Shlomo Avinieri sees a revival of classical socialist-humanistic Zionism in the latest tent protests:
It seems the neo-capitalist model, which clearly caused the economic crises the West is currently experiencing, is contrary to the requirements and values of the Zionist enterprise. It is therefore wonderful to see the Israeli flag flying at these demonstrations after it seemed to have become the property of the right-wing settlement movement. The current demonstrations are not only a reflection of social protest. They are Zionist in the deeper sense of a just and humanistic Zionism.
(David Bernstein, by contrast, blames Israeli feelings of entitlement and poor knowledge of the supply/demand curve.)
Meanwhile, Netanyahu celebrates a rather darker story of internecine Israeli conflict. Just as the US far right occasionally lapses into nostalgia for the confederacy, so Netanyahu's far right government wants to diminish David Ben Gurion and resurrect the terrorism of Menachem Begin as the lodestar for Israel's future. Hence the planned raising of the Altalena warship from the bottom of the sea. Money quote from Gershom Gorenberg:
“The idea that Begin is the hero of this story is a total rewrite,” he said. Gorenberg likened the Israeli government adopting this narrative to the American government “endorsing Confederate History Month as a celebration of the South’s role in preserving the Union.”
And the Likudnik beat goes on.
The Dish 