Books: 1. Israel Without Zionists

11 ti-.eh ("This World") which is now regarded as Israel's leading weekly Books news magazine. Attempts to mute the voice of this journal in 1965 impelled him into the political arena, and he was elected to the Knesset (with 1.2% of the \otes under proportional rep resentation) as the sole parliamentary spokesman of a new political group- ISRAEL WITHOUT ing. ZIONISTS, by Uri Avnery. The origins of the clash of nation MacMillan, 215 pp., $5.95. alisms he places in the founding of Zionism by Theodor Herzl in 1896 THIS BOOK makes fascinating read with liis book Der Judenstaat (T he ing despite its brevity (215 pages). On Jewish State). Avnery describes Zion Zionism, Israel, Arab nationalism and ism as a direct product of the spirit the characters of people such as Moshe of nationalism in nineteenth century Dayan, it gives a wealth of facts not Europe, in the wake of the infamous generally known. It realistically exam Dreyfus affair. ines the standpoints of both sides, re Zionism, Avnery says, envisaged even freshingly putting main responsibility on the author's own side to get some greater changes than those introduced movement towards peace. by other national revolutions, in that it involved as well the transfer of Insofar as it deals with the faults people from one country to another, of the Arabs, the main point made is and often from one class to another that it is a great mistake to regard (usually lower). Israel as merely a stooge for Western imperialism, although the author re The “achilles heel’’ of this fervent cognises reasons for the existence of nationalism was its ignorance and blindness in regard to the Arabs. Av such a view. nery quotes an almost unbelievable The main thesis of the book is the incident recounted in one of the books recognition that two great national of the famous Jewish philosopher Mar movements, perhaps inevitably in view tin Buber. Nordau, another top leader of historical circumstances, have come of Zionism “hearing for the first time into collision in the Middle East, and that there were Arabs living in Pales that the only possible way out short tine ran to Hetzl deeply shocked ex of ultimate catastrophe is to break claiming, 'I didn’t know that! We are what has become a vicious circle. committing an injustice’ ” (p.50). Uri Avnery was born in 1924 in Avnery drily records that Nordau Germany and left for Palestine with his did not take long to recover complete family shortly after Hitler came to ly from his shock and sense of injustice. power. He joined Irgun the National So much so that at the Seventh Zion Military (“terrorist”) Organisation ist Congress in 1905 he advocated an which fought the Arabs and also the alliance with the Turks (then ruling British, whom they thought were sec Palestine) against the Arabs — “It retly supporting the Arabs, though meant, practically speaking’”, says Av Avnery records that later he realised nery, a declaration of war on the the Arab fight was at bottom a great emerging Arab nationalist movement” national rebellion which was destined (P-51) • to grow. This was followed by other moves, Avnery fought in the war of 1948, by the Arab side as well as the Zion and in 1950 became editor of H a ’olam ist, and, says Avnery. 71 AUSTRALIAN LEFT REVIEW June-July, 1969 “Thus began the cycle in which and the State of Israel, and various Zionist-Arab relations have moved in other moves which may have opened cessantly ever since: (1) The Zionists some doors. Zionist attitudes and pol increase their efforts at immigration icies however made certain that these and settlement; (2) the Arabs react remained shut. violently to what they consider a mortal threat to their national exist Other facts related by Avnery in ence; (3) to contain the threat and clude those concerning the notorious gain political and military assistance, spy story of 1954 where a group of the Zionists look for an ally, an ally Jewish Egyptians were directed to that can only be a foreign power whose plant bombs in American and British interests are being adversely affected offices throughout Egypt to worsen re by the rising Arab nationalism: [Turks, lations with these countries to the British, French, Americans]; (4) the “benefit” of Israel. pact between Zionism and the foreign Within Israel, Zionist policy worked power whets Arab hatred and bitter in the same direction. The funda ness, sharpening their attack upon the mental tenets of Zionism are described Jewish national home; (5) this in by Avnery as follows: creases for the Zionists the need for even bigger allies. “ (a) all the Jew's in the world are It is a complete cycle, a truly vicious one nation; (b) Israel is a Jewish state, circle, this