The complexities of race and nationalism in Israeli society show many of their elements in this short video.

This is a recording from a demonstration on the 25 December 2009 against the deportation of Palestinian families from Sheikh Jarakh, East Jerusalem, where Israeli settlers are taking over the Palestinian side of the city with the legal backing of the Israeli courts. [1] and [2].

It shows two Mizrahi (Jews of Arab origin) men shouting at the demonstrators who they perceive as predominantly Ashkenazi. (Jews of European origin) Although both the settlers and the judges involved the Sheikh Jarakh disaster are also of Ashekenazi decent, it is only the lefty non-zionist demonstrations who receive such anti-semitic and homophobic remarks.

The Ashkenazi’s cultural and economic dominance over Mizrahi Jews in Israel and their desperate dependence on a racist nationalist society in which ‘filthy Arabs’ are at least ranked lower than them, might explain these Mizrahi reaction to this demonstration. This antagonistic relationship has been exploited many times by Israel’s right wing political parties – who are also all led by European Jews – in order to mobilize against the Left.

To get a translation of the text you will have to watch this other video, showing an antizionist queer demonstration in Tel Aviv, titled “National Erection”.