Israel’s Oppressive Law

What is the issue?

Israel’s new “Nationality Law” has institutionalised its oppressive vision.
It seeks to legalise discriminatory practices against Palestinians living under Israeli occupation, which is alarm bell for all progressive forces worldwide.

What are the main features of Israel’s new Nationality Law?

The law, which is named “Israel, the nation state of the Jewish people” states that Israel is the homeland of the Jewish people.
Further, it emphasises that only the Jews have the right to self-determination in Israel and that Hebrew is the only official language.
Notably, Arabic (which was also an official language till now) has been demoted to a special status, which is undefined under the text of the law.
The law seeks to further Jewish settlements on the occupied West-bank and has declared the settlement policy as a supreme national goal.
It also grants religious and ethnic communities the right to maintain segregated habitats (implying, exclusive villages for Jews).

How does the law read against the historical perspective?

Although Israel’s nationality law is a continuation of its oppressive politics since 1948, it is indeed a major leap in that direction.
The law is menacing for the Palestinians as it explicitly seeks to deny the existence of two national aspirations within Israel.
This denial of the Palestinian’s right to self determination has to be seen in the wider historical context in which Israel was born in 1948.
History - “Zionist Movement” was started in 1890s, with a vision to colonise a territory as homeland for Jews worldwide, who were spread across Europe.
After the “Balfore Declaration of 1917”, British policy of facilitating Jewish settlers in its erstwhile colony of Palestine commenced.
Notably, Palestine was the preferred destination for the Jews due their historical and religious connection to that land.
Influx - The number of settlers spiked in the after the 2^nd world war and thus began a power struggle between the native Arabs and settler Jews.
With international backing, the Jews managed to establish Israel as a Jewish nation (on Palestinian territory), thereby making it a colonised settler state.
In fact, the Jewish colonisation and the oppression of the Palestinians are very similar to that of the European destruction of the Native Americans.
The only difference is in the historical timing: Importantly, the Zionist project is unfinished as yet, as is the Palestinian resistance to it.

How did such colonialism proceed in contemporary times?

Early years - The colonial project has been proceeding quite successfully since oppressive ways were commenced in 1948 with the birth of Israel.
In the early years, Israeli ethnically cleansed (forcing people out) half of Palestine’s population and took over 78% of the land.
The Palestinian minority which got left under Israeli control was put under a harsh military rule on the basis of British colonialist practices.
The remaining 22% of erstwhile-Palestine (before Israel was formed) is what constitutes West Bank and Gaza strip, where most Palestinian nationals lived
Post 1967 - Israel occupied strategic areas and roads in West Bank and Gaza after the 1967 Arab-Israel war and continues to control them till date.
While Israeli control has now stretched over the whole of historical Palestine, millions of Palestinians still continue to cling on their native land.
Notably, this is despite the fact that millions have fled elsewhere as refugees over the years due to lack of opportunities and severe political oppression.
In this context, Israel’s peace outreach has been clearly about finding the best way control as much as territory with as few Palestinians in it as possible.
Diplomacy - For achieving its objectives, Israel has to get oppressive and openly violent at times, like the colonisers of the middle ages.

But this is not an easy task in our times as it had been then - partly because of international pressures and partly due to Palestinian persistence.
Hence, Israel resorts to peace détentes time to time, as a diplomatic tool to merely ease pressures, but it isn’t ready to offer anything substantial for peace.
Considering this attitude, even the most forthcoming Palestinian leaders are unable to accept the solutions that Israel has to offer.

How does Israel’s current expansionist policy look?

Unilateralism - Currently, the strategy of unilateralism proposed by previous hardliner Israeli PM Ariel Sharon (2001-2006) is being adhered to.
This concept decries the “two national theory” that was long forwarded by the Israeli governments and favoured a more aggressive oppressive approach.
Its stresses that there is no need to negotiate with the Palestinians over the future, and that Israel needs to proceed unilaterally to extract its ends.
The call that Israel has to make is to decide which parts of historical Palestine should be annexed under direct rule and which need to be ruled form outside.
Current Vision - Most of Israel’s current policymakers subscribe to the “unilateralist thinking” and the nationalism law is their making.
The Palestinian Authority that was recognized under the Oslo Accords of 1993 now officials controls West-Bank and Gaza Strip.
In this context, the unionists currently don’t seek to control Gaza and the densely populated areas of West bank (40% of west bank).
But the nationality law now gives the legal mandates for full annexation of sparsely populated regions of West bank through establishment of settlements.
Notably, this is already being done with and multiple Jewish colonies have come up in the region despite strong international opposition to it.

What does the law mean for Palestinians under Israeli Occupation?

The nationality law defines clearly how Israel will deal with the millions of Palestinians under its direct rule.
They will be citizens who will be tolerated only if they suppress their national identity and the historical narrative.
Even then, they will only be second-rate citizens under an apartheid system that will not allow them to live in exclusive Jewish communities.
Further, they will also not have the same state benefits, access to land, and freedom of movement and association as the Jewish citizens.
The new law seeks to guide future government on the attitude they need to adopt towards Palestinians living under Israeli occupation.
Notably, as Israel continues to expand its territorial clout, the number of Palestinians within their occupation will also go up.

What are the larger implications?

Racism continues to exists in many countries even today, but institutionalised racism has been erased from almost everywhere in the world.
With the fall of apartheid South Africa, the last bastion for openly oppressive laws was thought to have fallen, but Israel seems to be recreating them again.
In fact, if any national law elsewhere seeks to discriminate Jewish people on similar lines, Israeli would’ve cried foul that anti-Semitism has returned.
India is a nation that has stood strong against oppressive regimes in the past, and its increasing friendship with oppressive Israel doesn’t speak well.
The world has fought hard for humanistic values over the years to evolve what is at least a notionally equal society if not practically equal.
Israel is undoing even that level of progress that has been achieved, which is a sham that shouldn’t go unchecked.

Source: The Hindu