Zionism is “Threat to Democracy” according to Haaretz

In a recent article in Haaretz, contributor Revital Madar states that, “The threat to democracy in Israel, from 1948 to the present, is rooted in Zionism.” Madar claims that the there are insidious bodies at work at the core of Israel’s political and ideological character whose goal is to destroy human rights, “impose collective punishment,” and govern by stringent religious doctrine. These accusations ignore the obvious facts to the contrary, namely Israel’s democratic elections, judicial system, and non-discriminatory character.

Responding to the condemnation of Joint Arab List Members of Knesset (MKs) for visiting the families of Palestinian terrorists, the author takes the position that the Joint List is the “only” Knesset party in Israel that “truly understands what democracy is.” Madar writes that the condemnation the Joint List MKs have faced in the aftermath of their visiting the families of Palestinian terrorists is a desecration of free speech and a violation of democratic rights. The Joint List ministers who observed moments of silence together with the relatives of terrorists in memory of the dead attackers are lauded for having a sensitivity that Israel as a nation lacks and cannot understand; unlike the rest of Israel, these MKs can “care more for a person who committed a crime…and for the rights of his family.”

One of the MKs being celebrated by Haaretz for her humane, fair, and balanced views is Hanin Zoabi, who has voiced anti-Israel views on numerous occasions. She has stated that she is against a two-state solution, believes Israel should work with Hamas as a partner in peace, and has exited the Knesset during the recitation of the national anthem saying, “Hatikvah does not represent me.” After the 2014 kidnapping and murder of three Jewish boys, Zoabi refused to recognize the kidnappers as terrorists, and rationalized the attack as the desperate actions of oppressed teens.

The Haaretz article falsely claims that Israel has a doctrine “to differentiate between human beings,” failing to characterize Israel as it exists in reality, a free and democratic nation: Tel Aviv is continuously listed among the most popular gay cities in the world, known for its massive annual Gay Pride Parade; Israeli Arabs enjoy the richest opportunities, educational and professional, of any Arabs in the region; women in Israel are treated with respect unparalleled in the Middle East and afforded equal rights under the law; and freedom of speech and political thought are afforded to all. In fact, it is these very freedoms that Joint List MKs exercise in celebrating terrorists and that Madar enjoys in criticizing the Jewish state.

– Rachel Frommer, CAMERA intern