Peter Beinart: Why I no longer believe in a Jewish state
What this covers
American political commentator, Peter Beinart, speaks to MEE about why he no longer believes in a Jewish state.
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When people are denied their political rights, lack a non-violent voice, and face state oppression violence, this creates a recipe for more violence; conversely, freedom and equality for all people is more likely to create a stable and peaceful society for all people, though it does not solve all problems.
“the argument that i would make is that um if you want a society that is peaceful for all people what you need to do is give people the right to express themselves non-violently that if you deny people their political rights and they have no voice non-violently and you use the violence of state oppression upon them you are actually creating a recipe for more violence and that ultimately freedom and equality for all people is doesn't solve all problems by any means but it is more likely to create a society that's stable and peaceful for all people”
The 3.8 billion dollars that the United States gives to Israel is essentially a credit card that allows Israel to buy U.S. weaponry, functioning as a subsidy to the U.S. weapons industry and reflecting a broader pattern of the U.S. aggressively selling weapon systems around the world as part of American foreign policy.
“if one thinks about the 3.8 billion dollars that the united states gives to israel what what it really is is basically we give israel a credit card to buy u.s weaponry and so it's really a subsidy in many ways to the u.s weapons industry and that's part of a much larger story which is that the u.s very aggressively goes out and sells weapon systems all around the world um and uh that is a significant um plays a role in american foreign policy”
The speaker disagrees with the view that anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism, arguing that this equation does not logically make sense and has very negative consequences for the ability of Palestinians to express themselves.
“it's not my view i think it doesn't actually logically make sense as an argument and i think it has very negative consequences for the ability of palestinians to express themselves”
In American mainstream political discourse as represented in Washington, the idea of one equal state that allows Palestinian refugees to return is still very marginal; many people are comfortable with the current one-state system in which millions of Palestinians lack basic rights, but the idea of making it a state with equality for all is supported by only one member of Congress (Rashida Talib).
“as represented in washington the idea of one equal state which allows palestinian refugees to return is still very much marginal many people are quite comfortable with the one state that we have now in which millions of palestinians lack basic rights but the idea of making trying to make it a state with equality for all um is a position supported by i think only one member of congress rashida talib”
The speaker came to the conclusion that the two-state vision is no longer tenable because Israel has made its control over the West Bank permanent, and this vision does not account for the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes, many of which are inside Israel proper, nor the right of Palestinian citizens in Israel (20% of the population) to be equal.
“i came to the conclusion more recently that that vision is no longer tenable israel has made its control over the west bank permanent essentially and that this vision of partition doesn't really reckon with some of the most fundamental issues in the conflict one of which is the right of palestinian refugees to return to their homes many of which are inside israel proper and also the right of palestinian citizens in israel who represent 20 of the population to be equal”
A younger generation of American Jews, for whom the notion of Israel as always in existential danger does not align with their own experience of seeing Israel as a regional superpower controlling millions of Palestinians without basic rights, struggles to reconcile being Jewish with movements for social justice and Judaism as a culture of inquiry and questioning, yet feeling these values are not represented in discussions of Israel.
“a younger generation of american jews for whom the notion of israel as always in existential danger doesn't comport as much with their own experience their experiences of seeing israel as a kind of regional superpower and seeing israel controlling millions of palestinians who lack basic rights and so for for this younger generation i think there's a struggle to kind of try to make sense of the fact that many of them see think of being jewish as being connected to movements for social justice they're very proud of the american jewish role in the civil rights movement for instance and also think about judaism as a culture of inquiry and questioning and yet they feel often that on the question of israel these values aren't actually represented”
American Jewish criticism of Israeli behavior first emerged during the Lebanon War in the early 1980s and then during the first intifada in the late 1980s, though this criticism did not question the idea of Israel as a Jewish state.
“you start to see um some significant american jewish criticism of israeli behavior first during the lebanon war in the 19 early 1980s and then during the first intifada in the late 1980s people saying israel's really on the wrong path here but they're certainly not questioning the idea of israel as a jewish state”
Palestinians in the United States have been significantly excluded from the American debate over Israel-Palestine for a long time, though this is beginning to change with more Palestinian voices on television and American Jews receiving greater prominence in mainstream political discourse.
“palestinians in the united states have been significantly excluded from the american debate over israel palestine for a long time i think that's beginning to change a little bit you've seen over the past few weeks more palestinian voices on tv american jews have been have been allowed to have a more prominent voice”
Many American Jews view Zionism as an essential part of their Jewish identity, and for these Jews, opposing the idea of a Jewish state represents a threat to Jews; therefore many American Jews take the view that anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism.
“there are many american jews for whom zionism is a kind of an essential part of their jewish identity um and to oppose the idea of a jewish state for them is represents a threat to jews period so there are many american jews who would take the view that anti-zionism is anti-semitism”
The speaker acknowledges he enjoys privilege in mainstream political discourse representation as a Jewish voice permitted to discuss Israel-Palestine, which creates certain challenges.
“and that is a significant um plays a role in american foreign policy palestinians in the united states have been significantly excluded from the american debate over israel palestine for a long time i think that's beginning to change a little bit you've seen over the past few weeks more palestinian voices on tv american jews have been have been allowed to have a more prominent voice and so i am the beneficiary of that and that creates certain challenges um when one enjoys that kind of privilege in the discussion in mainstream political discourse”
For most of the speaker's adult life, he was a political zionist believing in a Jewish state with special obligations to Jews, but as a liberal zionist, he opposed that state holding millions of Palestinians without basic rights.
“for most of my adult life i would be have been a political zionist meaning i believe in the idea of a jewish state a state that has special obligations to jews but i was a liberal political zionist in the sense that i did not want that state to hold millions of palestinians who lacked basic rights”
The speaker suspects that in the years to come, more progressives including those in Congress will become open to the idea of a one-state solution with equal rights, if only because they come to see that partition is no longer viable.
“but i do suspect that in the years to come more progressives including more progressives in congress will become open to this idea if only because they come to see that the notion of partition is no longer viable”