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Ben-Rafael Galanti, S., Hisherik, M. (2023). The Israeli National Camp’s Political Rhetoric of Debasement as a New Nationalist Populist (NNP) Tool. In: Feldman, O. (eds) Political Debasement. The Language of Politics. Springer, Singapore.
Abstract
This chapter focuses on the political rhetoric of debasement and its connection to the “new nationalist populism” (NNP), as reflected in the discourse of Israel’s Likud Party and the National Camp (the right-wing and religious parties). We concentrate mainly on the period of Israel’s Change Government (2021–2022) when the National Camp constituted the opposition, strengthening populist attitudes. We examined rhetorical texts, highlighting expressions of debasement and thereby comprehending the essence of NNP in the Israeli context. We show that in the period under consideration, debasement became the main characteristic of the National Camp’s rhetoric regarding key issues, systematically, covertly, and even openly, indirectly, and directly. It is used to sharpen points, delegitimize rivals and democratic institutions, and even for the purpose of their dehumanization and symbolic extinction. As such, it is a means of expressing most salient NNP principles: Through debasement the National Camp strives to be the exclusive voice of the “deprived righteous majority,” obtaining “true” Jewish identity, demanding “just” illiberal and majoritarian patterns, while questioning the state’s democratic foundations.
