Leiberman’s Response
So Avigdor Lieberman, of Israel’s ascendant Yisrael Beiteinu party offers a response to his critics in The Jewish Week. He argues that he is actually a voice of responsible citizenship and tolerance, believing in free speech. While he probably does genuinely see himself this way, the kind of speech with which he campaigned, the kind of inflammatory fear-mongering that he used to rally support, does not lead to a society where tolerance and free speech flourish. It is not that he calls out the worst rhetoric of the Palestinian cause that is troubling, but that he calls about the worst instincts of the Israeli populace–fear, frustration, and mistrust.
As David Harris and Doug Lieb write in their rebuttal to Lieberman’s editorial, the proposed ‘loyalty oath’ that Lieberman wants Israel Arab citizens to take “would define an entire class of Israelis as suspected traitors. And it would chill Israel’s democratic political debate.” Their article does note that his rise to power is not the end of the world for moderation or democracy in Israel–he has been a player for years and the State of Israel still exists–but they do argue that the best path forward for the Jewish state is inclusiveness of all its citizens. That kind of inclusiveness, while scary and uncertain, marks the best of the Jewish people. Jews survive by embracing our neighbors, even when they do not return the favor. Jews have for a long time been defined by those who wish them ill, as the State of Israel has also been defined by its enemies. Two efforts are needed here. One from the Jewish people, who need to show the best of our traditions everywhere we live, further interfaith dialogue and publicly renounce injustice, whoever the victims might be–Jews in Venezuela, Palestinians in Gaza, Darfuris in Sudan and Chad, Armenians in Turkey, or B’hai in Iran. Separately, the people of Israel, if they want to be a Jewish State, shoud live up to the values of the Jewish people, remember that mere survival is fine for a state and its citizens, but for one that assumes a “Jewish” character, survival is not enough. Yes, Israel is a modern, diverse, and vibrant state that has accomplished much in its 60 years. But the measure of a state is not in its accomplishments, but in the quality of its aspirations. As we learned in the U.S. from the prison at Guantanamo, a state can abandon its ideals for security, and then, be defined by who it fears, or it can strive to realize the best of its values, and inspire allies it never knew it had.
