Download - What does a "Jewish State" really mean?
What does a “Jewish State” really mean?
Peter LarsonChair, Education Committee on
Israel/Palestine
NATIONAL COUNCIL ON CANADA-ARAB RELATIONS
Two conflicting narratives:
“Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East”
“Israel is an apartheid state”
A little geography reminder….. Haifa
Acre
Presentation Outline
European Anti-Semitism and the Zionist ideaThe creation of IsraelModern IsraelPalestinian Israelis (or Israeli Arabs)Citizenship rights vs. national rightsConsequences:
Land Education Employment
Conclusions
The spread of Judaism
• European anti-Semitism has a long history
Evolution of the Zionist idea
•1895 Theodor Herzl proposes the idea of a Jewish State as the only way to protect Jews
•1914 – WWI – opposes Britain/France against Germany/Ottoman empire
•1917 Britain promises to create a “homeland” for Jews in Palestine “Balfour declaration”
•1921 – League of Nations gives Britain a “mandate” for Palestine
States and borders created by imperial powers after WWI
Jewish immigration into “mandate Palestine”
• Population of Palestine (1914)*
• 657,000 Muslim • 81,000 Christian• 59,000 Jews_____________TOTAL 800,000
* est. J. McCarthy
•Population 1931•760,000 Muslim•91,000 Christian•174,610 Jews•____________•1,026,000•* British Census, 1931
1937 – ‘45 The holocaust ‘38 – ‘47 Massive immigration of European Jews ‘31 -48” Jewish population triples (to estimated 650,000)
Nov. ‘47 – UN vote to partition Palestine the “Nakba” – expulsion of 750,000 Palestinians
May 15 1948 - Israel Declaration of Independence
May 1949 – Israel admitted to UN
The “Naqba” (Dec. ‘47 – Dec. ‘48)
Starting immediately after UN vote, in December ‘47, Jewish militias move to “liberate” Israel
by May 15th, 400,000 Palestinians expelled
the operation continues another 6 months - in total about 750,000 flee
Resulting in a Jewish majority
1947/48 - Palestinians driven out of most arable land
But the “Judaisation” was not complete
• Jewish troops only got 78% of former Mandate Palestine • they couldn’t get West Bank or Gaza • About 100,000 Palestinians remained inside Israel
Why?Jewish militias limited – too many PalestiniansAfter May 15th Arab countries intervenedHesitations of western powersNazareth an interesting special case
In the end:They became citizens of IsraelFor 20 years lived under military rule (1948 – 1967)
Where are the Palestinians today?
1. Refugee Camps(Lebanon,
Jordan, Syria)* 3.7 M2. West Bank 2.4 M3. Gaza 1.8 M4. Israel 1.5 M5. Diaspora 2.0 M
Total 11.4 M
* - there are also refugee camps in Gaza and the WB
Israel 1.4 M
Gaza 1.8 M
West Bank 2.4 M
Israel
• a booming, high tech, modern, European-type country• “start up nation”• GDP/capita $32K
Palestinian Israelis (or Arab Israelis)
• About 20% of Israeli population (1.4 million)
• 90% Muslim, 10% Christian• Citizens of Israel
• Passport• Right to vote• Represented in Knesset• State supplied education• Elect own mayors of
towns and villages• Eligible for Supreme Court
• Arabic officially recognized• Religious freedom• Surveys show they prefer to
live in Israel > OPT or Egypt Israeli Knesset – 13 of 120 Knesset members are Arab Israelis
Furthermore:
• Palestinian Israelis can: travel wherever they want inside Israel shop at the same stores, go to the same beaches, eat in the same restaurants as Jewish Israelisgo to the same universities
But Israel is a “Jewish State”•i.e. the State of Jews around the world, NOT the State of its Citizens
Implications:any Jew anywhere in the world can immigrate to Israel and automatically gain citizenshipMost of the land of Israel (97%) is held “in perpetuity’ for Jews
Israel makes great efforts to recruit Jews
No possibility for the refugees to return to their homes
While Israel actively recruits Jews
Laws supporting “the Jewish State of Israel”
• Laws explicitly based on race/religion
• Laws that permit official discrimination on the basis of race/religion
• Administrative practices based on race/religion House building permits Employment Education Government services, etc.
