Rabble Rousers

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The conflict in the Middle East over the Mandate Territories has festered now for a hundred years.

Jeremy Rosen

Both sides have made mistakes, both military and political. No one is without fault. I’ve always believed that the situation was like two families occupying the same house with equal rights. If they choose to fight each other and it is not possible to come to some arrangement, each side will do whatever it can to preserve its own survival. Usually, such conflicts end through negotiation and compromise. In this situation, the vast majority of states, NGOs and individuals around the world are antagonistic to Israel and seem committed to prolonging the stalemate by encouraging the Palestinians to hold out for a better deal. Even as attitudes in the Middle East itself are becoming more nuanced.

Otherwise, throughout history, the matter has been settled by whoever is stronger. To use the Talmudic phrase “Kol DeAlim Gavar” Whoever is stronger prevails. We might not like it, but that is how things tend to work in practice. If one looks at the language of anti-Israel dogma, it is that of the liberation of the Jewish state from Jordan to the Sea. Nothing could be clearer than that, and in such a situation, I believe that Judaism requires those of us who care to defend ourselves in the words of the Talmud ( Brachot 58a,62b, Sanhedrin 72a et al ) “If somebody rises to kill you, rise up and kill that person first” But of course, that only applies in a situation where there is no doubt that your life and your existence are under immediate and personal threat.

Where there is a conflict of interest, it is only natural that if my family is under attack, my religion, my culture, then, of course, I will do whatever I can to protect myself with whatever means at my disposal. But this does not include attacking individuals with whom one disagrees, or not excusing violence when it is being directed not at people who threaten you but simply belong to the other side.

It was Golda Meir who said, “We can forgive the Arabs for killing our children, but we can never forgive them for forcing us to kill their children.” Yet peace was forbidden,  and negotiations refused.  For all the mistakes that have been made, Israel, as a general matter of policy, has always taken a firm stand against unnecessary violence. The right-wing Prime Minister Menachem Begin condemned Meir Kahana,  the right-wing leader, not for defending or protecting, or agitating for the Jews but for using language that was dehumanizing and encouraging violence. The Jewish people have always suffered from the toxic combination of religion and politics. I insist the Jewish people have the right to defend their homeland. I would willingly lay down my life for the protection of Israel, but I will not descend to the brute extremism of attacking either innocent people or those who simply disagree with me.

Israelis live day by day with constant threats, fear, and anxiety, and there is a natural desire to do whatever it takes to stop it. But Itamar Ben Gvir and Betzalel Smotrich, surrounded by their bullies, use language that only encourages violence. Some will argue that they may have their less destructive qualities, but the more you encourage violence rather than self-defence, the greater the danger of dehumanization. Netanyahu himself has said Ben Gvir is not fit to be a minister. And yet now, when he needs him politically, he says he will accept him as a minister. And what makes matters worse in the current political situation in Israel is that these nationalist fanatics are supported indirectly, if not directly, by the hundreds of thousands of Haredi votes of people who will not commit themselves to the defence of their land.

The threat to Israel comes both from the left and to the right. But I consider that the extreme right is a far greater threat. It is true the extreme right wants to defend its country at all costs, but not at the cost of crude, mob violence and innocent blood.

As Rabbi Nathan Slifkin, who is one of the shrinking band of moderate, humane, religious voices, has said: “Ignorant people see everything in black and white, in the short term rather than the long term, and do not think about other factors and aspects of a situation.  The actual Left (now mostly extinct) used to make the mistake of believing that if the situation of holding on to the West Bank was bad, then the alternative would be better.  The far Right makes the mistake of thinking that if there is terrorism, then electing a firebrand will make things better.  Maybe they don’t care that not only is he a hothead who could set the country on fire, but also that he never served in the IDF, has a criminal record, and will ruin crucial international support for Israel.”

These new elections will inevitably continue the political stalemate that exists within Israeli politics and will only change if, by some miracle, the electoral system is reformed. The scandal of wasting millions and millions of shekalim that could be used to help the poor, the distressed, and the unemployed, will be wasted year after year with no solution in sight. For all the amazing achievements of Israeli society on almost every level and the fact that, at this moment, it is one of the most successful societies both economically and socially in the world, if we allow this undercurrent of aggression and violent language to fester, we will end up destroying ourselves because those who dehumanize others end up dehumanizing themselves.

Witnessing the lunacy of these rabble-rousing bullies fills me with anxiety for our future. I wish it were only ignorance. Violence, unless in self-defence, is criminal. And when our own people have lost their souls, what can one expect from others?

Remember God before the silver cord is severed,
    and the golden bowl is broken;
before the pitcher is shattered at the spring,
and the wheel is broken at the well,
 and we return to the dust we came from,
while spirit returns to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes or Kohelet 12:6-13).

Rabbi Jeremy Rosen lives in New York. He was born in Manchester. His writings are concerned with religion, culture, history and current affairs – anything he finds interesting or relevant. They are designed to entertain and to stimulate. Disagreement is always welcome.