Israel is the only Jewish State in the World – it is also the only Apartheid State in the World
One of the most familiar Zionist refrains is that Israel is ‘the only Jewish state in the world’. This is a last ditch defence of Israel. However bad Israel might be, whatever it does, it is the only thing that Jews in the world have. It is therefore important to understand why a Jewish state, in a settler colonial context, must be a racist state.
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| Demonstration in Afula against selling homes to Arabs |
In Britain for example if individuals were to campaign to exclude Black or Muslim people from living in a town they would be charged with incitement to racial hatred. The state, even though it is racist, as the appalling treatment of the Windrush people demonstrates, is also committed to a formal legal and political equality.
That was the legacy of the Scarman Inquiry in the early 1980’s, set up as a result of the inner city riots. It was realised that the existing level of police racism and violence and the fascist violence of organisations such as the National Front could no longer be tolerated if British society were not to be torn apart.
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| Killing a sea-turtle will get you a heavier sentence than killing a Palestinian in Israel |
In Israel it is different. It is the State itself which is responsible for implementing and reinforcing the already existing level of racism. It is the State which, for example, sponsors and works with the the Jewish National Fund, the Zionist organisation which openly refuses to allocate land for the use of Israeli Palestinians.
Israel is a Jewish supremacist state. In Israel being Jewish means you are entitled to privileges that non-Jews don’t receive whereas in Iran or Saudi Arabia being a Muslim give you privileges. A Muslim state merely legitimises its repression through the use of Islam.
The British state is formally Christian. The Irish Republic is Catholic, albeit not much of one after the votes legalising gay marriage and abortion. However the difference is that the rights and privileges of non-Christians is not dependent on their religion.
The Zionists argue, if you are opposed to Jews having just one Jewish state then that is anti-Semitic. There is however a gaping hole in this ‘logic’. The primary reason for opposition to a ‘Jewish’ state is not that it is Jewish but that it is discriminatory.
In Britain there is no Christian National Fund which owns or controls 93% of the land. No one says to me, sorry you cannot rent or buy a property or live in a particular area because you aren’t Christian. But in Israel, if you are not Jewish, then your right to live anywhere you want is severely restricted. 93% of the land is owned or controlled by the JNF whose constitution reserves the land it owns to Jews only.
In Israel over 400 towns or villages bar non-Jews from living in them. As the reportfrom Afula demonstrates, when Arabs bid for houses in a ‘Jewish’ area or actually manage to buy a property there then it causes mass demonstrations of Jewish residents.
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| In the good old days when Israeli Labour welcomed their fellow apartheid politicians from South Africa |
In Israel there is no Group Area Act or petty apartheid as used to be the case in South Africa, there are no signs barring Palestinians from certain areas but nonetheless there is a residential apartheid in Israel which is just as effective as that in Apartheid South Africa.
In 2014 the Knesset passed a Receptions Committee Law with the express purpose of allowing Israeli Jewish villages to bar Arabs and anyone else they didn’t like. This decision was upheld by 5-4 in the Supreme Court. High Court Upholds Residential Screening Law, Enabling Jewish Villages to Keep Arabs Out
The law didn’t specifically state that Arabs could be barred but that was the motive. In so doing the Court retreated from its own decision in 2000 when it ruled, in the Ka’adan case, that an Arab couple could not be refused the right to buy property because they were not Jewish.
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| Israeli soldiers firing tear gas at demonstrators |
In the Jewish Nation State bill which is making its way onto the Statute Book there is a provision which explicitly allows for the creation of Jewish only communities. As Ayelet Shaked, the ‘Justice Minister’ explained: “There is place to maintain a Jewish majority even at the price of violation of rights.” ‘Shaked referred to Ka’adan and said regarding “the argument over whether it’s all right for a Jewish community to, by definition, be only Jewish, I want the answer to be ‘yes, it’s all right.’”
In 70 years in Israel, despite a tenfold increase in the Arab population not one new Arab town or village has been created. Arabs are confined to about 3% of the land despite being 20% of the population.
