I Wish I Was Wrong
Credit: Amir Levy / Getty
by Jonathan Kuttab
When the current right-wing Israeli government was formed, I wrote that this was predictable, inevitable, and irreversible. I wish I was wrong.
What I meant by this is that the current crisis within Zionism and the Israeli state is merely the logical extension of long-held policies and that it is impossible for the result to have been other than what we are witnessing today. I also predicted that Israel had embarked on a path that necessarily resulted in it being more openly racist, discriminatory, fascist, and brutal, and that there is no way for that not to have happened. The current situation is not an aberration but simply a logical extension, and there is no way to return somehow to a gentler, kinder Israel that is both “Jewish and democratic.” There has never been such an Israel in the experience of Palestinians. All that happened is that the mask has been removed. The current government no longer feels the need or even has the ability to hide reality. In fact, every week brings us new actions and legislation that both reveal and openly promote such bigotry and fascism. Once the mask has been removed, it can no longer be worn again.
The latest legislation to be proposed speaks clearly of the desire to permit larger and larger communities the ability to openly exclude Arabs, including Israeli citizens, from living in Jewish communities. The law speaks openly of “judaizing the Galilee, the Negev, and Judea and Samaria,” making it abundantly clear that apartheid is practiced not only within the Occupied Territories, where different systems and laws apply to Arabs and Jewish settlers, but also within the boundaries of “Israel proper.” One minister in the new government linked this to the need to appoint new judges “who know that Jews do not want Arabs to live next to them and in their communities.”
Gone forever are the days when the Israeli government could pretend to be interested in a two-state solution, claim equality for Arabs and Jews, or maintain a liberal façade. There are even reports that in the weekly demonstrations against “judicial reforms,” a majority of demonstrators and organizers are becoming even more hostile to those demanding an end to the occupation and are cooperating with police to crush the small minority that insists on raising the Palestinian flag or introducing concepts of equality to the protesters’ demands for democracy.
The real losers in this are those liberal Zionists who find the ground cutting away from under their feet. They are forced to make the choice between a bigoted Zionism that is blatantly fascist, and which can only result in an open and unapologetic system of apartheid, or a disquieting rejection of such Zionism and the pursuit of equality. They can no longer have their cake and eat it too, whereby they can speak of liberalism and democracy while simultaneously benefiting from Jewish supremacy and dominance in an unjust apartheid reality. The choice is truly wrenching for those with a moral conscience yet who still want to keep their state Jewish.
To be sure, one reason why this is no longer a choice is Palestinian resilience and resistance, and the insistence, against all odds, on their rights, their identity, their flag, their nationalism, and their humanity. They are doing this all without proper leadership and with no help from the wider Arab world, a world willing to normalize relations with Israel without requiring justice first for the Palestinians and that is indifferent to the international community.
The right wing has no such dilemma. In a frank and detailed article, appearing in Hebrew, Bezalel Smotrich describes his vision for the end result he seeks. Labeling it a “peace plan,” he contrasted it with what he considers to be those pathetic plans which sought to make peace with Palestinians. He correctly recognizes the death of a two-state solution, claiming that there is no room for two nationalisms or two states between the river and the sea and that only one group can win. All other plans lead to ongoing struggle and are doomed to fail. His plan, therefore, is to seek the total victory of Zionism over Palestinians, to insist that they have no national rights whatsoever and that the entire land belongs to the Jewish people. Non-Jews will be allowed to stay, with no civil rights or voting, but only if they accept this reality. Those who do not will be “encouraged” to leave and seek their fortunes elsewhere. If they choose to resist, they will be crushed. Initially, the international community may not like this and view it as blatant apartheid and ethnic cleansing, but that does not bother him. The world will learn to accept this reality, as it has done with so much else. After all, Israel has the power and the means to carry out this plan, and “ …it does not matter what the gentiles say, but what the Jews do.” Thus, and only thus, can peace be reached. He believes his views will eventually be accepted by the vast majority of Israeli Jews. He despises those liberals who still speak of accommodation with Palestinians as being weak, hypocritical, and unrealistic. He seeks an open declaration and acknowledgement that this land, river to sea, is only for Jews, and he advocates for specific laws and actions that make this abundantly clear.
While presenting his plan in secular terms, he also admits that he believes God himself is behind this plan and was the driving force in both the creation of and the victories of the state of Israel. He states that the plan will succeed if only Jewish people had the faith and the will to make it happen.
