Well I see a bad moon rising
Yeah I see the end coming soon
Well I hear earthquakes and lightning
Yeah I hear the voice of rage and ruinWell don’t go out tonight
It’s bound to take your life
Yeah there’s a bad moon on the riseWell I see the rivers overflowing
I hear the troubles on this way
Yeah I hear that hurricane blowin’
Well I’ve seen some bad times todayWell I hope you have got your shit together
I hope you are quite prepared to die
Well it looks like we’re in for nasty weather
Yeah one eye is taken for an eye—Bad Moon Rising, Credence Clearwater Revival
There are times when bad things happen to Israel and its response to them make things worse. Then there are times, without any prompting, Israel shoots itself in the foot (or mouth). Recent days offered a perfect example of this. In light of repeated tit-for-tat terror attacks in Jerusalem in recent weeks, along with Israeli expulsion of Palestinians from their East Jerusalem homes, and police pogroms in Al Aqsa mosque, Netanyahu has decided he’s got to teach those Palestinians a lesson they won’t soon forget.
So he’s proposed a series of what I call Israeli racialist laws that strip much of the “democracy” from the term commonly used to portray Israel: a “Jewish democratic state.” Na’aman Hirschfield, an Israeli academic living in Berlin, wrote this keen description of the proposed legislation in Haaretz, which he declares affirms the official triumph of Israeli apartheid:
…The government approved a bill that extends Israeli civil law into the settlements automatically (settlers are already subject to civil law) and thus officially extends the state’s civil jurisdiction into the west bank, which being an occupied territory, is currently governed through martial law…This territorializing action…seeks to dissolve the distinction between the occupied and non-occupied…
The result of such legislation is to extend Israeli law not just to individual Israeli citizens who live in the West Bank, but to the territory itself. From there it’s just a hop, skip and jump to annexing the Occupied Territories entirely to Israel. A goal all settlers and most Israeli rightists share. One which will lead to civil insurrection both among Palestinians in the Territories and likely inside Israel itself.
…The democratic and secular basis of the state is under attack with the proposed “Jewish Nation-State Basic Law,” which Prime Minister Netanyahu vowed to push through as soon as possible.
The first clause of this law states:
“a. The State of Israel is the national home of the Jewish people in which it realizes its aspiration for self-determination in accordance with its cultural and historic heritage;
b. The right to realize the national self-definition in the State of Israel is exclusive to the Jewish people;
c. The Land of Israel is the historic homeland of the Jewish people and the place of establishment of the State of Israel.”
It further asserts the significance of “Jewish tradition as a source of inspiration” [for] legislation, demotes Arabic from being an official language into a secondary language, and sets the “basics of liberty, justice and peace envisioned by the prophets of Israel” as a defining characteristic of the state alongside democracy.
…The [proposed] law would force the Supreme Court to give more weight in judicial decisions to the Jewish element than the democratic one in all instances in which there is a clash between the two, curtailing the judiciary and removing key checks and balances that have thus effectively prevented the enactment of a de jure apartheid through legislative and executive actions. It would also dramatically exacerbate the bias against Palestinians who are Israeli citizens (euphemistically referred to in Israel as “Israeli-Arabs”,) while introducing the denial of the Palestinians’ claim to a homeland and of their right to self-determination, into the legal foundation of the State of Israel itself; making the erasure of Palestine and Palestinians into the law of the land while enabling the expansion of the state to include the entire territory of the Land of Israel / Palestine.
Though the racist foundation of the State of Israel was clear from its very beginning in the Nakba, until now there was always a tension between the Jewishness of the state versus its democratic nature. For the first thirty years or so, the secular, democratic nature of the state was prominent, perhaps even predominant. But that began to erode with Israel’s victory in the 1967 war and the rise of settler Judeo-nationalism.
