The (Revised) Israeli Loyalty Oath
The uproar of the moment here is over the Israeli cabinet’s approval of an amendment to the citizenship law that requires prospective citizens to swear loyalty not simply to Israel, as the oath currently stands, but to Israel as a Jewish and a democratic state.
The passage is viewed variously as:
- a sop to the right in advance of more concessions to the Palestinians to try yet again to lure them to substantive peace negotiations. This seems on the face of it to have some basis in fact, since Netanyahu is now talking about extending the building freeze if the PA recognizes Israel as a Jewish state. Netanyahu knows, though, that the PA has no intention of doing any such thing. (Viz.: Claire let me know the other day that PA television recently ran a quiz show in which contestants were awarded $100 to name five cities in Palestine. Answers like Haifa, Jerusalem, Nahariya, Nazareth and so on all won the money. Those cities are, of course, all in Israel, but any contestant who acknowledged Israel’s existence forfeited the cash. Any offer to the PA that’s contingent on its prior recognition that Israel exists at all, let alone is a Jewish state, is dead in the water.)
- a fascist act designed to make Israel’s current Arab residents feel even less at home, which ties in with
- an ugly double standard. And while the “fascist” charge (as leveled by Haaretz) is extreme, it’s hard to deny that the amendment as it stands will further alienate Israeli Arabs, who constitute a fifth of Israel’s population. That is because as currently written, the amendment applies only to non-Jews wishing to naturalize, and they are usually Arabs who want to marry Israeli Arabs. The extra language will not have to be spoken by Jews wishing to naturalize under the Law of Return.
Aside from being gratuitously offensive, the double standard strikes me as insidious, since it permits anti-Zionist Jews to immigrate without hindrance. If I were, say, a non-political, Belgian Muslim accountant who wanted to marry my fiancé in Akko and had to stand on line at the registry office behind members of the Neturei Karta – religious Jews who see the creation of Israel as a disastrous calamity that will impede the coming of the Messiah, and who go out of their way to befriend Israel’s enemies – I would be offended and angry as they were waved through while I had to swear my loyalty to the Jewish state. It would certainly affect my attitude toward my adopted country.
The amendment is being promoted by FM Avigdor Lieberman’s Israel Beitenu camp (one of Lieberman’s campaign slogans was “Only Lieberman Understands Arabic”), but with the exception of the far right, support elsewhere is not shaking out along party lines. Quite a few prominent Likudniks are just as uncomfortable with the amendment as Laborites; those who oppose it perceive it as unnecessary, provocative, internally dangerous and fodder for Israel’s enemies abroad. And the uproar is being listened to. Israel’s justice minister, Yaakov Neeman, who wrote the amendment, said that on second thought, maybe it should apply to everybody after all, and Defense Minister Ehud Barak has proposed adding the words, “in the spirit of the principles of the [Israeli] Declaration of Independence” to the loyalty oath. (All Israelis were granted equal rights in 1948.)
It seems reasonable that if the amendment is to become official, it ought to apply to all immigrants, not just some. But that's not the real issue. The problem – the reason everybody’s getting hysterical – is the inclusion of the word “Jewish” in the new oath. But is “Jewish” a statement of religious belief, a nationality, what? Deputy FM (and Israel Beitenu member) Danny Ayalon, in a defense of the amendment, puts the issue well while making his party's point:
Much of the uproar derives from the simple misconception as to the meaning of the term “Jewish.”
While many like to constrict the term as merely referring to a religious belief, its meaning is far greater. To be Jewish is to be part of a nation, civilization, culture and people. I frequently tell visiting dignitaries who are similarly uncertain that Jews are to Israel as the Chinese are to China and the French are to France.
When we ask prospective citizens to emphasize Israel’s status as both a “Jewish and democratic state” we call on them to embrace the true meaning and substance of the State of Israel, without compromising their civil rights. Without these terms, Israel’s unique significance is rendered meaningless.
There is a reason that the American Pledge of Allegiance evolved from the original, “I pledge allegiance to the flag and to the republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
The additions, “of the United States of America” and “under God” addressed supplementary facets of the American national character and served as a guide for prospective immigrants.
Those who refuse to acknowledge Israel’s national character wish to strip it of any defining features, to make it a “Hebrew-speaking republic” which leaves us little to be proud of. The unparalleled assault on our legitimacy is both from without and within, and we need strong and certain leadership to stand our ground.…
Those non-Jews who become citizens need to fully appreciate that the State of Israel is the national expression of the self-determination of the Jewish people.
Those who object to the new formula are doing untold damage to the sincerity of the Zionist mission, and make our case harder to explain.
Only by adhering to and proudly reinforcing our national character, not only to those who wish to join our people, but also to the nations of the world, will we validate our presence. Many nations actively promote their national mission, whether it is “American exceptionalism” or France’s “liberté, égalité, fraternité.”
Every nation has its national ethos, and Israel’s “light unto the nations” can only be expressed through its Jewish character, which we must state clearly and unequivocally.
Those who disparage clearly describing Israel as the eternal aspiration of the Jewish people provide ample ammunition to those who seek the end of our national existence.
