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Source: Rob Sheridan / Flickr
Well, to be fair, it’s a little more complex than that. The Knesset voted “to consider establishing a parliamentary panel of inquiry into left-wing Israeli organizations that allegedly participate in delegitimization campaigns against Israel Defense Forces soldiers.” If there are groups deliberately undermining the IDF itself, calling into question its important place in defending the security of Israel, then that’s a problem. But the problems here are two-fold.
For one, not every criticism is deligitimisation. James Besser at New York’s Jewish Week makes some good points on that front. I was criticised for “aiding the delegitimisers” when one of my op-eds was published in the Jewish News back in August; I’m still flabbergasted when I hear that same line repeated back to me. And that leads into the second problem: that the groups this committee will be targeting - Yesh Din, Breaking the Silence, B’Tselem, et al – aren’t questioning the IDF itself, they’re questioning its policies. Those groups are calling into question the IDF’s default position as the “most moral army in the world”, and saying “hang on, we’re not so sure that’s true, here’s what Soldiers A, B and C have seen and done.”
They have every right to do that — every Zionist wants Israel to be safe and secure and understands that the IDF has a role in that. We just want to make sure that it’s done in a moral way, in a way that upholds the traditional values of Judaism and Zionism. I see no problem in those who have experienced the IDF first hand, and of those who have lived the terrorism torturing Israeli civilians coming out and saying it.
And these human rights groups came out swinging in response:
Peace Now Director-General Yariv Oppenheimer deemed the move “another step on the path toward wiping out democracy in Israel” and as a blatant attempt to persecute critics of Israeli policy.
The New Israel Fund said the Knesset’s approval “proves how much the stature of Israeli democracy has deteriorated – even in the house of legislators.”
“Democracy cannot function properly without freedom of expression, freedom to sound criticism of the system, and active human rights groups,” said the NIF.
“The political persecution of human rights group causes great damage to Israel across the world, and that is precisely what will lead to the delegitimization [of Israel] and the representation of it as a McCarthyite state in which a witch hunt is taking place,” added the NIF.
“Such behavior, particularly within the walls of Israel’s parliament, will harm our stance in the world and distance us precisely from the democracies that still support us and want in our favor.”
The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel called the legislation “authoritarian, immoral and illegitimate”, adding that it mourns the “slow but sure death” of democratic values in Israel.
I don’t think they’ve overreacted at all. These are serious issues and calling into question their motives (or perhaps not even understanding them at all) is crazy. Ha’aretz’s report speculated that the investigation will including looking at “whether this money is coming from … organizations deemed to be involved in terrorist activities”; the subtle hint that groups like the NIF and B’tselem are pawns of Hamas or similar is simply absurd. They might have a different view to Yisrael Beiteinu, who (surprise, surprise!) are leading this witch hunt, but that doesn’t make them BFFEs of Islamic fundamentalists. Come on.
Finally, it’s worth taking a look at how Ami Kaufman at 972 Magazine has described this. In Kaufman’s article “Let’s investigate leftists. It actually makes sense” he facetiously notes how it’s perfectly logical to be going after these groups.
Related reading:You know what? It actually makes sense. Really.
Yes. Let’s investigate left wingers.
But let’s not investigate the people that are OK with an Interior Minister who allowed the Israeli Fire Service to remain staffed and equipped as if it was made for a small town in rural Transylvania. Nah, that wouldn’t make any sense [...]Yes. Let’s investigate left wingers.
But let’s not investigate the people who fired heaps of tear gas directly at an unarmed demonstrator, hitting him in the chest and killing him. Nah, that wouldn’t make any sense [...]Yes. Let’s investigate left wingers.
But let’s not investigate the people who abhor the word “apartheid” but are perfectly fine with millions of people living under their rule without civil rights for 43 years. Nah, that wouldn’t make any sense.Yes. Let’s investigate left wingers.
I think it’s about bloody time.
