Guest Post: Genosse Sam: In Defense Of Labour Zionism

In Defense Of Labour Zionism

Is Revisionist Zionism good for Israel? There is a prominent strain within the world Zionist Movement that seeks to refute any and all criticism of Israel, whether justified or not. Obviously, these people are passionate defenders of their cause and care deeply about the future of the Jewish state and should be applauded for that. But is this “my country right or wrong” attitude really healthy for the movement and, more importantly, is it good for Israel?

Many of Israelis of all political stripes write off Mahmoud Abbas and indeed his whole administration as a pathetic excuse for a governance and, worse, a foe of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. This is not an entirely unfair claim. Abbas and his fellow administrators have continued the culture of corruption begun under Yasser Arafat, allowing private interests to skim PA funds off the top. However, the claim that Abbas is being intangible and not willing to compromise for the sake of peace is dubious, at best, and specious in my opinion. Abbas is possibly the best friend that the Israelis have in the Palestinian political order (with the possible exception of Salam Fayyad). The typical Palestinian is far more anti- Israel and anti-Semitic than the administration that claims to represent them and Abbas’ “failure” to deliver of the peace process will only exasperate this. At some point, the Palestinians in the West Bank may very well ask themselves “why is this man in charge? He doesn’t share our views and he isn’t delivering on his promises for peace and stability”. Palestinians may then take a more Gazan approach to the conflict, namely turning to Hamas as political leadership.

On the other hand, the Palestinian people may reach the same conclusion about Abbas and turn to an alternative route of political action- the opposite, in fact. Palestinians in the West Bank will simply start agreeing to be annexed by Israel with the understanding that they be given the rights of Israeli citizens, a future approved by Israelis only either on the far-right and far-left.

No, Abbas is not the problem- he is a shrinking, if imperfect, window of opportunity. Where action is needed is on the Israeli side. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, for all his hawkish views, is not even the worst when it comes to Abba Eban’s old dictum “…never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity”. The “one state solution” has a number of different outcomes;

1

.      -Israel annexes the West Bank and enfranchises the Palestinians. This would mean an enormous demographic shift in Israeli society, one which the Revisionist Right would not appreciate. Millions of Arabs would now vote as Israeli citizens and in the near future may revoke Israel’s status as a Jewish State, a designation that would make little sense after the absorption.

2

.      -The Status Quo. Either Israel continues to occupy the West Bank or annexes it, but denies Palestinians Israeli citizenship. Though I have little respect for those who would call Israel an “apartheid state”, under this system it would de facto be running one in the occupied territories, denying Palestinian even basic rights while granting special ones to Israelis. Israel is already losing the Public Relations War; this would only continue to give Israel’s enemies ammunition by which they would delegitimize it.

3

.      -Israel ethnically cleanses the West Bank of Palestinians. Though it would solve the demographic problem once and for all, this extremely immoral solution is supported by next to no one in the Israeli mainstream and if it occurred, would engender an enormous backlash from all strata. As well, even Israel’s closest friends in the global community would run for cover, again delegitimizing the nation’s status as a liberal democracy.

The organization Peace Now was formed by group of Israeli peace activists to protest the Invasion of Lebanon by the Israeli Defense Forces at the behest of then- Prime Minister Menachem Begin. This group has noticed a change in Israeli attitudes towards war- that it is becoming a way of life, worrying that Israel is becoming “…a suit of armor”, in David Grossman’s words- shielded, but without a soul. As well, Peace Now advocates a gradual return of the West Bank into Palestinian hands, starting with the dismantling of Jewish Settlements and ending, hopefully, in statehood.

Unlike other so called “peace” groups such as BDS or Jewish Voices for Peace, Peace Now is Zionistic in nature, believing fully in the legitimacy of the Jewish state and seeking only to curb its more inhumane policies. There is a significant strategic advantage in Peace Now being a part of the Zionist Movement. BDS, JVP, etc. by attempting to delegitimize not only Israeli policy, but Israel itself, alienates themselves from the vast swath of Jewish Israelis who care about prospects of peace but remain wedded to the Zionist idea. These movements, while claiming to respect the work of Israeli activists, ignore the fact that anti-Zionism and its bigoted implications is practically a non-starter in Israel. This policy, in fact, plays into the hands of domestic rightists besides. Though much maligned by the Revisionists, this is not objectively true of Peace Now, which at least is an important part of the national conversation Israel is having about settlement policy.

Another strength of Peace Now is its ability to present a cohesive but nuanced critique of Israeli policy. Both the leadership and rank-and-file of Peace Now tend not to be pacifists, but as Amos Oz put it, “peaceniks”, most of whom served in the IDF or are currently reservists in it. Objections to hawkish policies both in the West Bank as well as in relation to other nation states do not stem from general opposition to violence or even war. Peace Now recognizes the importance of Israel’s armed forces and refuses to disparage soldiers. As well, opposition to the settlement of the West Bank does not necessarily mean writing off all terrorism as a response to this policy.