These proposed law would forever seal not just in law, but in the foundational principles of the State that it officially rejects the Declaration of Independence which affirms the multi-ethnic nature of the State and espouses equal rights for all citizens regardless of religion. If Israel had a constitution, these proposals would be, in effect, amendments fundamentally altering the nature of the state. It would be as if John Hagee persuaded a Christian president and Congress to amend the Constitution to endorse Christianity as the state religion, and the secondary place of non-Christian religions in American society. Further, it would be as if such amendments also affirmed that the State existed to affirm the aspirations of the white Anglo-Saxons; and that non-whites could have no similar expectations within this state.
If Christian evangelicals made such a proposal, it would be met with consternation and roundly rejected. But only because the U.S. was founded with a constitution that enshrined separation of church and state. In Israel, David Ben Gurion deliberately finessed the question of how prominent the role of Judaism should be in affairs of state. For him, the legitimation offered by Israeli Orthodox Jews at the time the state was founded was much important than defining the limitations of the role of religion in the state. As a result of this devil’s bargain, we have the current mess.
Reporters in the mainstream media have noted that these new proposals, which are a religious version of the Nuremberg Laws, would drive a wedge between Israel and Diaspora Jews; and that it would also further erode support for Israel within the international community. But I think it will go further than that. With such a fundamental change in the nature of the state, Israel will truly become a pariah state.
As long as there was a tension between religion and democracy in defining the State, the world could choose to see Israel as a democracy and overlook the fundamental violations of rights of the non-Jewish minority. But once Israel renounces democracy, all bets are off. Then Israel becomes apartheid era South Africa or North Korea. It may be possible for Israel to survive the ensuing sanctions and isolation with which the world will respond. But it will survive as a pariah state in the same way North Korea is.
Israel’s advocates will respond: no, Israel will be no different than scores of countries throughout the world viewed as pariahs (Moldova, Zimbabwe, Sudan, etc.). Each of those countries are viewed no more favorably than Israel, yet their leaders continue to lead and the world has done nothing to topple them.
This may be true. But none of these countries plays a critical role either in their region nor are they a threat to regional peace and stability. In other words, their sins may be ignored, something the international community always prefers if it can get away with it. That is not the case with Israel. The Middle East is too central, too critical a region to ignore in this way. There is too much at stake in terms of natural resources and the possibility of nuclear conflict.
But there comes a point in the affairs of men and states, when the world can no longer ignore oppression and injustice. Then it is forced to act, whether as a result of genocide (Rwanda, Serbia) or a campaign by international activists (South Africa).
UPDATE: The latest news is that after threatening to bring down the government if it voted on the “Jewish state” bill, Avigdor Lieberman brokered an agreement to postpone a vote by seven days. I’m not sure what the delay is supposed to accomplish, unless it’s meant to water down the language so so-called moderates can either vote for it or hold their noses as it passes.
Israeli Palestinians: Canaries in the Coal Mine of Israeli Democracy
Today, Israel’s leading Judeo-fascist politician, deputy Knesset speaker, Moshe Feiglin, ejected two Israeli Palestinian MKs who spoke to the plenum objecting to the proposed racialist laws. In doing so, Feiglin violated basic protocol of the body. But as long as he violated only the rights of ‘secondary’ MKs, there will be no repurcussions:
MK Jamal Zahalka (Balad) was forcibly removed from the Knesset podium and dragged out of the plenum on Monday evening after he called Moshe Feiglin (Likud), the acting speaker, a fascist. Prior to Zahalka’s eviction, MK Mohammed Barakeh (Hadash) was removed from the plenum, also at the behest of Feiglin, for allegedly shouting “You should be suffocated” at the acting speaker.
Barakeh was evicted without prior warning, which is required by Knesset regulations.
The session, which was debating a no-confidence motion, came to standstill after Zahalka’s removal, with opposition MKs loudly protesting the move. Feiglin subsequently explained that he had meant for Zahalka to be removed from the podium but not evicted from the plenum.
…In his speech, Zahalka attacked the new Jewish nation-state bill…Quoting the Jewish philosopher Hannah Arendt, Zahalka said that she had criticized the idea of a national homeland for the Jewish people in 1941, arguing that it would turn the Palestinians into second-class citizens.