Opinion polls demonstrate the racist nature of the Israeli state as reflected in the opinions of ordinary Israelis. An article ‘Marriage to an Arab is national treason’ (27.3. 07) revealed that over half of the Jewish population in Israel believes the marriage of a Jewish woman to an Arab man is equal to national treason. Note it is not a religious offence but it is seen as treasonous towards the (Jewish) nation.
Over 75 percent of participants did not approve of apartment buildings being shared between Arabs and Jews. Sixty percent of participants said they would not allow an Arab to visit their home. About 40 percent of participants agreed that “Arabs should have their right to vote for Knesset revoked”. The number was 55 percent lower in the previous survey. Also, over half of the participants agreed that Israel should encourage its Arab citizens to emigrate. Over half of the participants said they would not want to work under the direct management of an Arab, and 55 percent said “Arabs and Jews should be separated at entertainment sites”. Over 56 percent of participants said they believed that Israel’s Arab citizens posed both a security and a demographic threat to the country.
These results have been repeated subsequently. For example in the Pew Research Centre’s Israel’s Religiously Divided Society in 2016 48% of Jews say all Arabs should be expelled from the country, compared to 46% who are opposed.
A Jewish State established by settler colonialism cannot be other than racist. That is the truth that racist hypocrites like Emily Thornberry refuse to see.
I am copying below articles that illustrate the depths of racism in the ‘Jewish’ state and why it is qualitatively different to normal western capitalist states. This is important to understand. Israel is not a ‘normal capitalist state. Its political economy and social relations are distorted by its settler colonial nature.
1. The first article Ignoring Racism in Afulais about two days of demonstrations in the Jewish town of Afula in Northern Israel. They are demonstrations by 150 Jewish residents against the sale of a house to an Arab. “The residents of Afula don’t want a mixed city, but rather a Jewish city, and it’s their right,” explained Avi Elkabetz, a former Mayor who is running for the position again. There has been no condemnation of this by Netanyahu or indeed the Opposition parties. Such things are taken for granted in the ‘only democracy in the Middle East. Neither Elkabetz nor any of the demonstrators were arrested or charged. Contrast this with the Israeli Palestinian poet Nadeen Tatour, who was arrested and charged in October 2015 and spent several months in prison before being held under strict conditions of house arrest. She has just been convictedof “inciting violence and supporting a terrorist organisation over comments she made on social media.”. The Israeli state is seeking to gaol her for having written a poem which included the lines “Resist, My People, Resist Them”.
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| Miki Zohar, Israeli MK and expert on Jewish Race |
2. The second article, Israeli lawmaker proclaims supremacy of ‘Jewish race’ concerns the comments of Miki Zohar, a Likud member of the Knesset. Zohar was explaining why it was that, despite the clear evidence of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s corruption, such as accepting hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of the best champagne and cigars, Israeli Jews are unconcerned. The ability of Netanyahu to play the race card is such that everything else is secondary. Zohar’s explanation? The ‘Jewish race’ is so superior to everyone else in the world that they can see through the Israeli Police case against Netanyahu!
3. The third case, the killing or rather murder of Samir Awad, a child of 15 from the village of Budrus, is truly shocking. Two soldiers, known only by their initials A.G. and A.D, caught Samir trying to cross a forbidden fence circling the village. First they shot him in the thigh and got hold of him but the little devil escaped from their clutches and so. as he was running, they shot him in the back and in the neck.
No doubt, like me, you will be wondering why A.G. and A.D were ever charged and the answer is because of the interference of the B’tselem human rights organisation. For over two years, the soldiers had hanging over them the charge of committing “an act of haste and negligence”. Outrageous I’m sure you will agree as it is clear that this young scamp, had he grown up, would have become a terrorist.
4. The fourth case concerns a swimming pool in Mabu'im in Israel’s south. At the swimming pool in question, there is strict separation between Bedouin and Israeli Jews. When the Jews want to use the pool, which is most of the week, the Bedouin can’t use it and when the Bedouin are able to use the pool Jews are banned. In other words there is complete equality. Only malevolent and malicious troublemakers would wish to upset this arrangement. It is cultural self-determination. Each group prefers to be amongst its own and only a handful of leftists could possibly object.
