In today's blog postings, I am going to do something different - I am going to link to various articles that are critical of Israel.
I am not talking about wild and crazy criticism from anti-Semites or Israel-bashers that questions Israel's very right to exist or criticizes everything Israel does simply because Israel does it - I am talking about criticism arising from legitimate differences of opinion on various issues.
Don't worry - I have not lost my sense of direction or switched sides. However, I think that it is only intellectually proper to acknowledge this material exists and then respond intelligently to it (OK - a difficult thing in my case). After all, one of the points I make as an advocate for Israel is that it is the only real democracy in the Middle East, and that freedom of speech is a leading trait of a democracy.
The issues that Israel faces are extraordinarily complex. While Israel cannot control what the Palestinians and the Arabs do, there is often no clear path for Israel to take on many of these issues.
So with that as a backdrop, here we go.......
1. Following Up - You may remember that a while ago, Jay Michaelson wrote an opinion piece in The Forward in which he spoke of him losing his love for Israel and complaining of fatigue. I was quite critical of his position, as were many others. Here is a follow-up link with a variety of perspectives - On ‘Losing My Love for Israel’ – Forward.com.
2. Where Do You Draw The Line? - Why silence over Israel's wrongs is anti-Zionist - Haaretz - Israel News I cannot begin to comment on the author's comments about Rashi. He does make an interesting point - but at what point do supporters of Israel who do not live in Israel, do not send their children to the military, and do not face the myriad other challenges of living in Israel have to hold their tongues?
In my opinion, at the end of the day it is the Israelis who have to make the call - I would hope that they would listen to constructive input from abroad - but until I put myself in their shoes, I am just an interested bystander.
Everyone in Canada who does not live in Toronto hates Toronto (maybe an exaggeration, but not too much of one). Seriously though, Toronto is the major Canadian Jewish community, and its bonds with Israel and Judaism are very strong. If the President of the Jewish Federation is expressing these views, they must be taken seriously.
My very limited personal and subjective experience on my recent trips to Israel (4 in the last 5 years) is that I find Israelis much more respectful of me (as a Jew in the Diaspora) now than when I first went to Israel in 1985. On that trip I was told by certain Israelis, who in all fairness could not be held to be expressing anything other than their personal opinions, that if I did not live in Israel, I was somehow deficient as a Jew.
I do not know if the allegations in this article are true. I believe that B'Tselem has, at best, a checkered record in its criticisms of Israel. My sense is that things are not as bad as B'Tselem says, but not as good as the Israeli military might suggest.
I think that we have to look again at where the lines are drawn. Does anyone know the proper boundaries that a democracy such as Israel has to respect when fighting terrorism, let alone (on occasion) for its very survival? I certainly do not, and I rather doubt that Germany or the US or the UK, or the EU have any better idea - though it is very easy to criticize Israel, the canary in the coal-mine. And at what point do the improper actions of a democracy eat away at its very nature?
5. Goldstone - Why did Israel decide not to cooperate with the Goldstone investigation that led to the infamous report of the same name? The answer seems to be that Israel believed that the investigation's mandate and protocols were so biased from the start, that to cooperate would only lend it a legitimacy it did not deserve. Aluf Benn, of Ha'Aretz newspaper (and who spoke here in Halifax last year) disagrees - A missed opportunity for Israel by Aluf Benn - Common Ground News Service.
6. The IDF - I have nothing but total respect and admiration for the IDF. They do an incredible job in unbelievable circumstances, and was pointed out by Colonel Richard Kemp, former commander of UK forces in Afghanistan regarding Operation Cast Lead:
“I think – I would say that from my knowledge of the IDF and from the extent to which I have been following the current operation, I don’t think there has ever been a time in the history of warfare when any army has made more efforts to reduce civilian casualties and deaths of innocent people than the IDF is doing today in Gaza."
7. Racism Against Jews In Israel - Unlike the Arab States after 1948, Israel made a point of bringing in Jews who were essentially expelled from all over the Arab world, even though the nascent State of Israel barely had enough resources for its existing citizenry. In later years, Israel would bring in Jews from Ethiopia.
When I visited Israel in 1985, I met with some of these Jews at an absorption centre - in fact, on a later trip in 2005, the place where I had stayed in 1985 (Ayelet HaShachar) had become an absorption centre.
The transition of the Ethiopian Jews to Israeli society was especially difficult because of the primitive conditions in Ethiopia. Sadly, their skin color also became an obstacle.
8. Israel And Her Arab Citizens - In September, 2003, High Court Judge Theodore Or released a report into events that took place at the start of the Second Intifada. The Report concluded as a side finding that Arab citizens of Israel suffer discrimination and that the Government had failed to provide fair and equal attention to their needs.
Again, my personal knowledge is very anecdotal. From people I have spoken with (including people who lived in apartheid South Africa), I do not doubt that Arab citizens do suffer under some form of discrimination, though any suggestion of apartheid is considered ludicrous. However, it seems to me that these people have much greater freedom than they might have in other parts of the Arab world - otherwise surely they would emigrate.
And when was the last time there was an Oz Commission equivalent undertaken in the few Arab countries where there are Jews remaining? As James Taranto of the Wall Street Journal wrote shortly after the release of the Report:
"Yet even acknowledging that Israeli democracy is flawed, its political system is still vastly superior to those of its adversaries. Israeli Arabs enjoy more political and civil liberties than citizens of just about any Arab country; and the only Arab lands that come anywhere close to being democracies are Lebanon, Iraq and the disputed Palestinian territories--the last two only because of American intervention. That the Israeli government criticizes its own treatment of Arabs is a testament to its democracy; can anyone imagine, say, the Saudi regime offering similar criticisms of its treatment of Shiites, non-Muslims or women? American democracy, too, is not without its flaws. During World War II, for instance, black Americans were still disfranchised, and innocent Japanese-Americans were rounded up and put in camps. It does not follow that America was no better than Nazi Germany."
9. Negative Blog Comment - Recently I received a comment on the story I posted about the success story of Israel's business community. A reader posted a very negative comment about their experience in the world of Israeli business - I did not publish it as I thought that the language was a bit too harsh. However, the essence of the comment was that corruption and favoritism are rampant in Israel - so much so that he became disillusioned and left Israel.
10. Conclusions - Well, guess what - Israel ain't perfect. So what, and who is? It is still an absolutely amazing country that has made incredible contributions to the world under some of the most difficult conditions in the world. I would, without hesitation, put its record against any other country in the world.
As I said above, I wrote today's blog entries not to pile on Israel or to give ammunition to the legion of Israel-bashers out there (who don't need my help in any event), but in the vein of what I consider intellectual honesty. I do not defend Israel blindly - except on matters of existence - and I do not think that any Israel advocate should do so.
I hope that you understand my motivation for this experimental column, and I welcome all comments - which will hopefully be constructive.
I will return to "regular programing" with my next blog postings.
10. Boy, After That, Do We Need Something Light! So, no pun intended -