not-so-merry-go-round where created by the Jews and for the Jews each rider sits on his horse as it all over the world; (c) the Jewish dis goes up and down, imagining that persal is a temporary situation, and it is he who decides his course, tragi sooner or later all Jews will have to cally condemned — by the inner logic come to Israel, driven, if by nothing of his earlier acts and the ideology else, by inevitable anti-Semitic perse nourished by them — to follow a pre cution; (d) the ingathering of these destined course” (p.59). exiles is the raison d’etre of Israel, the primary purpose to which all other Opportunities presented by positive aims have to be subservient” (pp.157- Arab attitudes at various times were 8). never responded to because of the basic Zionist attitude which remained Thus, in Israel, there is no separa dominant. For example Ben Gurion, tion between Church and State. Every regarded as the architect of the State Jew has the automatic right to settle of Israel “never wavered in his belief in Israel, immediately acquiring Israeli that Israel must lemain a homogeneous citizenship (though his spouse, if a Jewish state, that it must align itself Christian would not become such ex with the West, and that peace with the cept through normal processes of nat Arabs is impossible” (p.97). uralisation). Opportunities missed because of this But what is a Jew, who is a Jew? include relations with Nasser, of whom No clear-cut legal definition exists. Avnery says that he had no anti-Israel There can be, and is, no definition ex sentiments or policy to start with. cept a religious one, and the courts of Israel have even decided that a per Also the events in 1954, when Gen son ceases to be a Jew if he adopts eral Riad announced that the Arabs another religion. There is no civil were prepared to accept international marriage or divorce in Israel and a control over the waters of the Jordan Jew cannot marry a Christian or a River which would have meant some Moslem — nor can a Jew named Cohen actual collaboration between the Arabs marry a divorced woman, because Co- 72 AUSTRALIAN LEFT REVIEW June-July, 1969 liens, regarded historically as belong party leaders originally lived abroad; ing to the priesthood, must marry vir they controlled a growing financial ap gins. (A Cohen cannot change his paratus operating in Palestine but name to get out of it either!) based abroad. The parties established th eir institutions. The kibbutzim (co Perhaps more important, the idea of operatives) belong to parties, and thus a homogeneous state being inherent breaking with the party meant aban in Zionism, any non-Jew is really a doning a home. The H istadru th (trade foreign element to the Israeli regime, union organisation) attached to left- and this has particularly grave conse wing Zionist parties, operated the lab quences in respect to the Arabs. For or exchange and an excellent sick fund example, it raises almost insuperable — but this gave the leaders of parties barriers to the settlement of the Aral) great power over dissident members. refugee problem, because Zionist out look regards it as essential to keep Considerable financial contributions the Arab minority as small as pos to the various Zionist parties came sible. from abroad via the Jewish Agency, whose governing bodies are not elected Perhaps the most striking fact of by any normal democratic process: all is that, after three generations of conflict and 20 years of an actual state "It is a Federation of party secre of war, there is nc Israeli Government tariats . a system for the division department for Arab affairs. These of the spoils. Several million dollars matters are handled by the Middle are parcelled out directly among the East section of the Foreign Ministry, Zionist parties, ostensibly as compensa which employs only 30 officials out of tion for relinquishing their rights to a total of 900, and some of these deal organise their own fund-raising in the with questions involving non-Arab United States.” (p.175) But the main Middle Eastern countries such as Iran! activity of the Jewish Agency is (with Less than 0.05% Qf the Israeli budget, complete agreement of the State) the and less than 3% of that of the For organisation of immigration, includ eign office is devoted to Middle Eastern ing settlement and absorption of mig affairs. The Zionist ideology is over rants. whelmingly oriented towards the West. “Thus”, says Avnery, “parties con trolling the Zionist organisation can Before outlining the author's ap manipulate vast amounts of money in proach to the bieaking of the vicious dependent of ordinary democratic pro circle, some facts concerning the Is raeli Establishment need to be given.

Load more