Israel/Occupied Palestine: An Important First Test for the New Government

When the “Left-Wing” is to the Right of the “Right Wing”

By Adam Smith, Internationalist Socialist League (RCIT Section in Israel / Occupied Palestine), 06.07.2021, http://www.the-isleague.com

The government is facing its first real test in the parliament. The law on the prohibition of family unification of (Palestinian) citizens of Israel with PA residents, was passed for the first time in 2003, and has ever since been renewed every few years. It has been scheduled for renewal in July 2021, otherwise its status will lapse.

The Likud party, for its own opportunistic reasons, has decided to vote against the law, in an attempt to embarrass the coalition, even if when it was in government it voted for it time and time again. The Arab parties of Hadash (“Communist’s front” Party of Israel) and Balad have opposed this law, while the (Southern, not the Northern faction which has been outlawed) Islamic Arab party have decided to support the law, with its head Mansour Abbas voting in favor, and two other abstaining. The Meretz party, the “left-wing” Zionist party, said it will support a softened version of the law, mainly that it will have to be renewed in a half a year instead of a year, and give more rights to existing permit holders. (1)

This has shown once again how supposedly “left-wing” Zionism can be to the right of “right-wing” Zionism.

In practice, it will mean little for the Palestinians as any person requesting residence in Israel will have to be vetted the notorious internal security services (many if not all will not even make it to the interview stage as they have family members that were once in prison) and approved by the Interior Minister (which is Ayelet Shaked from the Yamina party), so the chances of approval are between nada and gurnisht. The few Palestinians who were able to obtain residency permits before 2003 cannot work, drive, or study legally in Israel, or go abroad. (2)

Even when it comes to non-Arab, but non-Jewish spouses, Israel makes it very difficult to obtain and to renew residency permits for spouses, “in hope that they will break up in the meantime” according to a ministry insider. (3)

The Ban on Family Unification was listed by Adaleh as Israel’s most racist law and in the world (4), amongst laws enabling local councils to vet potential new buyers and the Law of Return, not an easy accomplishment one can say! In a Knesset meeting in 2014, an ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox member, who opposed the laws for his own reasons (he wanted to limit the Law of Return to apply only for more religious Jews, and not for more secular Jews from the former USSR), exposed the hypocrisy of the law by saying that the real reason for this law is demographic, not because of security concerns (which were addressed by the Shabak vetting) by saying “what right does a secular government that does not believe in God has a right to distinguish between Jews from different countries, that must be accepted and fake conversions are done for them, and between Arabs who come here and want to be in their homeland?” (5)

In 2002, a full three months before the attack in the “Matza” restaurant, it was reported that Deeri, a mizrachi ultra-Orthodox MK and then Interior Minister, was looking into ways to reduce the number of non-Jews coming to Israel. (6)

Even today, the Interior Minister said that this law is designed to stop terrorist attacks, concealing the law’s true intent. In contrast, Laid also added that “there is no need to hide from the content of the law, it is to preserve the Jewish demographic majority.” (7)

The role of the courts in upholding this legislation should also be noted. One of the ways of diluting and pacifying the Palestinian struggle (as the appellants do no want to risk their appeal) is by allowing Palestinians to have a right to stand before the Supreme Court in Israel, even though they have close to zero chance of winning their case. Regarding this law specifically, the so-called great liberal Aharon Barak has said that: “All the State’s reasons show that the purpose of this law is for security reasons. The discussions in the Knesset prior to the passage of the law have no effect on the law’s purpose. Furthermore, the demographic topic was not discussed at all by us and we were not asked to rule on it.” (8)

Once again, the liberal Zionist illusion’s do not match with reality, and that is why they are fading away in today’s Israel, giving way to the more hardline (truth speaking) Zionists.

Down with the Ban on Family Unification!

Down with the Zionist Government!

Down with Zionist Colonialism!

For a free red Palestine!

Footnotes

1) https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politi/.premium-1.9971931

2) https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politi/.premium-1.9971931

3) https://www.haaretz.co.il/magazine/.premium-1.2165705

4) https://www.adalah.org/he/content/view/10371

5) https://idanlandau.com/2015/01/29/inside-israels-most-racist-law/

6) https://www.haaretz.co.il/misc/1.762776

7) https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politi/1.9970940