Reading the Israeli mindset
The books under review give the reader an insight into the mindset of both the Israeli establishment and the citizenry. Jonathan Cook, relying entirety on Israeli and other authentic sources, succeeds in 'the unmasking of the Jewish and democratic state', which is the subtitle of his book.As the book explains, the pioneers of the Zionist movement, founded towards the end of the 19th century, made it clear from day one that the original inhabitants of Palestine would have no place in their scheme. The founders of Israel, which was established in 1948, did exactly what was expected of them. By means of forcible eviction, the Irgun and Hagana gangs and later the Israeli Defence Force created conditions that forced Arabs to flee to safer havens in neighbouring countries. An estimated 700,000 Palestinians fled their homes.
The Law of Return, enacted in 1950, states that a Jew living anywhere in the world has the right to 'return' to Israel and acquire citizenship. However this privilege is not available to the Arabs evicted in 1948 and after. Israel is still without a written constitution, and the basic laws mostly favour Jewish citizens, with no mention of Arabs residing in Israel. The non-Jews are further divided into Arabs, Druze and Bedouins in spite of the similarities in their religion, language and culture.
Discriminatory laws are in vogue to deny the non-Jews full citizenship rights. Preference is given to Jewish traditions in every sphere of life like holidays, calendar, religious matters and even norms of hygiene. Conversion to Judaism is discouraged to maintain purity of the Jewish creed. Inter-faith marriages are shunned, thereby causing immense suffering to the citizens doing so.
Even prior to the six-day 1967 war, Arab citizens were considered a fifth column. After that, events took a turn for the worse. Matters further deteriorated after the second Intifada began; Arabs came to be seen as an even greater security risk. Thus their movement for greater rights and against forcible eviction from their lands was equated with suicide bombing by the Israeli establishment. Protests were now to be responded to not according to the level of violence but as a strategy determined beforehand.Owing to a higher Arab birth rate, the demographic factor has also come into play. This has led to a rejection of the very concept of one person one vote. Israelis have accepted the two-state plan grudgingly, but if and when a Palestinian state comes into being it will be a conglomerate of ghettoes and Bantustans behind security walls and barriers. Yet in spite of this Israel is considered a western-style democracy, in the words of Noam Chomsky, 'such general acclaim is matched only by the no less general ignorance of the facts.'
The founding fathers of Israel wanted it to be a Kurhitukh (melting pot) for the Diaspora and world Jewry; 60 years down the road the ideal is open to question. The Mizralim (Middle Eastern Jews) and Falashmura (Ethiopian Jews) and even immigrants from the former USSR complain of maltreatment by the dominant Ashkenazim (East European Jews). Those from the former USSR especially feel that they were better off in the land they left, having a higher standard of living. Besides, they also resent religiosity prevalent in Israel as they were groomed otherwise.Although the hatred for Arabs permeates all sections of Israeli society, some Israelis complained about the state being too preoccupied with security concerns rather than with the welfare of its citizen. Besides, there do exist sane voices abhorring violence even against adversaries-in-faith. One such voice is Don Yarmiya's, an IDF officer expelled for exposing atrocities committed in 1982 in Lebanon. In his own words 'The oppressed often become the worst oppressors if conditions allow'. He said, 'In Israel they [Arabs] are underdogs and we treat them as dogs'.Only Hebrew is encouraged, while other languages such as Arabic, Yiddish, and various Slav languages are discouraged, although a significant number of Israelis speak them. History is distorted to such an extent that school-going Arab children are not aware that their forefathers, and even fathers, were turned into refugees in 1948.
Initially, Zionism was a secular movement. Its founders were greatly influenced by Europe's liberal and progressive strains. In 1948, at the behest of the Jewish Agency, David Ben-Gurion 'tamed' a section of the religions lobby and converted them to Zionism. Many orthodox Jews remain opposed to the creation and existence of the state Israel to this day. Post-1967, the change of heart on the part of the religious right became more evident and more assertive to the detriment of non-Jewish people living in Israel.
Some interesting information which was available through these interviews is revealing: 'Amputees of Soul', as the author calls the survivors of ethnic violence, have been on the rise, especially after the second Intifada. Due to an increase in the cases of post-traumatic disorder, use of drugs amongst citizens has led to Israel being the biggest producer and dealer of the drug Ecstasy.It is only after the instituting of Holocaust memorialisation in the US and Europe that Yom Ha Shooh (Holocaust Memorial Day) began to be observed in Israel. 'Thou shalt not remember' became 'Thou shalt not forget', as the writer points out.
Although an end to the sufferings of both Jews and Arabs, as a result of violence, does not appear to be in sight, this might in itself become a rallying point for both of them to make their respective leaderships seek peace with each other.
Blood and Religion: The unmasking of the Jewish and democratic state
By Jonathan Cook
Pluto Press, London
Available with Liberty Books, Karachi
ISBN 0-7453-2555-6
182pp. Rs1,175
Occupied Minds: A journey through the Israeli psyche
By Arthur Neslen
Pluto Press, London
Available with Paramount Books, Karachi
ISBN 0-7453-2365-0
282pp. Rs.1,175
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