Netanyahu’s nakedness: democracy – whose democracy?
Apr 2, 2023
“Look at the King! Look at the the King! Look at the King, the King, the King!
The King is in the altogether, but altogether, the altogether
He’s altogether as naked as the day that he was born
The King is in the altogether, but altogether, the altogether
It’s altogether the very least the King has ever worn”
The Danny Kaye song of yesteryear could easily have been penned for Netanyahu and his ragtag bunch of ideological extremists masquerading as legislators of a western styled democratic government.
That they are primarily interested in themselves has been transparently clear for some time. Now they are daubing their nakedness on the walls of Jerusalem, the streets of Tel Aviv, the hills of Palestine and the world’s media.
They are not interested in security which can only be achieved through trust and respect, not armaments. The sacking of the defence minister is evidence of this. They have not been interested in the international rule of law for some time, otherwise they would not be building illegal settlements on the West Bank, evicting Palestinians from East Jerusalem or caging 2 million Palestinians in Gaza. Now they are apparently not interested in the domestic rule of law built on the separation of powers either. At least they are consistent.
They have not been interested in democracy for a long period of time either. Netanyahu and his ʹgovernmentʹ effectively control all the land from the river to the sea. The Zionist conundrum is that wanting ALL the land, makes holding to both a Jewish State and Democracy an impossibility. On some calculations, non-Jews are in the majority. What currently exists is apartheid. A choice has to be made between Democracy and the idea of a “Jewish State” on all the land. Both cannot coexist.
Nor are they one bit interested in the “Abrahamic Accords”. As the title indicates, such cooperation would be based upon religious or ethical commonality; not nationalistic, sovereign, or political self-interest and ambition. The Zionist project which lies behind the activity of Netanyahu and his extreme right wing (self-described thugs – as in the case of Bezalel Smotrich) has little if anything to do with religion. It is all about naked political, nationalistic ambition, an ambition in which ethics or morality have no place and the annihilation of historical residents becomes a cause celebre.
To Netanyahu and his Zionist conspirators Abraham has become exactly what he was not – a nationalistic figure. Abraham was without land or territory. Children of Abraham across all three religions are those who offer respect without partisanship, and who seek to be a source of blessing across all cultures and ethnicities.
All of this points to a deeply divided, even paranoid, nation. Is there a way forward, a way forward that at least tacitly can and should have the support of the international community? I am not alone in thinking there is, and now is its moment.
The Palestinian community has never thought of the Jewish community as the enemy, or even the problem. The Zionist project is the problem. The problem that besets Palestinians and open minded, clear thinking and progressive Jews is the same – the Israeli government and the Zionist project. Hopefully Jews in Tel Aviv and other cities will now come to see that the problems they face, are spawned from the same cancer. No community can survive indefinitely if one group of people is denied rights enjoyed by others, nor can a community survive if privileges enjoyed by one group receive legal protection at the expense of others.
Settlers who have recently arrived with extremist ideologies forged in Russia, Eastern Europe and the US extreme right, are the enemies of peace-loving Israelis as much as they are enemies of Palestinians.
Now is the time for Palestinians and peace loving, educated, and democratically committed Jews to grow together.
The clear facts of the matter are that if Palestinian ingenuity and skill were released, and the insane expenditure of Israel on defence, and the forced military indoctrination of its youth were to cease, Palestine/Israel would become an extraordinary powerhouse economically. (Palestinians currently need humanitarian aid only because of their suppression, while Israel requires US aid only because of the expense required in effecting that suppression). Israeli and Palestinian cooperation would also be a beacon of hope in a world that lives constantly on the precipice of disaster. Stereotypical divisions can have no place in a century which demands cooperation and harmony.
After a long time and considerable opposition, we Australians have found we are infinitely richer because of our multi-cultural life.
On its present trajectory, becoming more extreme with every new government, Israel will implode. It is not a matter of if, but when. Perhaps it already has.
Its salvation ironically lies with the people the Zionist project has done its best to obliterate, the Palestinian people. Together they can and will forge an entity deserving international honour respect and support.
George Browning was Anglican Bishop of Canberra Goulburn 1993 – 2008. He was President of the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network 2013 – 2022. He is now its Patron. He is also Patron of Palestinian Christians in Australia, and of the Palestinian ecumenical liberation theology centre -Sabeel.
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