People of faith, both Jewish and Christian, have a real challenge in dealing with Smotrich and the vision he espouses. In theological terms, we must reject his notion of a racist and exclusivist God who cares only for the Jewish People and who expresses His will in terms of their earthly power (much like Jesus’ contemporaries who wanted to see a restored earthly Kingdom to the Jews). We also must reject his vision of racial and ethnic supremacy. Even as we reject racism and anti-jewish bigotry, we must also reject ideologies and practices that impose Jewish domination over others and racism towards Palestinians and Arabs. We must hold forth a vision of equality and universal justice.
Take Action!
No Visa Waiver for Israel without Equal Treatment of Arab Americans
(Arab American Institute) Israel is once again asking to be included in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP) which allows temporary visitors to come to the United States without nonimmigrant visas.
In order to join the VWP, a country must guarantee that any American visiting will be treated without discrimination by the country’s authorities. There is overwhelming evidence that Israel fails to meet this standard of reciprocity, with clear and documented cases of Arab Americans routinely facing hours of harsh interrogation, searches of electronic devices, and in some cases, strip searches when traveling through Israeli ports of entry. In other examples, they are simply denied entry.
Ask your Representative to sign on to Congressman Jonathan Jackson's Dear Colleague letter raising concerns about Israel's eligibility for the Visa Waiver Program.
Apartheid-Free Communities
For decades, the Palestinian people have faced Israeli occupation and systematic human rights abuses that constitute apartheid. Inspired by the anti-Apartheid movement that toppled the Apartheid regime in South Africa, we are building an anti-apartheid movement in North America and encourage our faith communities and all communities of conscience to step away from any and all support to Israeli apartheid, occupation, and settler colonialism.
This Tuesday, on the anniversary of the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, the Apartheid-Free Communities campaign officially launched. We invite faith communities, congregations, and organizations as well as other communities of conscience to join us by signing the pledge to dismantle apartheid. If you are an individual, organize within your community to take collective action against apartheid.
Get Involved!
We invite you to join us in the following events and activities:
June 18: Online
VFHL Film Salon: The First 54 Years: An Abbreviated Manual for Military Occupation
What are the circumstances, logic, and day-to-day processes that allow the normalization of the Israeli military occupation?
Almost 3 million Palestinians live under military occupation on land captured by Israel in the ’67 war, plus another 2 million in Gaza. What does “military occupation” mean for people living under it? Witness first-hand testimonies from former IDF soldiers and historical film clips that show the devastating results not only on the occupied Palestinians, but also on Israeli youth conscripted to enforce it. In The First 54 Years: An Abbreviated Manual for Military Occupation, Director Avi Mograbi hosts the viewers in his living room and provides insights to how a colonialist occupation works–the logic behind its brutal practices and the different modes of thought needed to sustain it despite international condemnation.
Book Launch
Our Executive Director Jonathan Kuttab is launching his new book, The Truth Shall Set You Free: The Story of a Palestinian Human Rights Lawyer Working for Peace & Justice in Palestine/Israel.
Join us on Zoom Wednesday, June 21st at 5:00pm PT/8:00pm ET!
July 8 - 17: Palestine
FOSNA Witness Trip
We are hosting a witness trip with Sabeel led by Nyle Fort and Jonathan Kuttab this July! For 9 days, our delegation will be traveling across Palestine experiencing the reality of joy, resistance, and struggle of the Palestinian community.
Weekly
Sabeel Prayer Service. Join Sabeel every Thursday (6pm Palestine) for online Bible Study, discussion, and prayer. Examine scripture in light of the ongoing realities confronting the Palestinian Church and the pursuit of Palestinian liberation.
Wave of Prayer. Subscribe to receive Sabeel's Wave of Prayer, enabling friends of Sabeel around the world to pray over issues of critical concern to the Holy Land on a weekly basis.
Kumi Now! June 11-17: (Week 24) Tourism and Pilgrimage. Kumi Now is an online gathering every Tuesday (6pm Palestine) with a guest speaking on the weekly topic. Register here.
For the northern hemisphere, students and families around the world are beginning their summer vacations. While in the southern hemisphere students may be looking forward to a winter break. Many people take these times to travel: to visit family, as tourists, or as pilgrims. Whether or not you are spending your own travel money to go on holiday or pilgrimage in Israel and Palestine, you can, as part of the Kumi Community, help have an impact. That’s why, this week, we learn about ethical tourism and pilgrimage, so that together we may rise up.