After Feiglin interrupted the speech with questions about Zahalka’s sources and terminology, the MK said: “I suggest you read her. Of course you are in an opposite world from hers… She was anti-Nazism, anti-fascism — and you are a fascist.” Feiglin ordered Zahalka to end his speech immediately and, when Zahalka refused, he called the security guards, three of whom dragged the MK from the podium and out of the chamber.
I have deliberately used the term “fascist” to portray Feiglin because of his belief in Judeo-supremacy, his desire to destroy the Haram al-Sharif and replace it with a shrine to Judeo-primitivism and animal sacrifice, and because he supports the expulsion of Palestinians not only from the Knesset, but from Israel itself.
There is a related anti-democratic Knesset bill which would call for the expulsion of any MK who called for violence to oppose the State. It’s known as the “Zoabi law” since it’s intended to eject her and disenfranchise her Palestinian voters. Of course, Zoabi has never advocated armed rebellion against Israel. But in Israeli terms, if you say a sympathetic word (as Israeli Jews would define “sympathetic”) about acts of Palestinian terror, then you yourself are terrorist.
This bill is not controversial among most Israeli Jews who detest Zoabi with a hatred once reserved in this country for Malcolm X, and no one inside or outside Israel would get terribly worked up about her expulsion. But they should. Zoabi is the canary in the coal mine of Israeli democracy. If she “expires” politically, it’s only a matter of time before the Judeo-fascists come after more moderate opponents, even Jews.
I’ve regularly written here that Israeli party/electoral politics have grown increasingly irrelevant to Israeli society and certainly to any possibility of resolving the Israel-Arab conflict. The Knesset isn’t a body which makes major decisions relevant to Israelis. Almost all such decisions are made by the cabinet or ministries. Can anyone watch the above video in which Feiglin shoves a sock in Zahalka’s mouth and then blithely turns to fellow rightist Yuval Steinitz and recognizes him to speak in place of the Palestinian MK, without recognizing the irrelevance of the Knesset? It is an illustration of the dysfunction and bankruptcy of Israeli politics. An emblem of despair and the collapse of whatever vestiges of democracy that remain.
Livni and the Co-Optation of the Political Center
Those of you versed in Israeli domestic politics may remember that the justice minister in this most extremist of all Israeli governments is none other than Tzipi Livni. She was the child of Irgun extremists who fought at the side of Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Shamir in the days when they were terrorists. Livni had a change of heart when Ariel Sharon abandoned the Likud to begin what was originally conceived as a “centrist” party, Kadima. She joined him as a senior leader of the new party.
Almost all Israeli politicians except those on the governing far right have virtually abandoned political principles in favor of survival. That’s why Livni agreed to accept a cabinet portfolio in the Netanyahu government. She did so despite the fact that she fundamentally disagreed with the foreign policy of the government and its approach to Palestinian peace.
Now, Livni, whose justice ministry would implement the very racist laws her government is proposing, has discovered what a schandeh they would be. She’s stolen a clever Peace Now graphic featuring the Israeli Declaration of Independence with all the democratic clauses stricken from the document. They say the imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But in this case, it’s the height of insincerity and hypocrisy.
If these proposed laws really bothered her all she has to do is resign to express her fundamental opposition. But she doesn’t dare do that because there is increasingly no role for moderates in Israeli politics. Without a ministry, she’d be consigned to political oblivion. She has no real mandate, no clear platform. Whatever she claims to represent (peace or democracy) she’s abandoned every time she was forced to make a choice.
To express her mock horror at recent developments, Livni featured a graphic of the Israeli Declaration of Independence with the democratic clauses excised. It would be more powerful if she hadn’t ripped off a far more graphically compelling version by Peace Now. Here is how it reads in translation (words in brackets are the “updated” Likudist version):
The State of Israel will be open to the aliyah of Jews and to the ingathering of exiles. It will strive for the development of the land for the betterment of
all its citizens[its Jewish citizens]. It will be founded on the principles offreedom, justice and peace[faith, military power, and extremism] in light of the vision ofIsrael’s prophets. [the Likud central committee]. It will maintain the absolute equality of social and political rights for all its [Jewish] citizens without differentiating betweenreligion, race orsex. It will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture. It will protect the holy sites of all religions [except Islam] and be true to the principles ofthe United Nations.[the Bayit Yehudi party].
