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When Language Fails

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15/5/2010

Tonight there was a demonstration in Jerusalem’s Zion Square. When I first moved to Israel 15 years ago (two months before Rabin was murdered,) I went down to Zion Square and witnessed a very disturbing demonstration. The left was demonized, peace was demonized and with that so too, was democracy. Many of Israel’s current ‘leadership’ spoke out at that demonstration. Today we live with its aftermath. When I first arrived, I thought that Zionism, a progressive Zionism striving for peace, justice and human rights was possible. I have since, painfully, come to believe differently.

This is not a Post/Anti-Zionist editorial. It belongs to no school of thought, nor to the post, progressive, radical, reactionary or settlement-entrenched Zionisms either. Rather, this article begs to be extricated from the discursive trap in which we remain entangled. It is a call for a new Past Zionist discourse. It seems that Zionism, as a word, ideology, theology or movement has emerged as the new battlefield between those who would claim to be better Zionists: the settlers and their supporters, and those who say that a “Zionist is not a settler” and that “we” need to end the Occupation to save ourselves. In the meantime, ultra-right nationalism thrives in Israel’s political system, the domestic human rights movement is under attack, settlement and occupation are ever more engrained as Israel’s civil religion, and Palestinian families are cleared out of East Jerusalem to make way for privileged “Zionists,” the settlers.

This is not a criticism of those who would anchor their worldview or politics in Zionism. Rather it questions the wisdom and efficacy of such an investment, when what we really need is to focus on democracy, human rights and social justice. Perhaps, at a later point, Zionism can find its place in the discussion, and Judaism can work its way back into democracy. But for now, democracy must be the first priority because that is what is being molested at this time.

When I hear discussions of Zionism on the left, I remain very concerned with the tendency to focus on Jewish self-interest in Israel, on the ongoing dangers of nationalism. Yet, as a pragmatist, a progressive, (social) democracy, anti-racist and anti-Occupation-oriented Zionism is certainly welcomed. This kind of Zionism seems to be the voice of J Street and JCall, two movements that may very well help bring the Occupation to a halt. At the very least, advocates of the Occupation seek to discredit even these relatively progressive Jewish initiatives, thus indicating their concern over a growing global Jewish disaffection with the Occupation, and the end of Diaspora Jewry’s uncritical faith in everything the Israeli government says and does.

What these new initiatives are saying is that there ought to be a limit to the demonization of the left by the radical right, especially of the Israeli government’s critics, be they in the university, politics or civil society. Too many Israelis are glad to tell us what, when and how to think. They often root their polemics in a version of Zionism that is no more than a thin shield for their devout pro-Occupation political theology. For this reason, it is even more important to get past using the figure of Zionism. Instead of saying that the settlements are destroying Zionism (which it seems to have already done,) it is more important to think about how to understand the manner in which the settlements and their supporters are thrusting Israel into a dangerous process of de-democratization.

Jewish political discourse over the past four decades has not been sufficiently reflexive. Only now are we asking the right questions: Do we want democracy or the Occupation? Do we want a vibrant civil society, in which the myriad issues that ought to preoccupy a democratic society are discussed? Or do we want to continue fostering a public sphere defined by right-wing demands for political conformity? Do we want to remain mired in a banal argument over who is a better Zionist, the settler or the non-settler, or do we want to figure out how to create a safe public sphere where Zionism is not the litmus test for communal legitimacy?

And now for my confession: I want to continue living in this space called Israel, with my family. Although conservatives may think otherwise, progressives like me care about and respect this society, more for what it can be than for what it has done for the past four decades. I do not ‘love’ it. To paraphrase something Hannah Arendt once said, love I reserve for people. For that reason I went to the demonstration near Zion Square in Jerusalem. I listened to the many speakers, some of whom I greatly respect, and others who consistently condemn people like me. I was not moved by their message. Nothing that was said was particularly new. Rather I was moved by their effort to break out of the stupor imposed upon us by the pro-Occupation forces currently running amok in Israel.

The demonstration was an important first step to reinvigorating progressive activism in Israel. The hope is that this initiative will be able to effectively join likeminded endeavors in the United States and Europe, in an effort to redefine the nature of Israeli politics.

My outlook is decidedly sober. It sees Israeli society as almost beyond repair, and views the abhorrent Israeli actions in Sheikh Jarrah and elsewhere as an omen of worse things to come. Yet my outlook also welcomes the reawakening of Diaspora Jews willing to take a stand, alongside their Israeli allies. It may be long overdue. However, it’s the only hope we have for restoring Israeli democracy.