Dr. Aaron Lerner is co-founder of IMRA, Independent Media Review and Analysis, an Israel-based news organization which provides an extensive digest of media, polls and significant interviews and events relating to the Israeli-Arab conflict. imra@netvision.net.il
Civil Disobedience: Boomerang for disengagement?
By Dr. Aaron Lerner
February 18, 2005
Civil disobedience by disengagement opponents is seen as serving two purposes: to convince key actors to support having a national referendum on disengagement on the grounds that it would avoid national strife and to make the uprooting of communities so traumatic an experience, if it is ultimately carried out, that Israel's leaders will be deterred from repeating the same elsewhere.
But which level and type of civil disobedience?
Does it include blocking roads? Impeding the provision of various services?
Should the participants be totally passive?
It's a fine line, especially with Prime Minister Sharon and his team working hard to strip disengagement opponents of their very legitimacy.
Go too far and a bone-crunching police response won't be questioned but instead applauded.
And if aggressive no holds barred police action gains acceptance to clear blocked roads, an already jaded public could easily come to consider the clearing out of Jewish communities as a kind of blood sport.
Instead of heart wrenching coverage of people being uprooted from their homes the media could readily turn the evacuation story into a freakish reality TV "sports" program complete with stop clock.
Will disengagement opponents be able to strike the balance?
A lot depends on just how innovative and PR savvy they are in their development and production of media events in the coming weeks and months.
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