Conspiracy of silence
Op-ed: Yoaz Hendel bothered by force of domestic objection to definition of ‘Jewish state’
There is much to the argument that the timing of the campaign in favor of a “Jewish state,” undertaken via all sorts of laws and agreements, stems from political cynicism. But let’s assume this is indeed the case – so what?
Does it change the definition of this country? After all, it was the United Nations that characterized the state as Jewish in the partition plan, and Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion was the one who declared the establishment of a Jewish state in the Declaration of Independence.
So why can’t Israel’s prime minister in 2010 do the same?
When the initiative to amend the Citizenship Act emerged, I had trouble understanding why it prompted such commotion. I innocently thought that the debate here was about the timing, rather than the essence. “It’s empty rhetoric, demagoguery,” objectors to the law were saying around me.
Yet I was wrong. Ever since this political initiative took root, I discovered that the commotion, ranging from here all the way to Europe, is indeed about the very definition. On the other hand, I have been overcome by a general sense of unease.
This is not about the debate over an insignificant law, or about Mahmoud Abbas’ reaction. What bothers me is the force of the domestic resistance; the uniform voice being heard across Israel’s “enlightened sectors” against defining the state as Jewish.
Does everyone know?
Everyone has an explanation for why this is dangerous: unstable politicians, university professors, learned journalists, and even actors who provide all of us with their insights on fascism.
Yet for me, in the face of this festival of protest, there are all sorts of question marks. I am wondering about a public campaign where no one makes even a small note, amid all the criticism and qualms, about the fact that we are indeed a “Jewish state.”
“Why do you need this?” a man of letters boasting various university degrees asked me. “After all, everyone knows we are such state.”
Well, the truth is that not everyone knows, neither here or overseas. Indeed, people realize there is an attachment between the State of Israel and the Jews. There is such realization, but it’s foggy. Most people have trouble pointing out whether this attachment is akin to blood ties, a sister, a concubine, or the same legal partner we married 62 years ago.
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