Media Watch ZIONISM – Solution to a centuries-old problem At a time when Israel is variously seen as both the world’s pariah and its most dangerous country, the concept of Zionism remains one of the, if not the, strongest leitmotifs for its continued political, financial, economic and social success.
As an ideology, Zionism has as its core the concept that the Land of Israel was the historical birthplace of the Jewish people, and is and always must be the Jewish national homeland; while the political and social reality of the Jewish state remains Zionism’s most significant aspect. Underscoring the fact that the Jews, like any other nation, were entitled to a homeland, and with the understanding that it was the national liberation movement of the Jewish people, Zionism was nothing less than the solution to the problem of a people stateless, landless, oppressed and humiliated.
The nineteenth and twentieth centuries were characterized by numerous manifestations of the nationalistic idea; but it differed in its articulation for the Jewish people. While most national movements arose because oppressed peoples conquered by foreign powers rebelled against this power and successfully gained their independence, Zionism was the expression of a dream, a longing, an ideal, “fathered” by Austrian journalist Theodor Herzl and resulting, many years after his death, in the establishment of the State on Israel in May 1948.
Although the term “Zionism” to define Jewish nationalism was only coined in 1890 by Austrian Jewish publisher Nathan Birnbaum, founder of the first nationalist Jewish students' movement Kadimah, in his journal Selbstemanzipation (Self Emancipation) in 1890, the idea is almost as old as the Jewish people themselves. 4 000 years ago Abraham settled in the land of Canaan, known later as the Land of Israel. More than 2 500 years ago, Jews exiled to Babylon yearned to return to their homeland, as articulated in Psalms 137:1 - "By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept when we remembered Zion."
Throughout the ages, Jews have been persecuted, tyrannized, subjugated, massacred, and expelled from their countries of birth for reasons ranging from economic through religious and social to racial. The history of the Jews during the time of the Crusaders, the Spanish Inquisition, the Cossacks, the Russian pogroms and the Holocaust is a litany of unspeakable atrocities perpetrated against them simply because they were Jews. The inexorable and rampant rise of anti-Semitism following the violent persecution of Jews in Eastern Europe resulted in the emergence of modern Zionism which “fused the ancient Jewish biblical and historical ties to the ancestral homeland with the modern concept of nationalism into a vision of establishing a modern Jewish state in the land of Israel.” (www.adl.org/zionism). In his article, “A Modern Rendition of an Ancient Motif”, Professor Benyamin Neuberger wrote, “Modern Zionism might not have arisen as an active national movement in the 19th century without contemporary antisemitism considered in a continuum of centuries of persecution.” (www.mfa.org.il. 12 October 1999)
But like a red rag to a bull, the concept of Zionism has given rise to unending vociferous verbal and physical attacks on both Israel and the Jews. While these have continued almost unabated for decades, they came to a head in 1975 when the UN General Assembly, supposedly the protector of countries and people, fighting for democracy and a better life for all, adopted Resolution 3379 equating Zionism with racism.
The after-effects of that resolution were immediate and disastrous. Almost as though the UN had granted permission to the world to lambaste Israel, countries, organizations and individuals attacked her with a virulence never before experienced by any democracy fighting to defend her citizens and her right to exist. Chaim Herzog, at that time Israel’s ambassador to the UN, noted that this vote was passed exactly 37 years after Kristallnacht – by the very body that had given Israel her legitimate independence.
Despite the resolution being rescinded in December 1991 through Resolution 4686, the equation has stuck, in much the same way that the Security Fence is known as the Apartheid Wall, and Israel as an apartheid state. Mention the word “Zionism” in many circles and there is immediate antagonism and overt hostility. In any discussion about Israel on radio talk shows and in panel debates, attacks on “Zionists” come fast and furious, accompanied by the most venomous and odious slander and accusations.
So should the words “Zionism” and “Zionist” be relegated to the back-burners, to minimize the churning hatred that manifests itself time and again against Israel? There are some who feel they should, many of them Jews and many of them religious. Certain Haredi groups, in particular the Satmar Chassidim and the Neturei Karta followers, those who have publicly embraced Israel’s arch enemy Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, oppose Zionism on religious grounds, quoting the Vayoel Moshe by Satmar Rebbe Joel Teitelbaum which asserts that Zionism is forbidden in Judaism.
