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tweakabelle -> RE: Israel (10/14/2012 12:54:40 AM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: vincentML
quote:
So, for a Two State solution to succeed, colony expansion must cease immediately and the colonists must be confronted by the Israeli Govt. Sooner or later, the question of what to do with the colonists in the context of a Two State solution must be addressed, again by the Israeli Govt. (assuming that the colonists won't agree to living under Palestinian rule).
Here is an opinion piece which carries the implication that the Israeli government is unlikely to succeed in any confrontation with the settlers. The basic premise this writer offers is that Israel has become a religious-Zionist state as opposed to a secular-liberal state. I don't know how true this is. I have not visited. But if true it raises a serious question. Some on here [Anax] have proposed that the main issue in the region is the Sunni/Shia confrontation. I wonder if it is not, in addition to a contest for land, also a contest between orthodox Judaism and orthodox Islam. Is that an issue whose name we dare not speak?
A battle has been under way for some time for the soul of the Jewish-Israeli people. This battle, between the religious-Zionist wing and the secular-liberal wing, seems still to be undecided. [SNIP] But if we really look around, it is as clear as day that this battle has already been decided and that religious Zionism has won. This is no mistake, nor is it by chance. It has won because most of the Jewish people in Israel are religious Zionists, even if some disguise themselves during elections as supporting a "centrist party."
Reactions?
Generally I am reluctant to get involved in the internal politics of Israel. However this intra-Israeli debate has direct implications for Occupied Palestine and the peace process. So it seems worthy of attention and comment.
As I have asserted above, current Israeli policies endanger the democratic nature of the Israeli State. The choice in occupied Palestine, if current policies are pursued to their logical end, is between complete ethnic cleansing, a permanent apartheid system or a withdrawal to the '67 borders. As Israel has given no serious indication that it is prepared to stop the colonial expansion in the West Bank, we might discount the withdrawal option (for this discussion).
The remaining choices - ethnic cleansing or apartheid - feed directly into the internal debate between religious and secular Israelis. The secular sector would keep as its primary value, democracy. Sooner or later this is going to result in a choice for Israelis between democracy and continuing occupation. If the religious sector triumphs, then either or both of the other options will eventuate.
To date, the signs are not optimistic. There has been a number of laws passed by the Knesset that liberal Israelis have criticised as undemocratic. For example, one of these laws prohibits the foreign funding of human rights organisations, a clear attempt to circumvent if not stop entirely the activities of organisations such a B'tselem, which have been extremely critical of the Occupation. The rule of law has been jeopardised by official disregard for some Supreme Court rulings, and official conniving at circumventing others.
Another worrying sign is the stranglehold the Right, which is allied to religious Zionism, has held over the peace process for many years now. Another cause for concern is the presence of religious/theocratic parties in the Govt coalition. There are growing forces demanding sex segregation in secular society, and recently a few race riots targeting African refugees and Palestinians. Almost all observers agree that the level of racism inside Israel is increasing and that racism is expressing itself violently. The ominous violence of the colonists in the West Bank is another factor to consider here. There are a just a few of the disturbing trends within Israel, there are many more, too many to list here.
I hope for Israelis sake that the secular forces triumph. As things stand, it takes an awful lot of blind optimism to believe that will happen. The conjunction of Right wing ideology, religious fundamentalism and militaristic nationalism is a particularly odious combustible mix - Hamas anyone? So my feeling is that the future of Israeli democracy is not assured. This doesn't bode well for the peace process or a just resolution of the Palestinian/Israeli impasse.
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