Lack of laws that make discrimination on the basis of race/religion illegal
Citizenship vs. ‘Nationality’
By law – every Israeli citizen has both ‘citizenship’ and ‘nationality’(e.g. ‘Jewish’, Arab, Druze, etc. etc.)’
• some rights come from citizenship
• other rights flow from ‘nationality’
• 75% of the citizens of Israel have the ‘jewish’ nationality
Some citizenship rights:• legal equality• the right to vote• the right to be elected• the right to be named a judge• the right to a passport and to travel• the right to travel anywhere inside Israel• free education K- 12
Some rights that flow from ‘nationality’• the right to own property on 97% of the land• where one can live• various state subsidies• Immigration law• quality of school system• access to best jobs
Israeli basic law defines Israel as "A Jewish and Democratic State”
“The State of Israel will affirm complete social and political equality for all its citizens, regardless of religion, race, or gender."
- Israeli Declaration of Independence
But there is little legal foundation for equality or human rights.
These two notions are often in conflict and the High Court often has to balance them.
Three small examples
1. Can an Arab Israeli live in a ‘Jewish Municipality’?
2 Can an Arab Israeli get a license to produce and sell eggs?
3 Do Arab citizens have a right to have a say in planning?
Example 1: Can an Arab Israeli live in a Jewish municipality?
93% of the land of Israel belongs to the state
Jewish communities have “admissions committees”
September 14, 2014
Yesterday, Israel’s Supreme Court dismissed a petition by Adalah: The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel.
According to Adalah, the court’s decision upholding Israel’s Admissions Committees Law, “entrenches racial segregation; 434 small communities in Israel, or 43% of all residential areas, will be allowed to close their doors to Palestinian Arab citizens of the state.”
Example 2Can an Arab Israeli get a licence to produce and sell eggs?
For the first time in history, Arab farmers hatch official Israel egg licenseSix Arab farmers who met the ministry's quality standards have now been chosen; others complain conditions make it financially not worthwhile. By Amiram Cohen and Jack Khoury | Dec. 28, 2011 | 1:50 AM
Eggs at a Tel Aviv restaurant, 2010. Photo by Nir Kafri
Example 3 – Do Arab Citizens have any right to have a say in planning?
Court Rules in Favor of Arab Planning RightsUpdate:June 13, 2013
The District Court for Administrative Matters ruled in favor of the Arab-Israeli residents.
Up until now, Arab citizens of Israel have not been represented in the State planning committees and divisions that decide upon planning and building laws.
- From ACRI website
Practical consequences - A tale of two towns: Kufr Qasm and Rosh Haayin
Introducing Rosh Ha’ayin
• Created in 1955 as a new Jewish municipality
Rosh Haayin is a Jewish municipality in Israel. It could be a gated community in California with checkpoints at the entrances.
I was surprised to see how segregated Israel is. Apart from a few “mixed” cities, no Jews live in Arab towns and no Palestinians live in Jewish municipalities
Arab Israeli village of Kafr Qasim
KQ appears rather over crowded
But not “poverty stricken”
Two neighbouring towns compared:Kefr Qasm vs. Rosh Ha’ayin
• Pop’n: 18,500• (Cf: 1931 census – 989)
• Founded (Ottoman empire)
• 100% Arab Palestinian
• Area• 9,1 km2
• Av. Income 3663 NIS
• Pop’n 35,500
• Founded 1950’s (on site of earlier Arab village)
• 99.7% Jewish (many from Yemen)
• Area• 24,3 km2
• Av. Income 8408 NIS
Figures from Israeli Bureau of Statistics, 2000 census
Two neighbouring towns compared:Kefr Qassm vs. Rosh Ha’ayin
• no
• no
• no
• none
• 70%
• no
• YES
• YES
• YES
• SEVERAL
• 100%
• Yes
• Municipal library
• Swimming pool
• Cultural centre
• Irrigated parks
• % paved roads
• Train station
How to explain the striking differences between the two towns?
