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Im Tirtzu: The Politics of Distraction

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But, like I said I was distracted. And is not distraction the real goal of the most recent effort to discredit human rights organizations by the Israeli right and their supporters, among whom are Christian Zionists espousing a virulent form of theological anti-Semitism. These groups want to change the subject; talk about Israeli human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law, (the laws of war), is inconvenient now. With the Goldstone report coming up for additional discussion, with the failed ‘peace process’ in the headlines, an Israeli minister acquiescing to gender segregation on public transportation, and the Israeli defense minister donning academic regalia in order to intellectually legitimate the Occupation with its own ‘university’, now is the time to attack. And like good Israel advocates, this is what they are doing.

But before I continue, in the interest of transparency – which virtuous rightists claim to find those who work for NGOs lacking – I work for one of the maligned Israeli human rights organizations. I do not mention it as a matter of pride. I work in human rights because it is necessary and no less necessary here in Israel-Palestine than in any other place in the world. When human rights are being systematically violated, it does not matter where or who the perpetrator is, only that it stop. As an Israeli, I have an obligation to fight against the manner in which Israel is abusing human rights, for the most part those of the Palestinian population under its ongoing and cruel occupation. Of course, I would not argue that Israeli human rights infractions are worse than in Burma, or in Iran, for that matter. But, I am here in Israel, and here is where I fight for the principles that must be at the core of any democratic system. If they do not form the core, or if they are systematically violated, then the very nature of the democracy under discussion is thrown into question.

Notice, I did not say that Israel is not a democracy. Up to now, I thought that Israeli human rights organizations enjoyed a certain status, though never appreciated by the Government(s) in Israel. Even the lip service paid to open dialogue and critical discourse, by the parade of self righteous Israeli politicians, ministers, parliamentarians and other commentators, is cheapened by their calls to reign in organizations that “deny Israeli legitimacy” or tell Jewish donors the “truth” about where their donations are going. When will these same officials tell American, British, French, Australian and other Diaspora Jews the truth about how their Dollars, Pounds and Euros fund settlement-building, dispossession of Palestinian families in East Jerusalem and so-called ‘educational’ activities and organizations that propagate and perpetuate the Occupation? Oh yes, transparency is an issue, but not for human rights organizations. More transparent than us? You won’t find it in Israel.

On the other hand, those who would attack us, from inside their glass houses, could not be more opaque. We do not know who or what they really want, and in certain instances, who it is that really supports them. We do know that they have accepted the self-appointed position of monitoring, watching and reporting on the activities of those who would dare to criticize what it is that they favor. Should it not now be clear? The stronger the voice raised against the Occupation and human rights abuses, the louder the noise that emanates from organizations like Im Tirtzu, and their compatriots in their struggle to maintain the Occupation in perpetuity. Such organizations clearly wish to support Israeli policymakers in their efforts to make fools of us all. The Prime Minister says “freeze”, while his defense minister paves the way for a University of the Occupation; he says no building of homes, but tree planting and school building can go ahead, all clear evidence that this “freeze” is the warmest on record.

So, to be absolutely clear, if Im Tirtzu, their colleagues and their political beneficiaries place me or any other human rights worker/activist on the block, my answer to them will be: “I am now and always will be a member of the human rights community; I am willing to name names and point fingers at injustice. If you do not like it, then prepare my prison cell because that, my friends, seems to be your next step.”

Let me conclude first by congratulating Im Tirtzu. Like any other propagandist, they have successfully manipulated the discourse and painted a compelling picture, without any factual evidence to support it. They created noise instead of arguments, and accused rather than reflected, all the while sanctifying the defilement of democracy. For them, Israel can do no wrong and they will make sure that the world knows it. They will cajole and enlist others to join Israel advocates pushing the same empty versions of the truth. Unlike them, however, the human rights community has far more on its side. For every truth that they besmirch, we can answer them with the voice of the victim: through written testimonies, videotapes, images of torture-inflicted bruises, and evidence of the psychological damage they suffer, their hunger and their anger. On their side, their only legacy will be the Occupation, an anachronism from an era when war was waged to accumulate territory.