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| The Board of Deputies, which is always concerned about 'antisemitism' harbours a number of vile Islamaphobes |
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| Roslyn Pine's manifesto when she stood for Vice President of the Board of Deputies |
5. The next story concerns Roslyn Pine of the Board of Deputies who described Muslims as “the vilest of animals” and Arabs in similar terms. I am sure you will agree that Ms Pine, although she might be considered a tad controversial, is entitled in a free society to express her opinions. Only leftist troublemakers and anti-Semites could possibly object to her expressing her opinion.
The fact that the Board of Deputies has been leading the charge against Corbyn’s ‘anti-Semitism’ is completely irrelevant. There is no comparison between anti-Semitism, which as we all know is the world’s longest hatred and calling Muslims ‘animals’ when we all know that most Muslims are only waiting for the chance to become martyrs in the global jihad.
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| Roslyn Pine's opposition to 'antisemitism' doesn't extend to Muslims |
However I am sure that you will all be pleased to hear one piece of good news from Israel. The Times of Israel reportsthat a man was sentenced to 10 months for stabbing a rare sea turtle, killing the blighter. This is one more month than Elor Azaria received for murdering Abed al Fatah a-Sharif, a wounded Palestinian who was lying unconscious on the road. Yes I hear you say, how disgraceful that the turtle killer received one more month in prison than an Arab killer. Don’t they know that, according to the Deputy Defence Minister Eli Dahan Palestinians are animals? New deputy defense minister called Palestinians ‘animals’ What possible justification is there for having given Azaria only 1 month less than the turtle killer? The turtle in question was very rare . Palestinians by way of contrast are only too numerous. Clearly the Israeli justice system leaves a lot to be desire!
Ignoring Racism in Afula
Netanyahu and his fellow cabinet members promote racist laws whose sole purpose is to give this superiority the force of law
Haaretz Editorial, Jun 18, 2018
Some 150 Afula residents, including former Mayor Avi Alkabetz, who is running for the position again, and Acting Mayor Shlomo Malihi, demonstrated Wednesday against the sale of a home in the city to an Arab family. “The residents of Afula don’t want a mixed city, but rather a Jewish city, and it’s their right,” explained Elkabetz, adding, “That’s not racism.”
If that isn’t racism, then what is? In Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israel, which translated the Zionist vision of a national home for the Jewish people into an ultranationalist project of Jewish supremacy, it is easy to get confused. Racism and ethnic superiority have acquired legitimacy, and Netanyahu and his fellow cabinet members promote racist laws whose sole purpose is to give this superiority the force of law. Theoretically, if we’re talking about the kind of Jewish state the right talks about, why resist Afula’s desire to be a Jewish city?
As long as such racist behavior gets by without provoking determined opposition, public condemnation and vocal criticism, it will increase and become legitimate and transparent. The opposition to the right-wing government has an important role to play here. It must draw red lines and mold the public discussion in accordance with its worldview. Why weren’t Zionist Union Chairman Avi Gabbay, Meretz Chairwoman Tamar Zandberg and even Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid in Afula leading an anti-racism counterdemonstration? Why didn’t they express support for the sale of the home to an Arab family?
This is a critical ethical question with far-reaching political implications. The right, as it is reflected in the most ultranationalist government in Israel’s history, draws its power in part from a blatantly racist, anti-Arab base. Netanyahu himself appealed to his potential voters in the last election by warning that “Arabs are coming to the polls in droves.”
The left must recognize that its main purpose is to erase racism and represent a sane, enlightened alternative to the moral darkness into which Netanyahu is leading Israel. Otherwise the left will never be reawakened and it will be wiped off the political map.
Israel expects foreign governments to take expressions of anti-Semitism within their borders seriously and to publicly denounce it. In Israel, in contrast, expressions of hatred for Arabs are met with total indifference at best or encouragement at worst. To our great shame, we cannot expect the government to denounce such ugly behavior, since the right itself spreads hatred and racism and benefits from them in elections. But if the protest in Afula failed to bring opposition leaders, who claim to champion equality and human dignity, to the streets, then who needs them?
