52 pages • 1 hour read
My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel
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Themes
Debates Over Occupation and Colonization
Many in the international community argue Israel is a colonizing nation in the establishment of either the nation itself, its settlements in the Palestinian territories, or both. European, African, and Middle Eastern Jews migrated to a land already inhabited by peoples and established a state that often excludes the peoples who were present before their arrival. In constructing settlements, Israel constructed towns under Israeli rule in sovereign Palestinian territories.
Whether the nation of Israel or its settlements in the Palestinian territories are actually colonies is the subject of much scholarly and political debate. Many Israelis argue that they are not a colonizing nation, but rather, that they originally migrated to Palestine with the consent of Arab Palestinians and purchased land legally, and that Palestinians accused Zionists of colonizing only after the Zionists developed barren land and brought economic prosperity to the region. Zionists migrated to Palestine for survival, not to conquer the region. Further, the state of Israel was created by the United Nations, not by Zionist conquest.
Israelis defend their Palestinian occupying settlements as necessary for security—to extend Israel’s borders and protect it from Hezbollah rockets. Israelis contend the settlements are not a colonialist expansionist enterprise of conquest but necessary establishments to create a military security buffer between Israel and hostile forces.
Shavit notes in his introduction that he has opposed occupation most of his adult life but that, nonetheless, occupation has become integral to Israel. Israel is unique among nations because it is both threatened externally and an occupying force. Shavit laments, “Intimidation and occupation have become the two pillars of our condition” (xii), and he contends that understanding Israel requires understanding both those factors.
Israeli Exceptionalism as Necessary for Survival
Israeli exceptionalism is a belief held by many in Israel that Israelis and the Israeli state are above, or an exception to, the rules that govern other nations because of their unique or advanced place among nations. It is also a belief that because of a unique mix of qualities, Israelis have an advanced ability to achieve any goal. Israeli exceptionalism has manifested itself in the impressive achievements of terraforming inhospitable climates to support societies, development of the Dimona reactor, and becoming a global leader in industry and technology despite being a small, young nation.
Israeli exceptionalism has most notably manifested itself in Israel’s nuclear program. At just 20 years old, Israel became the fourth nation to develop nuclear weapons, joining the United States, Britain, and Russia. Israeli exceptionalism has also manifested itself in Israel’s negative actions of formation of Palestinian settlements, abusing its power to deprive Palestinians of the ability to autonomously self-govern, and developing nuclear weapons capability at the Dimona reactor without approval from the international community.
Shavit suggests that Israeli exceptionalism is a necessary belief for Israel’s continued existence. The small state sits in the center of a region that wishes to destroy it. It has performed and must continue to perform exceptional feats beyond what such a small state should be capable of just to survive. Israel has done so throughout its history, and it has not only survived, but thrived. Given the many future challenges Israel faces—a nuclear arms race in the Middle East, waning international support, a looming economic disaster—it must continue to believe in its exceptionalism, and to act exceptionally, in order to survive.
Zionist Jews and Palestinians as Both Refugees and Indigenous Peoples
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Shavit reminds us, is one of refugees and indigenous peoples. Israelis are both refugees and indigenous to the region. Palestinians are indigenous to the region and made refugees by Israelis. The European, African, and Middle Eastern Zionist Jews who settled in and established the State of Israel were all refugees fleeing violence, persecution, poverty, and sometimes natural disasters. Many had nowhere to go but Palestine. Others chose between remaining in their homelands as second-class citizens and striving for freedom in Zionism. Zionist Jews arrived in Palestine not as colonizers, but as persecuted refugees looking for a home.
Zionist Jews also consider themselves indigenous to Palestine. The Hebrew Canaanites resided in the area in 1,000 BCE but were cast into exile during the sixth century BCE. Zionist Jews considered themselves both refugees and indigenous to the region. In the thousands of years that followed the Hebrew exile, many peoples inhabited the land. Arab Palestinians inhabited the land for centuries before Jewish Zionists arrived and consider themselves indigenous. Zionist Jews forced many Arab Palestinians to become refugees in Jordan, Egypt, and other neighboring states. Many Palestinians living in refugee camps argue for permission to return to their villages in Palestine or the State of Israel.
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