But Zionism is so much more than just a religious movement, so much more too than just a political movement. It is the basis of the Jewish people's right to national existence and freedom, and the guiding nationalist movement of the majority of Jews in the diaspora who believe in, support and identify with the State of Israel. Rather than predicating the future of the Jewish state “contrary to universal aims and values,” wrote Professor Neuberger, it “advocate(s) the right of every people on earth to its own home, and argue(s) that only a sovereign and autonomous people could become an equal member of the family of nations.”
Israel is a strong, independent, viable, sovereign Jewish state whose citizens proudly acclaim their Jewish heritage. It is also the only democracy in the Middle East; it is one of the first countries globally always to offer assistance to other countries in times of natural disasters; it is the only Middle East country to give women equal status with men; it ensures the judicious protection of the religious and political rights of Christians, Muslims and other groups who are citizens of the country; it is a leader in reclaiming the desert, in building reservoirs for the preservation of water, in showing immense sensitivity to environmental issues, and in exploring ways and means of saving the planet. Without the strength of the Zionist movement energizing and validating the State of Israel, it is questionable whether the country would have reached these heights, or whether the millions of immigrants from oppressive regimes like those of Russia, Ethiopia and the Arab countries could have been brought to Israel .
The successful revival of the Hebrew language as a living national language employed in every aspect of political, social, economic and educational life is due in no small measure to the Zionist ideal, as are Israel’s burgeoning culture, its dance and its songs, its literature and its theatre, its art and its architecture, and its museums and its heritage sites.
“The Zionist idea is as vital today as it has ever been. It is still about the ingathering of the Jewish people, promoting Israel as the most fulfilling and meaningful place to live as a Jew, and consciously fashioning an exemplary Jewish society as an essential aspect of the return to the land of our forebears.” (Dr David Breakstone, The Zionist Imperative: An Anthology of Contemporary Thinking, The Department for Zionist Activities, World Zionist Organisation, April 2002)
Zapiro cartoon in the Mail & Guardian – the Jewish Community needs to respond as did the Muslim one to the innocuous Mohammed cartoon that appeared 2 weeks ago, and also get an apology from both the paper and the cartoonist. This is disgusting, insulting and appalling! http://www.monitoringsa.com/pdfs/2010_06_04_1454437.pdf
On 20 May 2010, South African cartoonist Jonathan Shapiro (who goes under the name of Zapiro) had a cartoon published in the Mail & Guardian (see below) which enraged the Muslim community in South Africa and garnered enormous national media coverage.
The Muslim protests against this (seemingly innocuous) depiction of Mohammed resulted in an outpouring of the most vitriolic hatred against both the Mail & Guardian (which regularly displays Zapiro’s cartoons) and the cartoonist. Although Muslim leaders failed in a court application to stop the newspaper publishing the article, they met with the newspaper and cartoonist; and at the meeting the M&G apologized for publishing the cartoon, noting “its regret for the harm caused by the publication of the cartoon … which in no way is intended to cause injury, or to associate itself with Islamophobia, which it repudiates in the strongest possible terms.”
Clearly this was a huge victory for the Muslim cause.
Now Zapiro has once again crossed the line – but this time against Israel and the Jews, with a disgusting anti-Zionist anti-Semitic cartoon in the 4 June 2010 edition of the Mail & Guardian.
Over the years Zapiro has constantly vilified Israel, comparing its actions and those of its leaders, in particular Ariel Sharon, to the most extreme Nazism and even distorting history in his efforts to slander Israel. Both he and the paper have been taken to the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of SA by the Media Team Israel, but no action has ever been taken against them.
It is time now for the Jewish world to rise up and make its voice heard, as the Muslim world does, and to protest in the strongest possible terms against this reprehensible display of naked and abhorrent bias and bigotry.
We are sending this message to Jewish communities around the world, asking everyone to forward it to their mailing lists so that as many people as possible will write to both the paper and Zapiro condemning the cartoon, and demanding an apology from both of them.
E-mail addresses are as follows:
The Mail & Guardian continued its Zapiro/Prophet Mohammed saga, with the M&G apologizing to the Muslim community; Zapiro apologizing for having offended the Muslims; letters pro- and anti-the cartoon; a huge uprising by the Muslim community; and the Jewish community waiting for Zapiro - in vain - to apologise for the appalling anti-Zionist cartoons he has done over the years.
Also in the M&G, Mandy Rossouw in "More dirt revealed on apartheid SA's cosy Israeli ties" wrote, "The Israeli government tried to block the release of the documents from which Polakow-Suransky gleaned the information about the secret meetings. The department of international relations and cooperation declined to comment, but released a statement reiterating South Africa's commitment to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons."
