Israel’s new Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, Spoke against Polarization, but...... but.....

Israel’s new Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, recently spoke at the United Nations. His twin themes: the coronavirus, and polarization. He said:

“There are two plagues that are challenging the very fabric of society at this moment: One is the coronavirus, which has killed over 5 million people around the globe; the other has also shaken the world as we know it — it’s the disease of political polarization.

“Both coronavirus and polarization can erode public trust in our institutions, both can paralyze nations. If left unchecked, their effects on society can be devastating.”

Unfortunately, Bennett soon contributed to polarization by devoting much of his speech to a brutal attack against Iran:

“Ebrahim Raisi [Iran’s President] also oversaw the murder of Iranian children. His nickname is “the butcher of Tehran,” because that’s exactly what he did — butchered his own people.”

I’m not saying that Bennett was wrong. The fact remains that name calling (“butcher of Tehran”) just adds to the polarization. Is Bennett extending an olive branch, or the barrels of artillery?

So hard, is it not, to live up to our ideals in an imperfect world?

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Further Reading: Trump's Polarizing Rally in Kentucky. Polarization Has Its Drawbacks.
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P.S.: I’m pro-Israel, and I don’t like Iran’s government, but, still, rhetoric is rhetoric.