Readers of JEWDAS may remember a previous post of mine last November ‘Debating Anti-Semitism on the BBC’ which I wrote after taking part in the BBC Big Questions programme. At the time I found a number of things quite puzzling, although they have now become much clearer.
In the programme I stated that there was no such thing as an Israeli nationality. I was interrupted by Hadar Sela, a minor Israeli propagandist, who informed me that there was an Israeli nationality. Indeed it was written on her passport. I therefore assumed, although this was before the Dubai murder, that Israel had the same attitude to passports as most countries and wouldn’t lie on such a document. I was wrong. I assumed instead that Ms Sela was therefore being untruthful about this as she was about much else (‘full equality in Israel between Jews and Arabs’ etc.).
Jonathan Hoffman, co-Chair of the Zionist Federation, intervened in the discussion to argue that there was indeed such a thing as an Israeli nationality and further, that ‘In calling her an “Israeli” you were yourself recognising her nationality! If Israel ‘nationality’ was confined to Jews that leaves non-Jews in Israel effectively stateless.’
Although one would perhaps expect a leading officer of Britain’s Zionist Federation to at least understand the ideological and political building blocks of the State he so avidly defends, this was clearly not the case. Instead JH argued that ‘it is clearly wrong to mix up the diplomatic concept of ‘nationality’ qua ‘citizenship’ with the ‘peoplehood’ concept of ‘Jewish nation’.’ Because ‘As you well know there are many definitions of ‘who is a Jew?’ depending on who is doing the defining, but there is only one definition of ‘who now has Israeli nationality?’
In fact JH was not only wrong on all scores but nonetheless managed to confuse the question of ‘who is a Jew’ with Israeli citizenship and nationality. In fact the situation is quite clear:
1. There is no Israeli nationality.
2. If there was such a category and it was confined only to Jews it wouldn’t leave non-Jews stateless as there are 132 other nationalities to choose from!! All of which seem to be invented on the back of an envelope depending on the situation.
Is there an Israeli nationality?
Of this there can be no doubt. As Shimon Agranat, head of the supreme court ruled in 1970 in a case brought by Tel Aviv psychologist, George Tamarin:
“There is no Israeli nation separate from the Jewish people.”
Agranat further ruled that
“the Jewish people is composed not only of those residing in Israel but also of Diaspora Jewry.”
[Oscar Kraines, The Impossible Dilemma: Who is a Jew in the State of Israel, p. 67).
As Menachem Begin, who even JH couldn’t accuse of being a self-hating anti-Zionist Jew explained:
‘In Western Europe or the United States, “nationality” is synonymous with “citizenship.” A national of a given state is a citizen of that state, or at least one born under its jurisdiction. In Central and Eastern Europe citizenship and nationality are distinct. We have Israeli citizens of diverse religions. on the other hand, Jewish nationality and religion must always go together.”
[Eliezer Goldman, Religious Issues in Israel’s Political Life]
Why is this Important
Some readers may wonder why I am stressing the importance of this. Surely this is merely a juridicial issue? A quirk of the Israeli state just as most states have their own quirks? E.g. the fact that the King or Queen of the UK cannot be a Catholic, is maybe just one of those things that enliven the tapestry of life? Maybe not having an Israeli Nationality is merely a nod in the direction of official Zionist ideology, of which there is no practical consequence today?
If that were so, then of course there would be an argument for leaving this quaint arrangement as it was. But in fact the distinction between Citizenship and Nationality goes to the heart of Israeli Apartheid. It is a crucial legal component in the continuing dispossession and oppression of the Palestinians, especially those who have lived in the Israeli state since 1948.
It is also crucial to what makes Israel different from all other states (bar South Africa). Israel is unique in being a State that is a state, not of its own citizens but of its Jewish nationals. Indeed citizenship is becoming ever more meaningless as legislative attacks on Arab citizens of Israel become more frequent (e.g. not being allowed to live with a married partner from the Occupied Territories or being able to revoke the citizenship of Arabs). Israel is a Jewish State, a state of its Jewish nationals as opposed to all of its citizens. That is why it is not a democratic state but one which is ever fearful that the non-Jews (Arabs) are going to breed and multiply and outnumber Jews. That is the ‘demographic problem’ as it is quaintly termed.
Legal Challenge to Refusal to Include Israeli Nationality
One would think that with 132 nationalities at its disposal, the Israeli Interior Ministry would have no difficulty in adding a 133rd – Israeli. After all this is Israel! However that would be like passing the proverbial ham sandwich round the congregants at Yom Kippur.
So Uzzi Ornan, a retired linguistics professor and a number of other distinguished Israelis, including Shulamit Aloni and Uri Avneri, (ex MKs) have added their names to the petition to the High Court asking for there to be an Israeli nationality. Ornan himself has been active in the “I am Israeli” movement, which strives for equality among all Israelis. To this end several appeals were submitted to Israeli courts.
The petition has already been rejected by the lower court and no one expects the appeal to succeed, however much embarrassment it causes.
But back to Hadar Selah. How is it that a minor Zionist propagandist can point to her passport, which clearly has written in English the words ‘Nationality’ and opposite that in Hebrew ‘Ezrahut’ (which is actually citizenship, ‘Le’om’ being the correct term for nationality). I must confess I was somewhat struck for an answer. Surely Israel doesn’t deliberately seek to mislead the officials of other states when an Israeli citizen presents their passport. Surely this is one conspiracy theory too far?
Well that was also my view until I read Jonathan Cook’s “Israeli Nation” vs. “Jewish State” Cook is one of the best journalists writing on Israel and lives in Nazareth. This what he wrote, quoting the Petition of Ornan and co:
“The group also said it hoped to expose a verbal sleight of hand that intentionally mistranslates the Hebrew term “Israeli citizenship” on the country’s passports as “Israeli nationality” in English to avoid problems with foreign border officials.”
And if that wasn’t enough then the veteran journalist B Michael, of Yedioth Aharonot, Israel’s most popular newspaper, observed that: “We are all Israeli nationals — but only abroad.”
And then it all fell into place. Internally, within Israel there is no such thing as an Israeli nationality. But for the goys and those abroad there is! And the reason? As Uri Avnery explains:
“The State of Israel cannot recognise an ‘Israeli’ nation because it is the state of the ‘Jewish’ nation … it belongs to the Jews of Brooklyn, Budapest and Buenos Aires, even though these consider themselves as belonging to the American, Hungarian or Argentine nations.”
In an appropriately named article ‘No ‘Israelis’ in Israel?’ Ynet observes that:
‘since 1992 Israeli passports declare their holder to be of ‘Israeli Nationality,’ therefore the State does acknowledge such an identity.’
However, Uzzi Ornan, is unlikely to be successful in his petition because although an Israeli passport may indeed declare the existence of an Israeli nationality, the Supreme Court and legislature of Israel deny any such entity exists, because an Israeli nation would have to include non-Jews. No longer would the Israeli State be the vehicle for fulfilment of the Zionist project’s main goal, the ‘ingathering of the Jewish exiles’. It would be just another state in which large numbers of Jews live rather than the centre of Jewish existence.
But since Jonathan Hoffman is quite happy with the idea of an Israeli nation, indeed he believes there already is one, wouldn’t it be excellent if he were to add his name to Ornan’s petition? In the name of the British Zionist Federation of course!
Tony Greenstein
[...] Such Thing As Israeli Nationality Israel is unique in being a State that is a state, not of its own citizens but of its Jewish nationals. Indeed citizenship is becoming ever more [...]