Israel: Farewell to the Civil Democratic State?

Prof. As’ad Abdul Rahman

One of the basic justifications for the establishment of the state of Israel was the creation of a civil democratic state that adheres to ‘the rule of law’ under which citizens are endowed with equal rights. The assumption was that such a civil democratic state consisting of various nationalities living peacefully with each other could be the catalyst to transform the Middle East region from its ‘backward feudality’ into a democratic region ruled by law. While this idealistic point of view was intended to characterize the birth of the Zionist entity, other points of view were different asserting that the very cause of creating Israel was to establish an ally state equipped with advanced weapons to protect the western monopolies, mainly oil, in the Middle East. This view, shared by the vast majority in the Arab and Muslim worlds is based on the history of the Ashkenazi Jews who rule Israel today.

 These Ashkenazis used to be called ‘the Khazars’, a pagan European tribe who converted to Judaism and became mercenaries serving the Byzantine Empire by waging wars against the Arab state of the Umayyads. The same role has exactly been adopted by the present day ‘Khazari’ state called Israel. The old Khazari state used to be ruled by a theocracy, a Rabbinate Council, which is not different, in essence, from Israel of today after the Likud party came to power in 1977. The current Rabbinate Council, consisting of ultra-conservative western Jews (Ashkenazis), issued an edict declaring the reform Jews of America as non-Jews because they shunned the Talmud, the self-concocted religious book which is filled with nauseating racist content. It is to be acknowledged that the debate that is now going on in Israel involves those who advocate a civil democratic state and protagonists of a racist religious state which negates others who hold different attitudes. Many of the civil-minded Jews around the world including Israel have issued an obituary notice lamenting the demise of the civil democratic state in Israel. This is why, Daniel Sokatch, in his article in Haaretz, entitled ‘Let’s Look Behind the Curtain’, elaborated on the extreme measures taken by the government of Israel to kill free speech by passing a legislation to defunct Israeli non-governmental organizations (NGOs) who are active in advocating human rights and ‘the rule of law’ for all Israeli citizens, Jews and non-Jews, alike. The writer’s words focus on the governments of the ultra-religious groups who advocate “the pursuing of God’s will for the Greater Land of Israel” which of course means all the Palestinian land from “the River of Jordan to the sea”. The latest annexation by the Israeli government was the Islamic Cemetery in Jerusalem called ‘God’s Refuge’ where some of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad were buried. Israeli bulldozers removed all the graves to turn the Cemetery into “a playground and a place to walk the dogs in its park”! Sokatch concludes that “Israel advocates on the outside a social just society and a transparent support of a two-state solution, but behind the curtain supports a powerful minority which is a threat to freedoms and to the fragile democratic culture in Israel”. Along the same line, Gideon Levy wrote in Haaretz advocating a diplomatic isolation of Israel by a boycott similar to the action that contributed to the fall of the odious apartheid regime in South Africa. Levy has adopted the exact stand of the Palestinian civil movement BDS, (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions), against Israel as the only peaceful solution to transform the racist monstrosity, the present day condition of the state of Israel. Indeed, the Palestinian BDS movement, since its inception in 2005, has struggled to isolate Israel peacefully with the highest dedication -unmatched by any other actions under the same conditions-since the establishment of the Zionist state. In one of its successes, the European Union has recently decided to boycott all the produce of the illegal Israeli ‘settlements’/colonies in the West Bank, thus, completely adopting the righteous agenda of the BDS. This European stand asserts that the territories of 1967 make up the future Palestinian state and if Israel incorporates them, Israel itself becomes illegitimate. Levy advocates the isolation and boycott of Israel as the only solution to save Israel from utter destruction. “A Patriot’s Final Refuge” under the canopy of the Palestinian BDS movement is his only peaceful solution to transform Israel from a racist apartheid state into a law-abiding civil democratic state. He is calling on all patriot Israelis and all Jews of conscience to save Israel from an Israeli religious minority whose agenda is based upon “the dehumanization and the demonization of the Palestinians and Arabs carried out by the brainwashed ultra-religious Jews”. He believes such a blaspheming (Takfiri) agenda that negates the Palestinians and all other creeds as well as non-ultra conservative Jews shall usher, in the end, the very destruction of the state of Israel including a great part of the Middle East region. The question now is: Would the Western world, especially the superpower, listen and heed Levy’s call before it is too late?