The signatures on the document are meant to imitate those of Ben Gurion and ministers in his first Israeli government. But here the signatories are Netanyahu, Naftali Bennett, Avigdor Lieberman, etc.
I feel far differently about the sort of developments I described above than I once might have. When I was a liberal Zionist, the horrors and opera bouffe above would’ve embarrassed me on behalf of Israel. I would’ve decried them and pointed out how bad they were both for Israel and Jews the world over. But now, I’m sorry to say, I welcome such megalomania. It is the only way to expose to the world the racism, violence, and injustice at the heart of today’s Israel. It is the only way to cause such revulsion that it will be forced to take action. It is the only way to transform Israel and make it a decent place.
The New York Times is the first to publicly asks Israel NOT TO PASS THIS LAW.
It clearly expresses the opinion that this law will EFFECTIVELY DITCH ANY “DEMOCRATIC” FIG LEAF left.
I also believe the WhiteHouse speaker has tangentially mentioned the “not so correct” law without coming down opposing it, but again any US gov. speaker will be as wishy washy as can be. Journalism currently PARSE expressions the same way the world used to judge who was up or down in the Red Russia depending on who was sitting where as compared to the leader. This is so dishonest against us who are powerless against such lack of honesty.
ISIS exists ONLY AND SOLELY BECAUSE OF “POLITICAL CORRECTNESS” = fear of consequences leads to paralysis and paralysis for power grabber is ACQUIESCENCE. In spanish we say “el que calla, otorga” (he who does not speak, grants) Political Correctness is SILENCE, SILENCE GIVES US FASCISM AND ALL “ISMS”
WELCOME TO THE NEW STATE OF ISRAELISTAN, PLEASE LEAVE YOUR “FAIR” AT HOME, IT HAS NO PLACE HERE.
Please note that ALL russian immigrants who have not being able to justify their “jewishness” before coming to Israel, bear the word “BASTARD” on their Israeli ID. They CANNOT MARRY IN ISRAEL BUT YET THEY ARE FORCED TO DO THE MILITARY SERVICE. SUCH PEOPLE (300k) are now on granted ZERO STATUS IN THE NEW COUNTRY. no different than arabs, christians or any PURE JEW. This PURE was used not long ago by others….
“For the first thirty years or so, the secular, democratic nature of the state was prominent, perhaps even predominant.”
The State of Israel has never had any democratic nature to the Palestinian citizens who lived under military administrative rule from 1948-1966: curfews, martial law, ungoing expulsions, land seizure, strict residential rules, permits were needed from the military governor even for daily traveling of a certain distance from one’s residence (intially more restrictive than the South African Pass system during Apartheid).
The Palestinian citizens were given the right to vote only because it was required by the international community.
Concerning Feiglin, the admirer of Hitler (cf. interview by Yossei Sarid I think in Haaretz), I would qualify him as more than a fascist. His “My outline for a solution for Gaza” that he posted this summer makes Mussolini look like a left-wing radical …. okay, I’m exagerating a little 🙂
http://www.jewishisrael.org/outline-solution-israels-gaza-problem-moshe-feiglin/
you omitted: “Heil Moshe”
also Mr. Benett today’s answer, YOU’RE AGAIN AT IT YOU MESSIANIC U.S. you, WE KNOW BETTER
@ Deir Yassin: Yes, you are right. I should’ve made more clear that the secular, democratic nature of the pre-67 Israel state was largely for the benefit of Jews, not Palestinian citizens.
Karl Deutsch once defined a nation as “a group of people united by a mistaken view of the past and a hatred of their neighbours”. At present Israel amply fulfils these criteria. Now it wants more. It wants to extend the hatred to 20 % of its fellow citizens and provide an institutional basis for that.
The Jewish nation-state bill will finally and definitely remove the fig leaf “democracy”. All Jewish organisations in the US have kept an embarrassed silence since Adelson came up with his grand dismissal of democracy for Israel. Klein, the leader of the Zionist Organisation of the US, tried to pretend that it was a joke.
