Netanyahu vs. the Diaspora
April 4, 2024
Angst about Israel’s crackdown on Gaza afflicts the world’s Jewish diasporas, and there are as many Jewish people in the United States and Canada as in Israel, or roughly seven million, and another 2.8 million live in Europe. Now Israel’s image is battered as Benjamin Netanyahu’s government razes Gaza’s cities, kills civilians, and displaces 1.4 million to find Hamas terrorists. This week, seven aid workers were killed by Israeli jets in Gaza which generated international outrage and more anti-semitism. World leaders are shocked and Israelis protest in the streets to have Netanyahu removed, but he doesn’t alter course even as Israel’s international legitimacy deteriorates and the diaspora becomes demoralized and embattled. Given the symbiosis, Jewish communities outside Israel must find a way to be heard and heeded by Israel’s governments. Currently, the only option is for prominent players to speak out. New York Senator Chuck Schumer bluntly asked Netanyahu to resign. Then “Bibi” fan, Donald Trump, waded in and said in an interview with Israel Hayom: "You [Israel] have to finish up your war… I think Israel made a very big mistake. I wanted to call [Israel] and say don't do it. These photos and shots… every night, I would watch buildings pour down on people. Go and do what you have to do. But you don't do that.”
Israel must be prevented from going off “half-cocked” in future. Members of the diaspora, and allies, don’t dispute the need to retaliate for the October 7 Hamas atrocities and hostage-taking. But civilian casualties are unacceptable, Gaza is reduced to rubble, and there’s no solution in place once the invasion ends. The diaspora has much to offer, as has been the case historically, but should consider how to increase its input and clout. Perhaps polling their members regularly about issues and publishing findings in Israeli newspapers would help. Another vehicle is the World Zionist Congress, established in 1897 by Theodore Herzl, which is comprised of more than 700 delegates from Jewish international organizations. But it only convenes every four or five years, and has no legal authority, but its judgments are morally important. Perhaps it should meet regularly, play a more active role, and review all contentious issues in Israel because of their profound affect on all of the world’s Jewish people.
The Congress last met in May 2023 and took several principled stands against the current government. It voted against Netanyahu’s ultra-religious-right agenda — an interesting outcome considering that the religious-right bloc holds a slight majority in the current Congress. Haaretz described the significance of this: “The so-called 'parliament of the Jewish people' declared that Diaspora Jews do not support key policies being promoted by the Jewish state, under the most right-wing and religious government in its history. It opposed Netanyahu’s proposed `judicial overhaul’. It’s far-right and ultra-orthodox factions tried unsuccessfully to block the initiative -- which is non-binding but symbolic.”
The Congress sent other messages: “The Zionist Congress calls upon the government to reach consensus agreements that will bolster the democratic nature of the State of Israel and the checks and balances in the structure of government, while providing protection for human rights, minorities and women,” summarized Haaretz. Another key resolution called for “deepening the awareness and educational activity related to the inclusion of the LGBTQ community, within Zionist activity in the State of Israel and in the Diaspora, through workshops, seminars, and other educational activities.” This passed by a vote of 354 against 271, reported the newspaper.
The Congress also rejected proposed restrictions on the Law of Return: “The Congress also opposed changes to the Law of Return, which determines eligibility for Aliyah [Israeli citizenship]. This resolution was submitted in response to concerns that Israel’s new government plans to change the law in a way that would dramatically reduce the number of individuals worldwide who qualify for Aliyah. The resolution passed by a vote of 399 in favor and 237 against.”
Israel’s far-right, religious leaders want to limit entry into Israel — a move which abrogates a major tenet of Zionism itself. Under the existing law, any individual with at least one Jewish grandparent is eligible for Aliyah but Netanyahu’s coalition pushed to eliminate the so-called “grandchild clause” to prevent individuals not deemed halakhically Jewish [as ruled by a Rabbi] from moving to Israel. The Congress stated the reasons for its opposition: “Such an amendment to the Law of Return will alienate hundreds of thousands of people of Jewish descent and have a disastrous impact on the State of Israel.”
Netanyahu’s radicals are not only out of step with the majority of the diaspora, but are out of step in Israel where the collective majority of people are secular, liberal, and ethnically diverse. His coalition and the war have deepened the country’s political and social divides, particularly when it comes to the issue of military service and favoritism. In 2014, Netanyahu upended Israel’s social contract by changing the Basic Law in order to give the Haredim, or ultra-religious, exemption from military service, taxes, or work. And this minority controls Netanyahu’s political agenda.
