It is not known how good the soundproofing is at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in central Washington, or what floor Bezalel Smotrich was staying on over the weekend. But the Israeli finance minister must have heard the crowd gathered on the sidewalk. And a word, shouted loudly, also written on the signs: “Shame! On this Sunday, March 12, a few hundred people gathered to protest against the visit of this far-right, openly racist figure. A figure embodying religious nationalism who imposes his vision and his projects in the new government of Binyamin Netanyahu.
Across Washington and the usual demonstrations of Diaspora Jewish organizations, the attendance was substantial. It wanted to be a distant and united echo of the historic mobilization in the Israeli streets, for weeks, against the attempt to scuttle the Supreme Court by the right in power. Besides the police presence, the hotel lobby was packed with nervous security guards, scrutinizing every new entrant. In one of the conference rooms, the Israeli minister was the guest of honor of the Israel Bonds organization, which promotes the purchase of government bonds. Congratulating itself on having in its history raised 48 billion dollars (45 billion euros) for Israel, the organization defends itself, in a press release, from any partisan commitment. But his guest has become infrequent.
unifying element
The very arrival of Bezalel Smotrich in the country has been questioned. The State Department considered the possibility, before renouncing it, of not granting him an official visa, because of his remarks on the Palestinian village of Hawara, which he proposed to “wipe off the map”. Smotrich apologized, unconvincingly. “It happens to everyone,” he wrote on Twitter, using harsh words. Almost all Jewish organizations have refused any contact with the minister, including those that usually respect neutrality on partisan issues.
The figure of Smotrich has served as a unifying element for those dozens of Jewish organizations that reject his purely religious, intolerant and radical understanding of Judaism. But, beyond the personality of the new minister, they do not necessarily agree on the link to be established between the attack of the Israeli right against the rule of law and the question of the occupation in the West Bank, which is increasingly a de facto annexation. Some only want to tackle the first one, so as not to tear themselves apart again.
