Bernie Sanders, Israel, and Apartheid

Jane and Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sanders may have the credentials to speak on a variety of issues. But Israel is not one of them. At least not as a Jew. How sad it is that someone who was born a Jew has not only abandoned Judaism, but has become one of Israel’s biggest critics.

Not that a Jew - or anyone else for that matter - can’t criticize Israel. That does not make them an antisemite. But comparing Israel in any way to South African Apartheid crosses that line. Those who say things like that might think they are fooling people by saying that they are not antisemties because they are only criticizing Israel (Zionism). Well they aren’t fooling me. Bernie Sanders is an antisemite. A Jewish one. Yes it is possible for people to be self hating Jews.

First let me dispense with any claim he might make to being loyal to Jewish values. Once a Jewish man marries a non Jewish woman - as Sanders has - he has given up any right to claim he cares about Judaism. Because by marrying out, they assure that their Jewish line ends with them. None of their children will be Jewish. By doing something like that they have abdicated the right to say they are a Jew in any meaningful sense of the word (except of course by accident of birth). 

In the case of Sanders, his values are clearly not Jewish. They are socialist. 

Now some of those values might have Jewish content. But that too is by accident. Claiming for example that his socialist views are a reflection of the real Jewish value of Tikun Olam is a mere happenstance. He did not embrace socialism because it was a Jewish value. Even if he might claim that is why he embraced it. He is either fooling us or fooling himself. If he truly cared about Judaism, he might start with Kashrus or Shabbos - 2 of the most basic components of Judaism. And he would surely not have married out.

It is true that as a young man he spent some time on a Kibbutz (Israeli commune). But that adds nothing to his Jewish credentials. It only adds to his socialist credentials. For those that are not familiar with what a Kibbutz is – it is a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs. If that sounds vaguely familiar, it should be. It is the definition of communism. Israel had lots of them back when Sanders was young. Today hardly any exist anymore.

Which brings me back to his embrace of the antisemtic canard about comparing Israel’s treatment of Palestinians with South African apartheid.

If you ask a black South African now living in Israel that lived through that period in South Africa, he would laugh at you.The amount of cruel anti black legislation and treatment of black South Africans then versus the way the State of Israel treats its West Bank Arabs now are worlds apart. 

I have never denied that life for Palestinians under Israeli rules isn’t hard. It’s very hard. But Israel’s security needs forces them to do the kinds of things they would never do under normal circumstances. Let us take 2 examples that are often cited as examples of mistreating Palestinians. 

One is the wall built on the border of the West Bank. Yes, that makes it difficult for Arabs. But it has also saved countless lives that might otherwise be subjected  to suicide missions by a terrorists crossing over from that area.  which used to happen a lot. Ever since that wall was built, there have been no suicide attacks. 

Another hardship on the Palestinians is the consuming and often degrading extra scrutiny they get when crossing at checkpoints. That too is done for security reasons.  Not becuase of any inherent  racism. 

Furthermore, none of this would happen if Israel didn’t have to protect itself. But a long history of terrorist attacks has given them no choice. 

Racism? The Israeli Arab citizen full citizens civil and full voting rights. They are well represented in the Keneset by fellow Arabs. As a group they have prospered. If I understand correctly Israeli Arabs on average have the highest standard of living of all of their Arab neighbors. 

It therefore is sickening to compare a country whose security needs require the kind of vigilance that inconveniences some of its residents to the racist Apartheid regime of South Africa. 

Whose fault is it anyway? Who is really to blame for Palestiaisn suffering? It isn’t Israel who does what it has to do to protect its citizens. It is their own Palestinian leaders. Even the so-called moderates who continue to tolerate if not encourage violence as a means toward their end. If paying compensation to families of their suicide ‘martyrs’ doesn’t show what they are all about, I don’t know what does. They continue to use their own people as pawns – labeling them as victims of Israel when it they who are actually perpetuating their victimhood.

Which brings me back to Sanders and his support of those who say that Israel is repsonsible for the   ‘Apartheid-like’ conditions of Palestinians. Sanders is either ignorant or lying. If he was true to his Jewish roots he would take a closer look at why the Palestinaisn suffer and blame it on those that deserve it. If he did and was honest about it, instead of clinging to that antisemitic canard he would praise Israel for their restraint in carrying out their security needs.