Panel discusses Israel

RON FRIEDMAN

The Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture was packed to the brim last Tuesday, as people piled in to hear a panel discussion on the topic of the future of Israel.

The event, which was organized by the Ahavat Olam Synagogue, included three Israeli speakers representing diverse views.

First to speak was retired professor and activist Jeff Halper. Halper was in Vancouver from Israel as part of a Canada-wide speaking tour and is well known for his harsh criticism of Israeli policies regarding human rights and security measures. He spoke in favor of a bi-national solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, stating, "In my view, the two-state solution is probably gone, under the weight of the Israeli settlements and so on." Halper suggested that a one-state solution could either be in the form of a bi-national state or one democratic state "like South Africa became. In which case, Israel is no longer a Jewish state.... Israel is transformed to a state of all its citizens." The alternative, according to Halper, is "apartheid." "A lot of Israelis kind of get it but, for different reasons, we're locked into a dynamic in which Israel is locked into the one-state solution," said Halper.

As for the use of the word apartheid, Halper said that he used it because it was an apt description of what was going on, but that he would prefer to use the Hebrew word hafradah (separation). This is what Israel officially calls its policies towards the Palestinians, but that no one would know what he means, he said.

Halper noted that it was rare for him to speak before a Jewish audience and said that he's not sure why it is so difficult for Jews to meet and discuss and criticize Israel. "It sounds funny to say it, but Israel is a real country. It's a foreign country. It's not a projection of the Jewish community of Vancouver. It's not Brooklyn writ large. It's not Leon Uris and Exodus," said Halper. He added that it was necessary to hold Israel accountable to its actions just as it is necessary to do so for countries like Canada or the United States.

To Jews in the Diaspora, Halper said, "Get a life! You can't live vicariously off Israel." Halper argued that Zionism "de-validated" Jewish life in the Diaspora and devalued Jewish culture, creating an unhealthy Israel-centric Judaism, and he urged for a revival of Jewish life apart from Israel.

He also recommended that North American Jews call for U.S. President Barack Obama to put pressure on the Israeli government to find a solution instead of allowing it carte blanche.

The second speaker was Dr. Ofer Kenig, an Israeli political scientist who is currently completing post-doctoral research at the University of British Columbia. Kenig started by acknowledging that, by Israeli standards, he and Halper would probably be on the same side of the political spectrum, but that, for the purposes of the discussion, he would veer to the right.

Kenig said that the fact that many Israelis complain about bias against it in the global media and by international organizations reflects how open and free Israeli society really is. "After all, if you want to read the most vicious and the most radical critique of Israeli policies, all you have to do is open a daily Israeli newspaper," said Kenig. He praised organizations like Halper's Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions and others for their important work in holding the mirror up before the eyes of the Israeli public. "The problem for me, however, lies in the manner that human rights organizations outside of Israel use the very important work of such organizations to institute unleashed and poignant attacks against Israel.... There is a very thin line that separates between legitimate and important criticism and pure anti-Semitism and anti-Israeliness," said Kenig.

Kenig said that one could differentiate between the two by looking for the "three Ds" – demonization, double-standard and delegitimization.

Kenig disagreed with Halper's characterization of Israel as a country seeking to become a regional hegemonic superpower: "I think Israel's urgent need is just survival. And I really think that Israel is fighting for her life." Kenig spoke about his fears of living in Israel as a father of two young daughters: "You would think that, after 61 years as an independent state, I, as a Jew, would feel a bit more secure."

Kenig concluded by saying that he personally felt very pessimistic about the future of Israel. Unlike Halper, who blamed Israel for the breakdown of the peace process, Kenig laid the blame at the feet of Hamas, saying that they had an advantage because they loved death, while Israelis loved the living. He also said, "You have to be very naïve to believe that a one-state solution would take in Israel.... We do not share the same values.... I think that even if Israel retreated from the last acre, from the last inch of the occupied territories, there will be no peace."

The third speaker was Israeli filmmaker Rafi Spivak. He spoke about his childhood and the chasm that exists between the Jewish and Arab populations. "I never knew any Palestinians and only knew very few Arab Israelis," he said. Spivak argued that de-facto separation allowed Israelis to ignore the Arab perspective of the conflict, continue seeing themselves as victims and justify the use of brutal force against the Palestinians.

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