If this Jewish nation-state bill is passed such evasions will be no longer possible. People will have to give up their “only democracy in the Middle East” mantra whether they approve of this development or not. This mantra was never very convincing at the best of times but now will become a plain joke. The net effect of this development will be further distance between the state of Israel and various Jewish groups in the diaspora.
Also the “shared values” mantra as a rationale for American support will have to go.
Further moves on the Third Temple front, which will unite the Moslem world against Israel, will make sure that this other folly will come to full fruition.
Clearly, Israeli leaders seem to have a death wish.
But then what will ultimately expire does not seem worth saving.
One does wonder – should the said Jewish-nation-state bill slither through – should one convert to another religion? As a form of protest? Demonstration? Even if one is an agnostic atheist? And – if so – which creed or religion to choose? I rather prefer something like Shinto, I suspect.
Israel – as it is now – can no longer brought to its senses. It is time to wrap it in a sheet and carry it away. Heck, I do hope the law makes it through.
You are allowed to be an agnostic in Israel, but you have to marry abroad (to a person that is another resident of Israel or of an approved nationality, which excludes most of the Arabs). Cyprus is perhaps the most economic option, but Istambul with its cheap hotels may be an attractive option (I was there and it was very nice, but it was before Erdogan restored the sultanate). Moreover, Israel is not simply a religious (theocratic, if you will) state, but the state of Holy War, so serving in the military gives one most of the privileges a citizen may want to have. Conversely, Knesset works how to sock it to Jews who shirk their duty to join the Holy War, that heresy is more despised than the lack of religion.
Seems like they tried the ‘democracy thing’ but it really wasn’t a good fit. I think the state of Israel is soul searching for it’s identity, but it will go to a dark place. I can only hope that their actions will enable the US government to stop endlessly supporting the apartheid state of Israel, but somehow I think majority of US politicians will always find a way to vote as AIPAC wishes.
Demoting Arabic from being an official language into a secondary language, really is subverting the facade of Israel democracy, or as the NYTimes article called it yesterday a ‘Judocracy’.
[comment deleted: references to the “financiers” of early Zionism is a barely concealed anti-Semitic smear.]
I used to defend Israel when Richard often expressed his biased opinion against Israel. I must say that in the last few weeks I am pretty much speechless. I was born and raised in Israel, served in the army and lived there until my late 20s. I am sad and ashamed of where Israel is heading. Sad Sad Sad 🙁
@David, you say: “I am sad and ashamed of where Israel is heading. Sad Sad Sad 🙁 ”
ok …. what are going to do about it ?
A nation which has a racist, colonialist philosophy (Zionism) as its guiding principle had to eventually end up in a dark place.
With the BDS movement gaining strength and many, especially young Jews outside Israel, vocal in expressing disgust at the moral cesspit Israel has become, it seems Israeli leadership is telling the world to go to hell, they’ll go it alone and to hell with the pretence of democracy and the rule of law.
Most telling is the editorial in the New York Times expressing alarm at the direction Israel is taking. American Zionists are getting real queasy it seems, as if it’s beginning to dawn on them that pariah status for Israel may be a real possibility after all.
Where ever this road leads, it promises to be a very interesting ride.
A note to all left Zionists: a political entity founded on three of the four principal forms of fascism – ethnic, religious and ideological – soon joined by nationalism, the other main variant of this ancient, endemic political disease – can have no enduring future. It can only end with a bang or a whimper. And, for the sake of humanity and this good earth, let it be sooner than later.
An improvement on the conventional definition of fascism can be found here:
Us vs. Them: On the Meaning of Fascism
https://sites.google.com/site/onedemocraticstatesite/Home/today-s-headlines/us-vs-them-on-the-meaning-of-fascism-by-roger-tucker
An Arab/ Palestinian MP quotes Hannah Arendt, and a Jewish MP has no idea what he is talking about and kicks him out: That is present-day Israel in a nutshell. Sad and hilarious in one.