The above article is Haaretz’s lead editorial, as published in the Hebrew and English newspapers in Israel. See also:
Dozens of Israelis Demonstrate Against Home Sale to Arab Family for Second Straight Day
Israeli lawmaker proclaims supremacy of ‘Jewish race’
Likud's MK Miki Zohar says Jews are the smartest in the world, so know Netanyahu isn't corrupt
Likud MK Miki Zohar speaks during an Interior Affairs Committee meeting at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, February 20, 2018. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
A lawmaker from the ruling Likud party said Wednesday that the “Jewish race” is the smartest in the world and possessing of the “highest human capital,” which is why, he said, the Israeli public did not buy into the allegations of wrongdoing by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
MK Miki Zohar made the comments during a radio debate with veteran political journalist Dan Margalit about the corruption investigations in which Netanyahu is either a suspect or has given testimony.
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| Ahma Tibi notes the similarity between Jewish race specialists and Nazi race specialists |
His assertions led to a Twitter spat with Joint (Arab) List party MK Ahmad Tibi, who noted Nazi Germany’s treatment of Jews as a race during the Holocaust.
Citing recent opinion polls that show Netanyahu enjoying strong support despite being a suspect in three graft investigations, Zohar argued that the media focus on the probes has not convinced the Israeli public that the prime minister is unsuited to lead the country.
“I can tell you something very basic,” Zohar said during the Radio 103FM debate. “You can’t fool the Jews, no matter what is the media writes. The public in Israel is a public that belongs to the Jewish race, and the entire Jewish race is the highest human capital, the smartest, the most comprehending. The public knows what the prime minister is doing for the country and how excellent he is at his job.”
Tibi, in response, tweeted a picture of Zohar with the message: “An elected official in ‘the Jewish state’ presents: race theory.”
Tibi, whose party and its members have often raised ire among their Jewish colleagues with their open support for the Palestinian cause, followed that tweet up with a photo of himself reading Amos Elon’s book “The Pity of It All,” which examines how the Holocaust brought an end to German-Jewish culture.
Zohar tweeted back: “And on the back cover there is a photo of Albert Einstein, another Jew who brought great news to the world.”
“What’s the connection between you and Einstein?” Tibi rejoined. “It isn’t even a relative relationship.”
In a follow-up interview with Hadashot TV news, Zohar at first denied that he had spoken about the supremacy of the “Jewish race,” but, presented with a recording of his earlier comments, doubled down and reiterated: “The Jewish people and the Jewish race are of the highest human capital that exists.”
“What can you do? We were blessed by God… and I will continue to say that at every opportunity,” he said. “I don’t have to be ashamed about the Jewish people being the Chosen People; the smartest, most special people in the world.”
Zohar cited the many innovations and discoveries made by Jews, and said that Israel had achieved more in its 70-year span than some peoples had in thousands of years.
“You can understand why we usually win a lot of Nobel Prizes,” he said.
Killing a Child Is 'Not Right', but Not Wrong Enough for an Indictment
Israeli prosecutors concluded that the two soldiers acted properly when they shot and killed an unarmed teenager 10 meters away as he ran away from them
Gideon Levy, Jun 14, 2018 4:57 AMOpinion
Palestinian and Israeli activists flee tear gas fired by Israeli soldiers during a demonstration against Jewish settlement construction in the West Bank, on November 17, 2016. Majdi Mohammed/AP
A.G. and A.D. presumably celebrated. Maybe they raised a toast with their lawyers at some fashionable pub, or perhaps they just basked in the good news with their families. It was the relief of their lives. The poor souls’ nightmare is over. How they harassed them when the teenager was killed, but all’s well that ends well: The central district prosecution decided last week to withdraw the indictment against them, two-and-a-half years after it was filed.
True, it was sickeningly ridiculous that they were charged with “an act of haste and negligence” for shooting an unarmed, already wounded teenager in the back as he was running or his life. Still, it was an indictment, which itself was only filed after the deceased’s family and B’Tselem petitioned the High Court of Justice.
For a moment it seemed as if the two would be given a suspended sentence of maybe a day, or even a one-penny fine for killing a boy who had not yet turned 16, even though he didn’t pose any danger or threat to them. But even this faint hope for a remnant of delayed and symbolic justice – for even the faintest likeness of justice – was dashed, and what could be more predictable than that?