Two neighbouring towns compared:Kefr Qasm vs. Rosh Ha’ayin
• Pop’n: 18,500• (Cf: 1931 census – 989)
• Founded (Ottoman empire)
• 100% Arab Palestinian
• Area• 9,1 km2 • Pop’n density: 2000/km2
• Av. Income 3663 NIS
• Pop’n 35,500
• Founded 1950’s (on site of earlier Arab village)
• 99.7% Jewish (mostly from Yemen)
• Area• 24,3 km2• Pop’n density: 1440/km2
• Av. Income 8408 NIS
Figures from Israeli Bureau of Statistics, 2000 census
Rosh Ha’Ayin is designated a “Jewish community”
– Admissions committee– Subsidies from Israel– Zoning is in its favour– Government offices, etc.
93% of Israel is now
“State land”
Socio-Economic Consequences Jews vs. Arabs inside Israel
Some examples:
Income (average income $/year) Jewish $31K Arab $21K
Poverty rate (families after transfers)Jewish 12.3% Arab 44.9%
Education (Qualification for matriculation certificate)Jewish 75.9% Arab 30.8%
Unemployment (Unemployment rate)Jewish 6.9% Arab = 10.9%
Civil service employmentJewish 94% Arab = 6%
All figures from Dirasat (Arab Centre for Law and Policy), ADALAH, and Central Bureau of Statistics, Israel
Education in Israel
• State supplied education K – 12 (“Bagrout”)
• Israel fares very well on international tests
• But… education is segregated: • Jewish schools (in Hebrew)• Arab schools (in Arabic)
Education for the Palestinian minority in Israel
Four major problems:
1.Inadequate funding
2.Poor outcomes
3.Curriculum
4.Barriers to higher education for Arabs
Poor quality education for Arabs…
• Funding 3 to 4 times more per capita for Jewish schools
• Poor outcomes - few graduate
Arab Israeli Curriculum
“The primary objective of education is to preserve the Jewish nature of
the state by teaching its history, culture and language”. – Israeli State Education Law 1953
The Arab Israeli school system does not teach Palestinian culture and history – it teaches Jewish culture and history
Barriers to higher education for Arab Israelis
• No Arabic language university in Israel
• Hebrew and English test• Few Palestinians on
faculty (<2%)• Psychometric exam• Subsidies to those who
have done military service• Justified on grounds that
Israel is a “Jewish State”
• Israel tolerant of dissent (e.g. occupy movement) but Arab Israelis seen as ‘5th column
• even peaceful Arab demonstrations often violently suppressed
• Arab MK’s often attacked by police in demonstrations
Peaceful demonstration over Gaza by Israeli Arabs in Nazareth broken up by Israeli police
Repression of Arab Israeli dissent
Objective: to protect the Jewish State of Israel
Provides for:•military tribunals to try civilians without appeal, •sweeping searches and seizures, •prohibiting publication of books and newspapers, •detaining individuals administratively for an indefinite period, •sealing off particular territories, and •imposing curfew, etc., etc.
• First introduced 1949• Re-voted every year by Knesset.
