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A disturbing phenomenon that you could see in Israel in the last couple of weeks before the election is the growth in popularity of Yisrael Beiteinu. The messages of their campaign are more disturbing than the actual result of the election. The messages of their campaign are potting in the centre and are making racist and non-democratic slogans look legitimate. Here’s a sample of an article that raises this issue....

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Lieberman's anti-Arab ideology wins over Israel's teens  (By Yotam Feldman, haaretz 07/02/2009)

The Yisrael Beiteinu youths gather for a final consultation as dozens of elderly party supporters slowly make their way into the white tent where the movement's conference is being held, behind the Plaza Hotel in Upper Nazareth.

The youths, ages 16-18, many of them good friends from school, had stood for a long time before the event began at the intersection near the hotel, waving Israeli flags and shouting "Death to the Arabs" and "No loyalty, no citizenship" at passing cars.

 

In the tent, they deliberate over what to shout when Lieberman enters: Calling out "The next prime minister" may sound a bit presumptuous with regard to the leader of what's likely to be the third-largest party in the next Knesset. But during a week when Yisrael Beiteinu won the highest level of support in mock high-school polls - the sky's the limit. ...

...Now the youths are beaming, holding their flags aloft and shouting so loudly it makes them hoarse: "Here comes the next prime minister!" If not in the upcoming election, then maybe in the one after that, when these young people will vote for the first time.

The conference concluded with the singing of the national anthem, which the young attendees sang aggressively in the style of Beitar Jerusalem fans. On the bus back to the center of Upper Nazareth, one of the youths offers this explanation for his excitement about the party:

"This country has needed a dictatorship for a long time already. But I'm not talking about an extreme dictatorship. We need someone who can put things in order. Lieberman is the only one who speaks the truth." Adds Edan Ivanov, an 18 year old who describes himself as being "up on current events":
...The party's leaders are not surprised. "Young people like to hear clear messages," Landau says. "They want a unified message. We state our positions plainly. They're fed up with the other candidates' zigzags." ...

Here is the link for the whole article:  Click here!

 

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