Yoaz Hendel
The post-sovereign era
Goldstone, Turkey and others expose our fear of Jewish sovereignty
Just when it’s calm around here and when we see no suicide bombers exploding in Israel’s
cities or emergency reserve call-ups, we are witnessing for some reason wrinkles of fatigue emerging on the State of Israel’s young face. The Jewish sovereignty that appears in the platform of most Zionist parties never seemed so perturbing and elusive.
Post-Zionism has turned into Post-Sovereignty, while the national fatigue in the face of conflicts has turned into policy.
Ranging from Turkey to Temple Mount and from the October 2000 Riots to the Goldstone Report, the State of Israel allows anyone to lead it and tows the line with the new Zionist ideal – keeping the flames low.
Turkey is behaving like a bull in a china shop and voices anti-Israel slogans, yet here we respond by waiting for it to pass. Jerusalem’s Old City (which for now remains under Israeli sovereignty) has been taken over by a phony incitement campaign that seems to belong in the Middle Ages, yet the legal establishment treats it as though it was a childish prank.
Meanwhile, the same Israel that looked into the events of October 2000 without filing indictments against any security officials is now showing signs of regret and offering compensation to the relatives of rioters.
Finally, the probe into the Gaza operation that Israel never accepted (the famous Goldstone Report) may eventually prompt the establishment of a commission of inquiry that seemingly (and this “seemingly” is bad enough) shows that officials in Israel are also not fully satisfied with previous army inquiries.
The common denominator of the above examples is the Israeli renunciation of rights that accompany sovereignty and the aspiration to put an end to the story in line with what appears to be the desire of critics. Good people here are urging us to strip ourselves of any kind of national will or display of determination. Even without being a prophet, one can already realize that these gestures will end up adding more fuel to the fire. Nobody will be applauding us.
We need new habits
Indeed, the flames will merely grow: The Turks learned that Israel accepts the role of battered wife; the Islamic Movement’s northern branch will take its rebellious tendencies further; the monetary compensation offered to relatives of those killed in the October Riots will prompt international lawsuits against senior Israeli officials; finally, the internal inquiry into the Gaza operation will prompt the international minority that still supports Israel to admit that there was apparently some truth to the accusations against us.
Nobody will appreciate our political graciousness, or our flexible principles compared to other states that adopt far harsher measures in the face of similar situations.
Sovereignty is like a nuisance for the Jewish people. For 2,000 years we walked around the world ostracized, humiliated, and clinging to any hint of privilege thrown our way by gentile kings, yet after reaching the Promised Land we find it difficult to shirk our conditioned reflex – the tendency to look down and our humiliated stare.
Late Air Force Chief Benny Peled characterized the State of Israel as a Jewish Shtetl with an army; a Diaspora mentality in the heart of the Middle East. Yet Peled exaggerated. A wonder emerged here out of nowhere; a success story that is worthy of being studied in all international political science departments. However, in this era even successful characters sometimes hit obstacles because of problems stemming from the past – childhood complexes that were never fully resolved.
When we deal with borderline personality disorder, the solution usually has to do with some medication and maintaining a safe distance. Yet when we are dealing with a state that some people believe is normal, the only solution is to look fear in the eye, take responsibility (this too comes with a price,) and mostly develop habits befitting a master of the house. Otherwise, someone may get the idea that we are merely temporary guests.