In The Star, Pretoria News and Mercury, Peter Fabricius in "Israel must make sacrifices for Zionism" / "Why Israel must sacrifice for the Zionist project" / "Give a little, take a little, Susser urges" interviewed Israeli professor Asher Susser who he said was in South Africa to "deliver a blunt message to the local Jewish community (and, indirectly, to the Netanyahu government) that the grand Zionist project was in peril unless Israel made sacrifices to preserve it. And that means making concessions to achieve an independent Palestinian state. The target of much of his criticism is Jewish settlement on Palestinian territory."
The Pretoria News contacted the FW de Klerk Foundation in "Nuclear deal story ridiculous, says FW", and quoted former president FW de Klerk saying, ". I was never at any stage informed of any such developments. I have no reason to question the information that was consistently conveyed to me by the relevant authorities that South Africa developed nuclear weapons on its own. The allegations seem to be most unlikely Countries simply don't offer one another nuclear weapons like muffins at a tea party (in three different sizes!)."
M Omar wrote in the Sunday Tribune in "Israel report ignores context of conflict" as follows: " The fact that the trip was sponsored by the SA Jewish Board of Deputies and the Israeli foreign ministry, as mentioned in the footnote, puts the report in its proper perspective. The report is therefore biased in favour of the Zionist regime, notwithstanding the immoral actions and flagrant violation of human rights perpetrated by the Zionist regime in its 62-year history."
Both the Pretoria News and the Daily News carried an edited extract of a speech made by Thabo Mbeki at the Fifth Al Jazeera Annual Forum in Doha,Qatar, titled "Talking to the Enemy: the South African Experience". In it he outlined the differences between the South African and Israeli conflicts, saying that though there appears to be "agreement that the negotiations should result in a "two-state solution", there is no agreement on this fundamental issue, as Israel's government has not agreed to respect the 1967 borders, with Jerusalem serving as the capital of independent Palestine. Whereas the South African liberation offensive grew to present such a challenge, obliging the then ruling establishment to accept the need for fundamental change, this has not happened in Israel."
In the Sunday Argus Travel Section, Mira Bar-Hillel in "The magic of Masada" described Israel from Herod's Masada fortress to the Dead Sea as "an adventure of biblical proportions. Sometimes "awesome" is the only word that will do. Standing on the prow of Masada, the oddly ship-shaped rock mesa overlooking the Dead Sea in the Judean Desert amid the remains of the fortress of Herod the Great, is one such moment. This exotic and striking monument combines history, geology, archaeology and a unique story of human courage."
Martin Williams, editor of the Citizen, spent 10 days in Israel with a group of journalists from a variety of media. He wrote a number of articles while there. In "Israel nothing like apartheid", he quoted Natan Sharansky saying that there was no comparison between apartheid South Africa and events in Israel and it was wrong to describe that country's controversial security fence as an apartheid wall. The fence was necessary because of armed attacks against Israeli civilians, in ways not comparable to what had happened in South Africa.
In "An unholy mess" in the Citizen, he wrote, "Blessed are the simple minded, for they believe they understand the Holy Land, when in truth its complexity has vexed humanity for millennia ... What we found, without denying any of the hate or violence from any side, was an extraordinary number of individuals and organisations not only willing to share this troubled land, but actively striving to make peaceful co-operation a reality. These are not political leaders at the highest level but effective community leaders. People of goodwill."
Writing his third piece in the Citizen after the Gaza Flotilla incident, entitled "Israel must learn value of good PR", he discussed the visit to the Knesset and the address to them by Knesset members as follows: "There was no sense of regret at a situation badly mishandled, even to a non-hostile audience which had already spent a week having Israeli viewpoints explained. Israel has good reason to be careful about traffic to Gaza. And the flotilla was a publicity stunt, not a humanitarian gesture. Knowing this, the Israelis could have handled it with a lot more finesse, without being weak. Asked about this, the politicians we met seemed to have a blind spot. But if Israel wants to win the propaganda war, it will have to be a lot smarter."
All media covered this incident in huge detail. Rather than listing and discussing each, links to a number of them (not by any means a comprehensive list) are below. These include editorials in the Sowetan and the Star.
Finally, the Electronic Media: Every radio and television station covered the Gaza Flotilla incident in depth, from Monday through to Thursday, throughout the day, with the radio stations holding talk shows during the day; many appearances by people for and against Israel on television; and presenters and commentators in the main showing their hostility to Israel and their unwillingness to accept Israel's side of the story despite the video and YouTube clips freely available on the internet.
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