European nations, too, adapt themselves slowly to these norms. Only Fascists demand "total" conformity of race, nation, and language.
Why is this important? Contrary to the now defunct Fascist
doctrine, belonging to a nation is a matter of autonomous decision. The hundreds of thousands of Russians who came to Israel legally (as close relatives of Jews), who serve in the Israeli army, and pay Israeli taxesif they want to belong to the Israeli nation, they do indeed belong to it. Arab citizens who want to belong to the Israeli nation are indeed Israelis-without giving up their Palestinian identity and their Muslim, Christian, or Druze religion.8
For many people it is difficult to give up the Zionist myths with which they grew up. They try to evade any discussion on this subjectand indeed, it is hardly ever mentioned in our media. Our petition to the High Court of Justice, and soon to the District court, is designed to provoke, at long last, such debate.
Two thousand years ago, the Prophet Jonah found himself on a ship tossed by a storm. The frightened seamen, looking for someone to blame, asked him (Jonah, 1:8): "What is thy country? And of what people art thou?" To which Jonah replied: "I am Hebrew!"
In response to the same question we declare: "We are Israelis!"
January 17, 2004
A Hungarian joke: During the June 1967 war, a Hungarian meets his friend. "Why are you looking so happy?" he asks. "I heard that the Israelis shot down six Soviet-made MiGs today," his friend replies.
The next day, the friend looks even more jubilant. "The Israelis downed another eight MiGs," he announces.
On the third day, the friend is crestfallen. "What happened? Didn't the Israelis down any MiGs today?" the man asks. "They did," the friend answers, "But today someone told me that the Israelis are Jews!"
This is the whole story in a nutshell.
The anti-Semite hates the Jews because they are Jews, irrespective of their actions. Jews may be hated because they are rich and ostentatious or because they are poor and live in squalor. Because they played a major role in the Bolshevik revolution or because some of them became incredibly rich after the collapse of the Communist regime. Because they crucified Jesus or because they infected Western culture with the "Christian morality of compassion." Because they have no fatherland or because they created the State of Israel.