The indictment was withdrawn. A.G. and A.D. acted properly when they shot an unarmed teenager from a range of 10 meters as he ran from them. They violated nothing. Their act of killing wasn’t even hasty or negligent. They are good soldiers, excellent ones, even though the day after the killing a senior officer said, “Something that wasn’t right happened there.” Not right, but apparently not wrong enough. So go ahead, dear soldiers; continue to kill Palestinian teenagers who don’t endanger you. You can even kill them as they run away, because no harm will come to you.
A.G. and A.D. were a platoon commander and a soldier from the 71st Battalion of the Armored Corps. They shot from behind and killed Samir Awad, who tried to cross the fence that constricts his village, as he ran from an ambush the soldiers had set up in the prickly-pear bushes. They shot him in the back and will never be punished for their act. They shot him in the leg first, and after he fell wounded and got back on his feet they managed to grab him by the arm, but he got away from them. Then they shot him twice from behind, a bullet to the back of his neck and a bullet in his back, killing him. So now they can calmly fly off to India or Costa Rica for their post-army trip – perhaps they’ve already done so – and forget everything. But the home of the boy they killed in Budrus will never be the same again.
It was winter 2013, the last day before the semester break. The science exam was over, and the pupils left the school, located around 200 meters from the fence. Six of them came down the hill, for their usual test of courage – crossing the fence. It was Munir, Hosni, Muhammad, Saher, Musa and Samir.
The first five sensed danger and decided to back off. Samir chose to continue. He did not know that six soldiers lurked among the cactuses. He crossed an old hole in the inner fence and was caught in the space between two fences. Then the soldiers of the brave Reshef battalion emerged from their hiding places and shot in the air. Samir was scared to death and tried to retrace his steps. His legs got tangled in the brambles. They shot him in the thigh. He managed to extract himself and began to run, wounded, back toward the village. They shot him twice more from behind. The indictment that was annulled detailed the serious deviations from the rules of engagement.
When I came to the village the day after the killing, Samir’s blood was still smeared on the rocks. Here the soldiers hid, and here he was caught between two fences and here’s where they shot him. The picture was clear, the facts decisive. After two and a half years of intensive investigation it emerged that there was no evidence. In the interim, Israeli soldiers also killed Lafi Awad, in the same place, the same way. Why not? The two graves are next to each other, and the two killers are already someplace else.
End Separation of Jews and Bedouin at Pool in Israel's South, Lawmakers Tell AG
MKs say the practice, which is unofficial but familiar to residents, 'has no place in a democratic state'
Almog Ben Zikri, Jun 19, 2018 6:43 PM
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| The entrance to the pool, Mabu'im, June 17, 2018. Eliyahu Hershkovitz |
Knesset members from both the opposition and the ruling coalition called on the attorney general Tuesday to work toward ending the separation between Bedouin and Jews at a public swimming pool in southern Israel.
As Haaretz revealed at the beginning of the week, Bedouin are not permitted to enter the pool in Mabu'im at hours designated for Jews – and vice versa. Bedouin who wanted to enter the pool on Saturday were stopped at the entrance and were told that the pool was "for members only."
In a letter to Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit, Knesset members called the separation "a grave practice that has no place in a democratic state" and said it violates an anti-discrimination law.
They added that "it is difficult to stand idly by while children are kept outside of the pool only because of their religion, in a country where they are considered equal citizens."
The letter was signed by Meretz MKs Tamar Zandberg, Mossi Raz, Michal Rozin, Ilan Gilon, and Esawi Freige; MK Yousef Jabareen (Joint List); Zionist Union MKs Eyal Ben-Reuven and Stav Shaffir; Yesh Atid MKs Pnina Tamano-Shata and Yael German, and MK Akram Hasson (Kadima).
As previously reported by Haaretz, the separation is undeclared but nevertheless familiar to both residents and visitors, Jews and Bedouin alike.
An employee said the pool has activities for the Bedouin community during the week ater 6 P.M. and on Friday nights, while the rest of the time the pool is open only to members.
