Avigdor Lieberman
צילום: אוהד צויגנברג
The real post-Zionists
Op-ed: Most influential post-Zionist forces today include likes of Lieberman, Yishai
Here’s what we had last week: Culture Minister Limor Livnat announced that she’ll only fund institutions that pledge to produce Zionist creation and perform in occupied areas; with the active mediation of the prime minister and defense minister, Eli Yishai and Ovadia Yosef were bargaining over the construction freeze vis-à-vis the White House and State Department; an official website posted by the Treasury revealed that 54% of government support payments, roughly NIS 2 billion (about $600 million) are handed over to yeshivas and religious institutions.
Meanwhile, IDF Spokesman’s Office combat soldier Yair Netanyahu spent a week’s vacation in Manhattan with a bodyguard whose salary, flight, and expenses were funded by the State.
Any rookie psychology student knows that when reality becomes too absurd, the natural response is detachment and repression. Is it any wonder that almost one-third of all TV viewers here become addicted to cooking competitions?
Yet there’s no escaping the need to minimize this white noise and remind us, time and again, of the truth. When the dust settles, it may very well be too late. The trick is to identify such moments at present and not in retrospect. In fact, this is a fairly simple story: 113 years after the First Zionist Congress, Zionism faces a decision: Life or death, existence or extinction. Hence, genuine debate can only be managed in line with one distinction, among Zionists, anti-Zionists, and post-Zionists.
The founders of Zionism and their successors did not write out a patent and did not draft a user’s manual. Yet still, we can sum up the whole of the Zionist enterprise with a fairly clear definition. Zionism is a state in the Land of Israel with a Jewish majority that peacefully exists within secure, recognized borders with the international community’s support. Anyone who supports this goal today is a Zionist; those who work towards realizing it can be considered enthused Zionists.
1st post-Zionist PM?
For example, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, who vigorously aspire to end the Israeli-Arab conflict on the basis of territorial compromise under an American umbrella. Or President Mubarak and Jordan’s King Abdullah, who have signed on to peace treaties with Israel and adhere to them devotedly. Or the Saudi Royal House, which eight years ago launched a pan-Arab peace plan. And of course, Mahmoud Abbas and Salam Fayyad, who support an Israeli-Palestinian agreement on the basis of the 1967 borders with territorial compromise, compensation for refugees, and an international arrangement in Jerusalem.
Even Bashar Assad, who signals a Syrian willingness for peace and recognition of Israel in exchange for the Golan, is suspected of having Zionist tendencies.
Anti-Zionists are those who object to the State of Israel’s existence and call for its eradication: Al-Qaeda, Ahmadinejad, Hezbollah, Hamas, Neturei Karta. They are few, weak, and ostracized; their chances of success aren’t too high. The only way they may be able to realize their dreams depends on the victory of the most interesting group – the post-Zionists. All those people who grew within Zionism yet are no longer loyal to its historic way.
Indeed, there is a small camp of leftists in this group. Yet the major and most influential forces within this camp come from elsewhere. They include, for example, Benny Begin, Bogi Yaalon, Avigdor Lieberman, Eli Yishai, and Limor Livnat. Yes, the same Livnat who announced the prize for Zionist art. She and every minister or Knesset member of civilian who objects to a settlement evacuation or moratorium in exchange for completing the diplomatic process and US commitment to reinforcing Israel’s nuclear and strategic supremacy within recognized, secure borders.
Regrettably, precisely at this historic junction, the man in charge is a frightened person devoid of vision and basic leadership skills. However, soon Benjamin Netanyahu will be forced to choose: Whether to make history, or only enter its annals as the first post-Zionist prime minister in Israel’s history.
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