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Israel: to criticise
or not to criticise?
This
is an edited version. The full
version of this article is available here.
Within the
debate over
the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict, an increasing number of Christian
leaders seem to be taking an anti-Israel stance. This raises important
questions concerning criticism of the state of Israel, and whether, or
when, such criticism is anti-Semitic. It must be stated at the outset
that legitimate criticism of Israel is not anti-Semitic. Like
every country in the world, Israel makes mistakes in both her domestic
and foreign policy – and should be justly called to account when she
does so. As believers, committed
above all to Yeshua and to his standards, we must have the courage and
moral consistency to criticise Israel where it is appropriate
to do so, whether in respect of her treatment of Messianic Jews, the
Arab minority or the Palestinian Authority.
However,
I would suggest that much criticism of Israel is illegitimate,
for the following reasons. Firstly, some apply a harsher standard to
Israel than they do to other countries, singling out Israel alone for
criticism. Others base their opinions on inaccurate information. Still
others make perhaps the most serious error of all, namely failing to
account for the context in which Israel operates: her birth, after
centuries of persecution, and her subsequent fight for survival.
Applying
these criteria to just two of the criticisms of Israel recently voiced
or alluded to by some Christian writers, are they legitimate? Some
accuse Israel of being a racist, apartheid state. Israel has publicly
acknowledged some shortcomings in her treatment of her Arab minority;
nevertheless Israel’s Palestinian citizens have full rights of
citizenship, including the right to vote and the right to attend
university. Arabs choose to serve in the Israeli army, sit as MPs in
the Knesset, and work for Israel’s diplomatic service.
Other
Christians support the imposition of economic sanctions against Israel
until she ends her “occupation” of the West Bank. Again, is such
criticism legitimate? Are such Christians aware that Jews were targeted
by Arab attacks as early as the 1920s, long before the creation of the
State of Israel or the occupation of Gaza or the West Bank? Are they
aware that Israel did in fact end her occupation of the West Bank in
1995, returning only to some areas in response to terrorism?
Are they aware of the extent of ongoing attacks against Israel since
the pull-out from Gaza?
Israel’s
critics point to the fact that many Jewish people are strongly critical
of Israel. Yet surely this is inconclusive. A small minority of Jewish
people flirt with Holocaust Denial whilst the majority of them deny
that Yeshua is the Messiah. This does not prove that either of those
two positions is correct! The fact that Israel has her Jewish critics
testifies, primarily, to the traditionally wide range of opinion, and
freedom of information and debate which exist within the Jewish world.
Once
again, legitimate criticism of Israel is not anti-Semitic.
However, many unbelieving Jews speak of an anti-Israel bias in the
Christian press. Would it not be tragic if today’s Christians –
whatever their motives – criticised Israel in an unfair, inaccurate,
unbalanced, and thus illegitimate manner and were therefore
placing yet another stumbling-block between the Jewish people and their
true Messiah?
James Mendelsohn
James Mendelsohn teaches
Business Law at the University of Huddersfield and is a member of the
leadership team of Leeds Messianic Fellowship.
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