The Jewish Democratic State

The American political scientist Norman Finkelstein, author of this superb book on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, has been deported from Israel during a visit there and banned from re-entering for ten years.

Israel does not appear to be making any attempt to justify this, other than some half-heartedly mumbled insinuation that Finkelstein has links with Hezbollah ...er ...or Al-Qaeda ... or something. The fact that those two groups actively hate each other shows how little effort Israel is making to formulate a cover story. And incidentally, Finkelstein is scornful of those few Western lefties who, from a comfortable position thousands of miles away, profess some meaningless "support for the resistance" (you can watch him express that scorn about halfway through this video). All this strongly indicates that Finkelstein was summarily declared persona non grata because of his political views, not an invented allegience with terrorists*. Let us then recall what those views are.

Finkelstein's dangerously radical position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is this: that Israel should comply with international law, giving back the land it has illegally expropriated from the Palestinians and withdrawing to its legal 1967 borders. In other words, his position is identical to that expressed in 2004 by the International Court of Justice (who perhaps are also terrorist-sympathisers, in Israeli eyes). Clearly such extremisim is beyond the pale in "the Middle East's only democracy".

So, a Jewish, democratic state....except for Jews who disagree too strongly with the state.

How fitting that Israel the outlaw state should ban someone - a Jewish son of holocaust survivors, no less! - from entering the country .... because he urges the government to comply with the law. For the Israeli state, criminality is the law, and standing up for the law is a crime. A crime punishable by banishment.

I was lucky enough to spend a few hours one afternoon earlier this year in a seminar on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict which was largely led by Norman Finkelstein. Even in the face the current, disgusting treatment of the inhabitants of Gaza, he expressed optimism for the future. He said that the argument against Israeli colonianlism and in favour of Palestinian rights was being won, and that apolgists for the Israeli state were becoming increasingly desperate. I can't help but think that his shabby treatment by the Israelis supports that view very strongly.

In the long run, Israel's rulers will suffer for this far more than Finkelstein. I doubt that the majority of the world's Jews, who currently choose to live outside of Israel, will be remotely impressed by this crude display of authoritarianism. And what of the young Israelis who are emigrating in ever increasing numbers? When they see a fellow Jew expelled for taking a position that is shared by practically the entire international community bar the US and Israeli governments, do they see the sort of thriving liberal democracy that they'd want to return to live in?

"Aliyah" probably doesn't look like such a mystical, beatific experience when some Jews aren't even allowed to visit the land God promised them because they have the wrong political opinions. How does Israel sustain its mythology on that basis? How does the banishment of Finkelstein fit into the Zionist narrative? Some Jews are more Jewish than others?

*Update 1: According to the Jerusalem Post, "Officials said that the decision to deport Finkelstein was connected to his anti-Zionist opinions and fierce public criticism of Israel around the world". It seems plain that, nonsense about "security" aside, the real reason for the deportation was let slip here.

Update 2: In response to these letters, published in the Guardian yesterday, which were basically attempts to defame Finkelstein, I had a letter published in the paper today, along with others. My letter was edited. The full version read as follows:

"Lorna Fitzsimons (Letters, 29 May) says that Israel did not deport Norman Finkelstein, and ban him from returning for ten years, because of his criticism of its government, but on "legitimate security grounds", because he has met members of Hizbullah. However, according to the Jerusalem Post on 25 May, "[o]fficials said that the decision to deport Finkelstein was connected to his anti-Zionist opinions and fierce public criticism of Israel around the world."

Does Fitzsimons realise how ridiculous she sounds when she tries to portray a 54 year old political scientist as a threat to Israel's security? Perhaps her time might be better spent reflecting on the nature of a purportedly "Jewish and democratic state" that banishes the son of holocaust survivors because it dislikes his political opinions."

There's also a very good editorial on this in the Israeli paper Haaretz.