"I am on the rock and then I check a stock
I have to run like a fugitive to save the life I live
I'm gonna be Iron like a Lion in Zion"
-Iron,Lion, Zion -1973
So sung Bob Marley back in 1973. For him and the Rastafari church, Zion lies in in Ethiopia and represents a utopia as opposed to Babylon. Zion is also a hill in Jerusalem where the Rastarfari drew their inspiration. Zionism however, is a lot younger than that and has nothing to do with Bob. Theodore Hertzl, noted as many European Jews did, that the relative populations where falling during the 19th century. With increasing urbanism, and increased travel, many Jews were marrying out of their traditional Jewish communities and not preserving the faith and customs. 'Jewishness' is passes only through the female line, which again contributed to the relative decline. Anti-semitism in parts of Europe and Russia brought the issue more urgency and Zionism was born. Zionism basically aims for the creation and protection of a homeland for Jews. So far so straight forward. In a time when nationalism was sweeping the world, uness you were being colonised of course, it was unsurprising that a call for nationalism would find resonance.
Hi Ho, Hi Ho, Its off to Isreal we go!
Lets skip foward the best part of a century and we find the world at war (again) and the brutal evidence of the most horriffic crime perpetrated that century and possibly any other. The Nazi Holocaust. This represents the greatest failure of European civilisation. What has compounded that, has been Europes willingness to continue with the language of the 'Jewish Question'. In essence, what shall we do with the Jews?, a reflection that Jews have been in the minority, and so have often been subject to the whim of others, but this rejects the fundementals of the Enlightenment Nationalism that help propel the Zionist dream into a possible reality. No nation state lays claim to being in habited by a single race, nor aims to be. This includes Israel, in practice as Arab Israeli are recieve, on paper, full citizenship. This is more enforced that not. The langauge though used is Zionist, which makes no reference to Arabs as part of the Jewish state.
The post war European response, support for Isreal, has been cloaked in veil of democracy. While the formation of Isreal has been portrayed as the result of the self determination of Jews, most Jews don't live in Isreal. Most Jews have self-determined themselves and are in the United States. A signficant percentage also remain in Europe (20%). (Figures obtained from the Jewish People Planning Institute - a partisan body.)
What do we want? Peace! When do we want it? Now!
In all districts bar Jaffa, Non Jews outnumbered Jews in 1946 in what is now Isreal and the Occupied Territories(UN1947). Today, despite the massive exodus of people from their homes in 1946-48 and again afterwards, Isreal is left with an Arab population of around 20%. In the Knesset, the Parliament of Isreal, they have around 8% of the seats. But 20% is still a lot of people. In the land of the highest Jewish concentration, a question has loomed since the Zionist dream started to take physical reality.
That question:
Its now what shall we do with the Arabs?
"We the People in The Land Of god"
This question was asked recently by the Central Election Comission, which is made up of Isreali political parties. On a motion sponsored by two parties, described by the BBC as 'ultra-nationalist', two of the largest Arab parties were accused of "not recognise(ing) Israel's existence as a Jewish and democratic state." A vast majoirty of the other parties voted for the motion. So they are banned from standing in elections. This not a judicial decision it was the other Jewish parties ganging up to stop Arab voters voting for parties that represented their interests.
"I am the Law. Put down your weapons and prepare to be judged." -Judge Dredd (1995)
Many populations have occupied the east bank of the Mediterreanean, following the tides of its maritime fortune or traversing the lands of asia beyond. The Palestinian Mandate given to the British, resulted in a document that solved the Jewish question. The area that was Palestine would become a homeland for the Jews. This is different to a Jewish state. After violence broke our after the second world war, a comission was set up to decided the future of the land, and a partition plan was decided upon. 56% was given to the new Jewish state, and 44% to the Arabs. The UN agreed. This is despite the fact Jews had recently asassinated the UN mediator, the first ever appointed and of course killed. After the UN vote, Jews celebrated and the Arabs complained, that the UN couldn't impose the creation of new states against the objections of the majority of the people involved. They didn't get anywhere. The UN resolution (181) is even mentioned in Israel's declaration of independance. Since that time, Israel has expanded through the use of force, while never being able to answer its' own 'Arab Question'. The cause of the tragedy of Isreal lies in the famous phrase used to describe the Zionist project. -
" A land without people for a people without land."
Its just not, and never was, true.
