The reaction of the Jewish community to the sanctions announced this month by the British foreign secretary was, as expected, diverse. The chief rabbi was among the harshest in his criticism, describing the change in policy as “truly a dark day for Britain’s Jews.” He accused the government of having “chosen to ignore the deep concerns expressed by so many of us” and warned that the government’s actions were likely to embolden people who “use hatred as a weapon against Jews.” The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council, which represent much of the community, also joined in condemning the decision.
However, other rabbis from the more liberal and progressive segments of the Jewish community welcomed the move and saw it as a step forward in advancing peace based on a two-state solution, as well as accountability for what they regard as the illegality of the occupation.
The concern that the decision to impose a trade embargo on illegal settlements and to sanction those who finance them and extreme violent settlers might lead some deeply antisemitic people to see it as a license to commit acts of terrorism against Jews and Jewish institutions should not be dismissed. In recent years, the increase in antisemitic attacks has reached a worrying level, including the random killing and stabbing of Jewish people, the use of incendiary devices against synagogues and the destruction of Jewish ambulances in arson attacks. This is the reality in which the community currently lives. Last year, on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), two Jewish worshippers were killed in a terror attack at a Manchester synagogue.
It is the task of the security forces to protect the Jewish community from such disgraceful violence and, when it unfortunately occurs, to apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to justice. Nevertheless, there was nothing in Ed Miliband’s speech in the House of Commons, when announcing the new British policy toward Jewish settlements, to suggest that he was criticizing the Jewish community or blaming Israelis in general for what is taking place in the Occupied Territories.
There was nothing to suggest Miliband was criticizing the Jewish community or blaming Israelis in general
Yossi Mekelberg
Those who might choose to misinterpret the new sanctions as a license for antisemitism of any kind should face the full weight of the law. But the actions of these few should hardly justify the British government, or the other countries that joined it, in failing to adopt a proactive foreign policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Such a policy should, at least initially, aim to reverse the constant deterioration in the security situation for Palestinians who are attacked by extremist settlers and prevent further settlement expansion.
Being concerned that, inadvertently or even deliberately, extremists in the UK might misinterpret the British government’s new policy toward the settlements and those involved in violent activity in the Occupied Territories, as well as what Miliband described as the government’s concerns about ethnic cleansing, as a justification for attacking Jews in the UK or elsewhere is understandable and legitimate. It is equally legitimate to demand that the state protect the Jewish community from such people.
What is not legitimate is to demand that the British government act against what it believes is right and against its values as a result, or that it remain idle and continue to turn a blind eye to what many regard as continuous violations of international law and the undermining of any prospect of peace. Such developments also undermine British — and not only British — interests.
There is no valid argument, nor even any excuse, for attacking Jews because of what happens in the Occupied Territories. Yet there remains a correlation between heightened tensions in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and an increased risk of attacks against Jews outside Israel. Hence, it is in the interest of Jewish communities to demand that their governments be proactive in advancing a peace process, not only through punitive measures but also by advancing new ideas to resolve the conflict for the benefit of both Israelis and Palestinians and the rest of the region and the international community.
But it is more than that. Following the British government’s announcement, Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg, from Masorti Judaism, one of the more liberal and progressive strands of the Jewish community, was quoted as saying: “What is taking place today in the West Bank is a ‘Chillul HaShem,’ a violation of God’s name of the worst order. We cannot stay silent. This is terrible for Palestinian people who want to get on with their lives in peace. It is terrible for Israel.”
Here in the UK, the task is to strengthen interfaith dialogue, with proactive support from the government
Yossi Mekelberg
British Jews do not necessarily need to have a particular opinion about Israel, its politics or the conflict. But, as a matter of fact, the vast majority care deeply about the well-being of the country. Many have family and friends there, visit frequently and generally feel some level of affinity with it.
However, this does not mean blind support for a government whose actions, in their view, violate fundamental Jewish values concerning how human beings should treat one another, as well as basic standards of decency, and represent an aberration of what it means to be Jewish.
Judaism, as a religion and a way of life, calls for peace. In the Book of Psalms, it is said: “Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” This is not what those who expand settlements, deliberately build in E1 or terrorize Palestinians are pursuing. They are pursuing annexation, depriving other people of basic rights and contributing to their displacement. Such behavior should cause revulsion in any human being and, certainly, to seek specific measures against it cannot be said to be contrary to the teachings of Judaism.
Miliband was at pains to emphasize his Jewish heritage. He described himself as a “proud British Jew” and spoke of his “deepest gratitude to the state of Israel for giving a home to my grandmother after she lost her husband, my grandfather, and 60 other family members at the hands of the Nazis.” He also expressed his unwavering support for the security of the state of Israel and for the safety of the Jewish community, which is the responsibility of the government and of society as a whole.
Yet for those in the Jewish community who care deeply about Israel, it might be better to support it by advancing the cause of Israeli-Palestinian peace based on a two-state solution and by supporting those in the Holy Land who, against the odds, are still searching for innovative and creative ideas to make this possible.
And here in the UK, the task is to strengthen interfaith dialogue, with proactive support from the government. The aim should be to deprive those who cynically and misguidedly exploit conflicts elsewhere of the oxygen they need to promote their bigotry, while at the same time supporting peace efforts in the Holy Land.
Yossi Mekelberg is a professor of international relations and an associate fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House.
X: @YMekelberg
