A nation's ceremonies reflect its perception of itself. Once upon a time, Israel imagined itself as a utopian agricultural society, then as a glittering high-tech superpower. But today, the main export it boasts is not oranges or software, but destruction – in Iran, in Lebanon and mainly in Gaza.

Small wonder then that a pompous ceremony was held in Holon on Monday, celebrating destruction itself: marking the demolition of a couple of buildings that were hit in the war with Iran with snacks and ingratiating speeches.

The ceremony succeeded in distilling the three elements that make up current Israeli culture: a sick passion for destruction, bourgeois real-estate appetite and mishaps by Defense Minister Israel Katz.

The speeches sounded as if they had been written by miserable artificial intelligence, but were theatrically performed by Katz, Holon Mayor Shai Kenan and, of course, the CEO of........

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