•Always a potential tool against Arab Israelis•Almost never used against Jews
Defense (emergency) regulations (1949)(= The war measures act)
Suppression of traces of Palestinian culture, history and identity
• Above – ruined Palestinian Bedouin cemetery in downtown Be’ersheva
• Right – Canada Park – built on ruins of a Palestinian village – all signage in Hebrew and English
Elimination of traces of Palestinian culture in Israel
Pervasive Racism
• 50% of Israelis think “Arabs should leave Israel”
• Petty exclusions• Professional
limitations• No legal remedy
because Israel is a “Jewish state”
Palestinian Israelis(A second look)
• About 20% of Israeli population (1.4 million)
• Citizens of Israel Israeli passports Right to vote Represented in Knesset State supplied education Elect own mayors of towns
and villages Eligible for Supreme Court
• Arabic an official language• Religious freedom• Surveys show prefer to live in
Israel
Store sign: Help wanted “after military service”
My conclusions
Bahai Garden on Mount Carmel, Haifa
• Israel is a European type country with high level of socio-economic development and a developed political structure and legal framework.
• It has some aspects of a liberal democracy
• Its declaration of independence declares that there shall be no discrimination on the basis of gender, religion, ethnicity, etc.
Conclusion 1
Conclusion # 2
• But Israel legally defines itself as a “Jewish State”.
• This allows preferential treatment for Jews - in education, employment, housing, land ownership and many other areas.
• Commonly (but not always) upheld by the courts
• This is the basic rationale for the proposed “Nation State” law
NOTE: Being Jewish has little to do with religion. Many Israelis are secular. But you are a “Jew” if your document says so, otherwise …
Conclusion #3• The Palestinian citizens of Israel struggle against a
different form of discrimination than that faced by those who live in the West Bank.
• There are no settler only roads, settlements or checkpoints
• But it is a legalized, institutionalized discrimination based on race/ethnicity/religion
Conclusion # 4• Israel’s Jewish majority can continue to “democratically”
vote privileges for itself as long as the refugees are denied their right to return
Conclusion # 5: Canadian support for the idea of Israel “as a Jewish state” is very problematic for anyone who believes in equality and democracy.
What does a “Jewish State” really mean?
Peter LarsonChair, Education Committee on
Israel/Palestine
NATIONAL COUNCIL ON CANADA-ARAB RELATIONS
The “Forgotten Palestinians”:The Israeli-Arab search for democracy and equal rights inside today’s Israel
Thank [email protected]
UN Proposal – Nov. 1947
Britain out – Palestine partitioned
• Accepted by Ben Gurion and Zionist Movement
• Rejected by Palestinians
• Over next 5 months, armed Jewish groups move to take over the country – several massacres of civilians, Haifa and Jaffa shelled with mortars, etc.
• Palestinian civilians begin to flee to the interior or Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt
• May 14th, 1948 Ben Gurion declares State of Israel. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians flood into neighbouring states.
• Neighbouring states armies attack Israeli forces to defend Palestinians
Map Source: Encyclopedia Britannica, 1935
Population of Palestine (1931)• 734,000 Muslims• 169,000 Jews• 85,000 Christians
1931 British Census of Palestine
• Palestinian population mostly agricultural
• About 20% lived in 3 or 4 major towns (Haifa, Jaffa, Lud, Jerusalem)
• The rest lived in hundreds of small farming villages
• Source: UN Special Committee on Palestine
When the dust settled…
• Israel created - controlling 78% of former Mandate Palestine
• 85% of Palestinians (750,000) are outside Israel and not allowed to return
• Israel now has a majority of Jews (600,000 Jews vs. 150,000 remaining Palestinians)
• Israeli Parliament democratically votes a series of “basic laws” including the confiscation of all the land belonging to refugees in the name of Jewish people
Abandoned, evacuated and/or destroyed Palestinian localities (comparative figures)
Reference Towns Villages Tribes Total
Morris 10 342 17 369
Khalidi 1 400 17 418
Abu Sitta 13 419 99 531
What happened to their villages?
Sabra Jews (born in Israel)
Jews from Europe and
America
Jews from Asia/Africa
Palestinian Arab
Others
Israel is a complex society of 7.6 million people – about 76% are Jewish