Under a coalition agreement with Avigdor Liebermans large Yisrael Beiteinu party, based mainly on the Russian immigrant vote, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing a loyalty oath. Its his way of holding his coalition together as he pursues peace talks and possible compromises with Palestinians, which Lieberman and his party oppose.
As a means of keeping his coalition together, Netanyahus attempt to get the loyalty oath written into law makes sense, we suppose, but taking the issue on its merits, there arent many.
Besides, there are many potential downsides.
To be sure, on its face, the loyalty oath is unexceptional. Non-Jewish immigrants are asked to swear allegiance to the State of Israel as a Jewish state. Nothing wrong with that per se. The imposition of the oath is not a racist demand. Non-Jewish immigrants to Israel should accept Israel as the Jewish state. Thats what it is, thats what it was founded for.
The alternative to loyalty to the Jewish state, given the realities, is to launch or to support terrorist attacks against Israelis, or otherwise to undermine Israel. And theres nothing right with that.
But lets face it. Loyalty to Israel is not going to be extracted by an oath. There may be a very isolated non-Jew who will object on principle, but for the vast majority, the oath will be taken and nothing will change. Those who detest Israel will continue to do so; those who favor Israel will continue to do so. The only accomplishment of the oath will be to inflame already delicate relations between Jewish and non-Jewish Israelis.
Then, right through the back door, will come a grotesque new version of who is a Jew. Just who, exactly, is supposed to take this oath?
Converts to Judaism whom Israel does not accept as converts? Well, that will only add a new and unnecessary dimension to the already difficult dispute over converts.
Non-Jews who are not Arabs? Well, there are non-Jewish friends of Israel who would love to become Israeli citizens. Is the option of Israeli citizenship now to be open to gentiles all over the world including, for example, millions of Africans from Sudan provided only that they swear allegiance to Israel?
And if the loyalty oath is imposed on non-Jewish immigrants to Israel, how long is it before it is imposed on non-Jews already living in Israel, or on Jews returnng to Israel? Then, who will take this oath?
Arab Israelis? Well, there are non-Jewish Israelis who are not Arabs. Jews who are former Israelis who return to Israel? Well, will that include their children born abroad?
Whatever the answer to any of these questions is, there will emerge two classes of Israelis: those who took the oath, and those who didnt. This will severely divide the society along any number of possible axes: those who took the oath will look down on those who didnt; or those who didnt will say they are more loyal because they didnt need to take it; and so on. The divisive possibilities are endless. All else aside, a loyalty oath is impractical in the extreme.
Not to mention, the idea of a loyalty oath is incredibly defensive. Here, Israel is fighting for the Palestinian consent to recognition of Israel as the Jewish state, as Israel should. The loyalty oath will only complicate that fight, not least among Israels biggest ally, the United States, for whom loyalty oath resummons the McCarthy era and all of its ugly associations.
There are more than enough sensitive issues in US-Israel relations that need to be tended to without adding an unnecessary miasma, which is exactly what the term loyalty oath does. Israel will hardly look like the free and open democracy that America is now proud to call it.
Mothball this idea. At best, it adds nothing; it helps nothing. More than that, it is confusing, impractical, potentially explosive both in Israel and in US-Israeli relations.
Bad idea drop it. Avigdor Lieberman will have to find a better way to secure the loyalty of non-Jewish immigrants to Israel, and Benjamin Netanyahu will have to find a better way to keep Liebermans party happy.
Copyright © 2010 by the Intermountain Jewish News
