Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals
Let me start by saying this: I believe that Jews are precious and beloved in the sight of God. My Jewish friends are precious to me. I think that Judaism is a rich and beautiful religion and culture. Oh, and I’m a quarter Jewish myself.
That being said, I do not believe that Israel has a right to exist. Furthermore, I don’t believe there can ever be such a thing as a democratic Jewish state. At least not in the way that Israel is currently structured. Let me unpack these two statements.
First let me say that I don’t believe that Israel has a right to exist because I don’t believe any state has a right to exist. Peoples have a right to exist. The Jewish people have a right to exist, and they deserve to live in a state that protects that right. However, that right must not come at the expense of another people, as it currently does.
Israel as a nation-state has no right to exist. Having said that, it does exist, and the people who live there have a right to freedom, self-determination, and safety. All the people who live in the land deserve these things. Unfortunately, for over five million people living under Israeli control, they have none of those things.
Another problem with claiming Israel has some inherent right to exist as a Jewish state is the hypocrisy behind the claim. No reasonable person in the United States would claim that the United States has a right to be a Christian state. We are a secular state with freedom of religion for everyone. People of other faiths and secular folks in the United States rightly balk at the idea of the United States being a Christian nation. To define ourselves so would be anti-democratic and unconstitutional. On a related note, most people also vigorously oppose the existence of Islamic states, equating such states with terrorism and the bogyman of Sharia law. Why then, do we simply allow the idea of a Jewish state to exist problem-free in our minds without even the raising of an eyebrow?
Religious nationalism is religious nationalism. Judaism should not get a pass here, especially considering the facts on the ground. If the impact of a Jewish state on it’s people was a true democracy where religious and ethnic minorities had the same rights and privileges as Jewish citizens, we might be able to have a different conversation. However that is not the reality on the ground. The reality on the ground is clear to anyone with eyes to see. The reality on the ground is apartheid, ethnic cleansing and genocide. Not only does a state not have the right to impose these conditions, every letter of international law forbids it. Israel does not have the right to exist in it’s current form.
More people need to be willing to say these things out loud. The more of us who do it provides safety for others to speak— especially those who are marginalized and vulnerable in some way. The more of us who say these things out loud breaks down the weaponization of questions like, “but do you believe that Israel has the right to exist,” which is so often used to interrogate Palestinians and their allies, forcing them to throw other Palestinians under the bus before they can even begin to defend them.
Israel has no right to exist. Full stop. This is not an antisemitic statement. People have a right to exist, and right now, Israel is engaged in the extermination and erasure of millions of people who live in the land. They must not be allowed to continue their atrocities with impunity.
So what is the alternative? It’s not really for me to make a prescription, but I will say that I support those living in the land who argue for one democratic state with equal right for all it’s residents. Maybe this would require Israel to change its name, its flag, its anthem, but none of those things are intrinsic rights. The rights of the people trump the ‘rights’ of a state. A single democratic state would require Israelis to give up their regime of domination, but ultimately, this will make them safer, as others living side by side with them will no longer have the boot of oppression on their necks. There would be no need for an armed resistance if apartheid was ended and stateless people made full citizens under the law. If the aim is self-determination for Jewish people, the best way to achieve that is to give Palestinians the same right. From the river to the see, may all who live in the land be free.