go for.
For there to be peace in the Middle East and between Israel and Palestine, what do you think needs to happen?
One of three things: An Israeli courageous leadership, an American courageous leadership or another bloodshed.
Do you think the Palestinian people will continue to struggle and resist?
Yes. What choice do they have?