"There is a tacit agreement here," a resident of Mabu'im said. "Bedouin will not enter the pool when there are Jews because the residents threatened to stop coming."
Senior Member of The Jewish Board of Deputies labels Muslims as “the vilest of animals”
By Tom Barker
- 16th June 2018
For some time now, the Board of Deputies of British Jews has been leading the charge against Jeremy Corbyn over highly controversial allegations of anti-Semitism. But now, undeniable evidence has reportedly emerged exposing that a leading member of the Board of Jewish Deputies is an out-and-out racist.
Last Thursday the Jewish Chronicle reported that they had “seen tweets shared by Roslyn Pine, who stood unsuccessfully to be vice-president of the Board in last month’s elections, describing Muslims as “the vilest of animals”, as well as one describing Arabs as “so evil”. She also retweeted a message describing Arab migrants to Europe as “an invading army”.”
When challenged by the Chronicleon her abhorrent views Pine, who represents a far-right tendency within the Board, was emphatic
I detest the creed of Islam and I’m entitled to say it.
Her invective stands in stark contrast with the words and actions of the longstanding anti-racist campaigner Marc Wadsworth – who was recently expelled from the Labour Party over extremely dubious allegations of anti-Semitism – as well as Jeremy Corbyn himself.
And Pine’s dangerous views are not anomalous amongst the leadership of the Board of Deputies either. Robert Festenstein, who also stood to become a Vice President of the Board, courted controversy recently by agreeing to be interviewed by Britain’s leading Islamophobe, Tommy Robinson. Festernstein is also a director of the right-wing Jewish Human Rights Watch, a group that conflates opposition to the crimes of the Israeli State with anti-Semitism.
In August 2015, another representative of the Board of Deputies (as well as Jewish Human Rights Watch), Jonathan Neumann, compared Leicester City’s Labour-run Council to Hitler’s genocidal regime because the Council had agreed to boycott goods from illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
In a YouTube video made at the time, Neumann explains, in direct referenceto Leicester’s boycott: “When the Nazis first came to power in 1930s Germany, one of the very first things they implemented were boycotts of Jews.”
Who do the Board of Deputies Represent?
The Board of Deputies of British Jews has been presented in the Tory press as an organization that represents the voice of Jewish people in Britain… as if there is just one voice! This is not the case. As Jewish Voice for Labour made clear in a recent statement:
“We are appalled by the actions and statements of the Board of Deputies. They do not represent us or the great majority of Jews in the Party who share Jeremy Corbyn’s vision for social justice and fairness.”
Rather, the Board of Deputies represents a very particular strain of thought – one which unflinchingly supports the actions of the current Israeli government. This was confirmed by Roslyn Pine herself when, during her leadership campaign, she was asked“How will you [as a potential Vice President of the Deputies] represent the diversity of opinion in our community with regards to Israel?” She responded:
That is not required by the Board’s constitution, nor is it feasible. The Board should take no view as to this or that Israeli policy. The Board’s remit is to do whatever in its power to support Israel’s security, well-being and standing.
Clearly a large part of this mission includes smearing and attacking those who oppose Israeli State terror, including Labour’s current leader.
The Fight for Democracy
And while Corbyn and his supporters have always sought to promote democracy and fairness, the Board of Deputies serves the opposite purpose. Indeed, Roslyn Pine again provides evidence of this when responding to the following question“What is the one thing that most frustrates you about the Board?” She replied:
Not having any role in decision making, despite sitting on a division (International). The democratic mandate seems to be for the very few. It seems that the views of the average deputy count for very little.
Her wording (unconsciously) evokes the very antithesis of the Labour Party’s current slogan – “for the many, not the few” – as well as the underpinning values of the labour movement.
But clearly there remains a minority of Labour Party members who do not share in this noble idea – including numerous MPs and Councillors, many of whom are enthusiastic supporters of the ongoing witch-hunt against socialists.
One of the main tasks facing Labour members at the moment, therefore, is to push for the full democratisation of the Labour Party – including the readmission of expelled socialists and the reintroduction of mandatory reselection – which would enable pro-working-class MPs and councillors to replace the current pro-capitalist ones.