After the Hamas attack, Israelis set aside differences to pull together, but now a political showdown looms: “The Crisis Over Haredi Military Service Exemptions Is a Seismic Event for Israel's Politics,” wrote Anshel Pfeffer in Haaretz on March 27. “The crisis caused by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's inability to fulfill his coalition-agreement pledge to the ultra-Orthodox parties to pass legislation guaranteeing yeshiva students' continued exemption from military service could become a seismic moment that redraws the borders of Israel's political camps. The refusal of the ultra-Orthodox rabbis to accept any compromise that would limit the number of exemptions of young Haredi men, at a time of war that is severely testing the Israel Defense Forces' personnel capacity, has dragged the serving Israeli public to the limits of its patience.”
Last summer, hundreds of thousands of protesters marched against Netanyahu’s plan to gut the country’s Supreme Court, in order to pave the way for a “dictatorship” of zealots. Concerns were that this would have led to bans or restrictions on homosexuality, misogynistic legislation, Sabbath restrictions, racism, and a full-blown theocracy. The threat of having to live in an illiberal society one day still lingers and has triggered an exodus of talent and capital. In February, Zach Berlinski explained in an interview why he was permanently leaving Israel: “I am very much of a Zionist, I love Israel very much, but it's hard for me here….I was in the army for five years, I contributed to the state, I did reserve duty. And I'm also gay, and I feel that the state did not do well by me over the years. And I don't have the will or the desire, for good or for ill, to change things. So I'm looking for an escape hatch.”
The future of Israel and its diasporas are enmeshed which is why collaboration is needed. The country has become a pariah in the region which bodes badly for its future prosperity as well as its geopolitical standing. Ironically, the root of the problem is religious intolerance — the same calamity that afflicted Jewish people for centuries. Now a version has been weaponized by Benjamin Netanyahu to stay in power. He has also cashed in for years on being Israeli “royalty” — his older brother, the late Yoni Netanyahu, was a genuine hero who masterminded the daring 1976 raid on Entebbe Airport which freed the dozens of Israeli hostages held captive in Uganda.
But an emboldened diaspora and activated World Zionist Congress represent ways forward. Diasporas provide enormous financial and geopolitical support for the country and deserve a major say in what goes on, beyond simply the occasional outspokenness of ranking diaspora members. But if nothing changes, some believe that “Zionism” itself is at risk. Israeli scholar Moshe Zimmermann wrote that “the Zionist solution is not [really] a solution. We are arriving at a situation in which the Jewish people who live in Zion live in a condition of total insecurity, and not for the first time. Beyond this, we need to take into account that Israel is causing a reduction in the security of Diaspora Jewry, instead of the opposite."
Israel must fix its political predicament. Some 85 percent of Israelis want Netanyahu to retire, and hold an election, which is what Schumer urged. But his government digs in, continuing to upset and bite the hands that feed Israel. And that, no matter your religion or politics, has to change.
I believe that Netanyahu is conducting a systematic ethnic cleansing and that the killing of the aid workers from WCK was intentional. The vehicles were well marked both on top and overall, they had co-ordinated with the IDF who knew where and when they would be. I understand they use drones and other visual methods of identifying targets. I think the intent is to drive NGO's out and use starvation as a weapon . Recent images obtained by Bellingcat shows unequivocal clearing of crops, green houses and orchards which will leave no source of providing food crops ( metaphorically salting the ground ). There appears to have been many extrajudicial killings of reporters, aid workers and civilians. The IDF is herding the survivors ever closer to the border with the apparent intent to drive any survivors across the border. The hospitals, infrastructure and food production have been functionally destroyed. How many dead children will it take to satisfy their need for revenge? All of them ? I support the need to destroy Hamas, but the tactics of the IDF is actually a win for Hamas . Israel has long been known to be effective in other more subtle ways in eliminating enemies, or maybe I read too many Daniel De Silva novels.
One needs to realize that Hamas, under the guidance of Putin, orchestrated all of this. They invaded Israel knowing that there would be retribution that would include the murdering of even more innocents. Even after the initial counter offense, Hamas worked to maximize the murdering of their own innocent people. The solution is clear. It is to eliminate the prime mover in all of this which is the Kremlin. It is the only ruling culture in this world that resorts to genocidal strategies like this. They are heinous - a true Evil Empire and never forget that this invasion of Israel was planned to occur on Putins birthday. That was done to establish nothing less than terror.