And here is the other side of the argument, as expressed by Hagai el-Ad in the Post:
This new version [of the oath] crosses the line from what is commonplace in democracies to what is commonplace in countries Israel would not want to associate with. It is one thing to require adherence to the law; it is another altogether to demand that free individuals in a democracy sign on to a specific ideology or identity – and specifically one with particular religious content.
ONE MAY theorize that these are just words, they carry no concrete implications. It is symbolic, not practical. But symbols do matter, and in fact practical implications, and very troubling ones, do exist.
Symbolically, the new declaration of loyalty sends a clear message to all non-Jews in Israel, whether they were born citizens or have naturalized. It tells one in five Israelis: You are less a citizen than your Jewish neighbor, you have less ownership of your country, less stake in its future than other citizens. Thus, it introduces an oxymoron into the to-be-amended Citizenship Law: Telling some citizens that they are less equal than others is essentially anti-democratic. Requiring an oath to a Jewish Israel immediately makes that very Israel less of a democracy.
I tend to agree. I grew up in the US with a clear perception that it was a Christian country, but its Christian character never threatened me or made me feel an outsider. If I had been told, though, that my hypothetical Jewish fiancé from East Grinstead would have to swear an oath of loyalty to the Christian State of America before receiving citizenship, I would have felt that I was being reminded that I was not quite as American as my Christian neighbors.
Israel has plenty of problems, and the biggest revolve, as always, around her relationship with the Palestinian Arabs. It strikes me as a terrible time to go out of our way to offend Israeli Arabs, who already often experience life at a notch below that of Israeli Jews. Israeli Arabs are Israeli, but a move like this seems designed to push them ideologically into the arms of the Palestinians. Strategically speaking, that doesn't look like a good move to me.
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Re: The (Revised) Israeli Loyalty Oath
Judith, have you spoken to any Israeli Arabs about this? What do they say?
A vagrant memory just came to mind--I was en route to the airport at Tel Aviv a few years ago, and my cab driver was an Israeli Arab. We got stuck in traffic, ended up having a long conversation. As we approached, we were stopped for the usual security checks, and I think he said something (not sure if I remember correctly) to the effect that the scrutiny was especially thorough because he was an Arab. I asked if he minded that. He said, "Are you kidding? My kids take those planes."
It struck me as noteworthy. Not sure it was typical.
Edited on Oct 12, 2010 at 5:22amJun '10
Re: The (Revised) Israeli Loyalty Oath
I thought Israel was founded as a Jewish state. The United States was founded as an amalgamation of Judeo Christian Western Civilization values and philosophies.Israel faces an entirely different reality than does the USA either now or when it was founded. I really do not know how this new oath would change anything though. The very fact that many Israeli feel it is needed is a concern in itself, to me.
Aug '10
Re: The (Revised) Israeli Loyalty Oath
Israel is in a unique and very difficult quandary. The need for a loyalty oath is certainly understandable; it just needs to be crafted well enough to avoid the double-standard label as much as possible. Everyone who wishes Israel well should be heard and allowed to contribute ideas for making it fair and reasonable.
May '10
Re: The (Revised) Israeli Loyalty Oath
Judith -- This seems like a very minor first step toward addressing the elephant in the shtetl which is the growing proportion of the Arab population within Israel. Perhaps this is just alarmism but I have been led to believe that by 2020 Arabs could represent as much as 40% of the country's citizens. Surely even the most multiculturalist Israelis have to be a little concerned about the implications of that change. It certainly seems that the French are...
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3397174,00.html
May '10
Re: The (Revised) Israeli Loyalty Oath
Israel was founded by peoples of many backgrounds and customs, but united behind the cause of securing Jews from violence and bigoted laws. It was overtly founded for the Jews. It's a fortress, a sanctuary, devoted to a culture that identifies its roots in both religion and ancestry. Israel is unique in history in that its citizenship was not originally defined by geography.
The United States was founded as a confederation of various Christians, and it was always devoted to God as broadly perceived by them, but it was not created for Christians everywhere. Israel was created to secure freedom for people bound by, if not adherent to, a specific religion; a people who have been persecuted and slaughtered because of that identity throughout the world and throughout history.
Nobody would call himself an Israeli merely because he's a Jew, but Jews were always the nation's purpose. Non-Jewish immigrants always knew that purpose.
Right or wrong, if Israelis now rejects the idea that Israel is for the Jews, regardless of its openness to non-Jews, then the identity of Israel will be redefined. And Israel's Jewish roots will be erased demographically within a century.
May '10
Re: The (Revised) Israeli Loyalty Oath
Regrettably, I feel the need to make one further point. A refuge for Jews will become even more necessary this century. The cultural Left is rising throughout the world and Jews, like the Church, are symbolic of everything it seeks to destroy. The various malicious dictators of recent history all tried to eliminate notions of objective good and evil. It will happen again, eventually. There's no reason to believe that Jews will finally cease to be the targets of persecution, as they have been throughout history.
I'm reminded of Reagan's story about the Cuban refugee. I hope America will remain a refuge for Jews as well. But you know what's been happening here. Riochet was founded in response to it. Don't make America your last and only hope.
Edited on Oct 12, 2010 at 11:00amMay '10
Re: The (Revised) Israeli Loyalty Oath
Good 2,000 foot overview piece on general politics by Michael Totten:
http://pajamasmedia.com/michaeltotten/2010/10/12/on-the-bleeding-edge-of-the-west/?print=1