This article seems poignant after my last post, "The Bus Lane," questioning the growing sense of apartheid in a supposedly democratic country. The writer is a volunteer for Christian Peacemaker Teams and former CNN correspondent. OP-ED in Birmingham News Sunday Viewpoints Section April 12, 2009 IN TRUTH, ISRAEL IS NOT A DEMOCRACY By Jerry Levin Birmingham Jewish Federation Executive Director, Richard Friedman in recent writings in the Birmingham News continues to claim that "the Jewish State" of Israel is a "tiny and humane democracy struggling against Islamic fanaticism in the Middle East [and so] deserves our support and admiration." As the anniversary of Israel's momentous, violent and controversial establishment nears, I am challenging those assertions. It is true that tiny Israel is struggling to protect its noncombatant citizens from potentially deadly rocket attacks by its tinier violent opponent, the militant wing of Hamas, as well it should. But what Mr. Friedman's arguments on behalf of Israel obscure is the Jewish State's historic and violently abusive and predatory treatment of non Jewish citizens living inside Israel or its non Jewish subjects hanging on in the West Bank and Gaza. Until now, however, publicly questioning the Jewish State's exclusionary conduct has been an elephant in the room that has been avoided by U.S policy and opinion makers for generations. Apparently believing it not to be particularly relevant with respect to our interests in that part of the world, a succession of U. S. administrations have rationalized their massive economic and military support by giving disingenuous lip service to Mr. Friedman's eyes wide shut claim that Israel is the only "true democracy in the Middle East." Israel has no constitution and no bill of rights. In addition its history of legislating apartheid, unequal civil rights, privileges and access to public funds make a disqualifying mockery of the definition of "true" and the concept of "democracy." The truth is there are no true democracies in the Middle East. Amazingly while the concept of an Islamic state ruled by either authoritarian theocratic, monarchical or secular elites is not compatible with American political values, the notion of a Jewish defiantly ethnically exclusionary state continues to be o.k. The sensibilities of Mr. Friedman and other Americans' political sensibilities do not seem to be offended by the second class status Israel's Jewish majority has legally imposed on its Christian and Arab Muslim populations even though doing that does not square with an egalitarian view of what constitutes "democracy" and the Jeffersonian concept of equal inalienable rights for "all men." It is true those living in Israel have citizenship; but it is even truer that Jewish nationality still counts the most. Nevertheless Israel's exaggerated democratic characterizations of itself have gained such astounding credibility that its government has been able to put off reversing the inferior civil and human rights status of Palestinians living in Israel or under its control in the West Bank and Gaza. Meanwhile the kind of effective massive few strings attached support Israel continues to receive from especially the United States is enabling its military/industrial/theocratic ruling establishment to put off coming to grips fairly and decently with West Bank and Gazan Christian and Muslim Palestinians' aspirations for political, economic, and territorial integrity. Still a succession of U. S. administrations has participated in the scornful rejection of any persons or parties who challenge the "right" of the exclusivist Jewish State "to exist." Except for a violent extremist Islamic fringe that does not speak for all Palestinians, what most Palestinians are calling into question when they dispute "Israel's right to exist," is not the right of Jews to continue living there. What they are still futilely disputing is the moral and ethical legitimacy of Israel's current legally discriminating militantly elitist ethnically pure governing establishment. Also contrary to the kind of negative stereotyping rhetoric still prevalent in the United States, what Christian and Muslim Palestinians in the street mean when they talk about "the destruction of Israel" is a radical but nonviolent change of government orientation from political and social exclusion to inclusion. In other words, what they want to have established at last is the first true democracy in the Middle East. Moreover, even though some militant Hamas leaders behind the unconscionable indiscriminate sometimes lethal rocket attacks on Israeli noncombatants do call for violent upheaval, most Palestinians including politically oriented Hamas leaders do not. They favor one achieved by the kind of dramatic internal political reform in Israel that I have been describing. At this moment it does not seem likely that President Obama's policy includes encouraging the kind of political change in Israel that will result in an end to the current exclusivist Jewish state and the beginning of a truly democratic pluralist equalitarian society that would not be prey to any sectarian, ethnic, gender, or racial interests. To bad because such nonviolent regime change could set the stage for the establishment of two side by side similar truly democratic states, one in Israel and one in Palestine, that could go far in creating political stability in the Middle East that has been so tragically elusive until now. Jerry Levin is a former CNN foreign correspondent. He is cofounder with his wife, Sis, of the Community Nonviolence Resource Center and the youth oriented NonviolentPeacebuilders. Jerry and Sis Levin will receive the Dali Lama's Unsung Heroes of Compassion award in San Francisco at the end of April. |
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Israel...Democracy?posted Apr 30, 2009 5:09 AM by Chelsea Mathis |