Passover: Time to bring freedom, equality to Israel’s Palestinians
JVL Introduction
In a passover opinion piece in the mainstream Jerusalem Post Gershon Baskin, who has dedicated his life to building peace between Israel and its neighbors, speaks out strongly against untamed nationalism, the primary existential threat that faces Israel.
The passing of the Nation State Law in 2018 was the final step in destroying any thread of common identity which might be built among Israel’s diverse citzenry.
A sea-change is needed: “Israel can only survive and prosper if we become a society of acceptance and celebration of our diversity.”
This article was originally published by the Jerusalem Post on Tue 4 Apr 2023. Read the original here.
Passover: Time to bring freedom, equality to Israel's Palestinians
We must seek equality among all Israelis and we must accept the principle that both peoples living here have the same right to the same rights.
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If only a majority of Israelis could be persuaded of the common sense of this article, how much better a place would the entire world become! Look in your hearts and support this plea.
Interesting. The Jerusalem Post is not known for taking a radical position on Israeli/Palestinian politics so having this OP may be good news. However do I detect some confusion over the occupied territories? He includes “Being Israeli is perhaps the single common thread between all of us in this country, not including the occupied territories.” then talks about “Palestinians living between the river and the sea” clearly including them.
There is a much about “equality” but nothing about justice and human rights. The whole legal system needs to be changed to give Palestinians equal property and civil rights. The laws, like the Absentee Property Laws needs to be abolished, and restitution paid to Palestinians who lost their homes and villages, and those need to be returned to ‘internal refugees’. Villages like Lifta. Further, the West Bank occupation must end and the land taken by settlers returned, with the removal of the settlers. Israel and Palestine must be decolonised, and the Right of Return of the refugees must be upheld and dealt with according to international and UN law. This is just for starters!
Pete Sacker: No confusion here. Gershon Baskin makes two seperate but complementary points: that there should be equality of rights within Israel’s borders for all Israeli citizens, and there should be an end to Israel assuming control over a land and a people which are not Israeli. In short, Jews and non-Jews, in Israel and in Palestine, should be freed fom the rule of the kind of racism and extrememe nationalism which should be anathema to all Jews regardless of their particular station in Israeli society. In that, he is absolutely right.
Interesting use of the word ‘chauvinist’. The author is correct in its usage as a form of extreme nationalism but today it has other connotations as it is now used in a context to describe male contempt for women.
The one state solution for Palestine is the goal to be attained as the concept of Israel has connotations of exclusion and violence. The nation state laws are fascistic and undemocratic, where apartheid becomes the mechanism for ethnic and religious cleansing. Many Israelies believe that they are on a mission from God to cleanse ‘the holyland’ of infidels and heretics; as it is written. This is the gospel of hate and division that can never lead to peace; harmony and equality. ‘God’s chosen people’ seem to have learned nothing from events of the recent past. ‘Until the philosophy, that holds one race superior and another inferior, is is finally discredited and abandoned……….’
Abe Hayeem’s comments say everything I believe should happen. My concerns for the Palestinians grew when I read the article that told us the Israeli protesters were not in any way protesting for the Palestinians. I could only see Israel’s flags being waved and not a single Palestinian flag.
I still believe the only way to put pressure on the Israeli Government has to come from other Countries coming together and putting BDS in place.