Whose story about Israel will you believe?

GEOFF SIFRIN

 TAKING ISSUE

One insightful – but for South Africans, embarrassing – moment was when Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, compared annual murder rates in Jerusalem and South Africa.

In “violence-ridden” Jerusalem, with its pervasive image in the media of political unrest, bombings and hatred, just one person per 100 000 was murdered annually, he said. In the supposedly peaceful place where the conference was being held, the figure was 39! Clearly, Israel has a problem in how its story is told.  

This is echoed in the contest between BDS-SA and the SAZF, between Israel’s haters and admirers. BDS demonstrators tout the well-trodden theme of “apartheid Israel”. The conference, however, described an enlightened, safe society, the only Middle East democracy; the only country in the region where Christian numbers are growing in contrast to the Muslim states where they are persecuted, where women’s rights, Arab rights, religious rights, gay rights and others are protected.

The SAZF Conference was talking to the converted, however. Sadly, in South African society at large, BDS’ story is the one most people listen to. As Canadian human rights lawyer Irwin Cotler said in his address, supporters of Israel needed to somehow reclaim the narrative and show it as a force for good, not the malignant entity BDS portrayed.

And to show up the totalitarian regimes – the Muslim ones and others that are ignored by BDS – for the human rights violators they are. And support the minorities being oppressed under their rule, like the Kurds and Christians.

The aim is not to eliminate opposing stories about Israel. Differing narratives are essential in any healthy society – including Israel and South Africa.

“Nations and peoples are largely the stories they feed themselves,” says Booker Prize-winning Nigerian author Ben Okri. But are all stories acceptable?

Tensions exist in Israel over this, sometimes with unfortunate outcomes. This year the Israel Prize – the country’s highest honour, presented annually on Yom Ha’atzmaut in a state ceremony in Jerusalem – will not be awarded in the Literature category, because of a battle between left and right over which stories pass muster.

This is because Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – who currently also holds the Education Ministry portfolio – tried to fire certain members of the judging panel for their leftist views, saying the panel comprised too many extremists.

He said on Facebook: “The committee… must be balanced and faithfully reflect a variety of ideologies, attitudes and dimensions of Israeli society. But over the years more and more extremists were appointed… including anti-Zionist elements – such as those who support refusal to serve in the IDF – and too little authentic representatives of large parts of the nation.”

Many Israelis would fully agree with him. The Attorney General, however, instructed him not to meddle in the panel’s makeup and he withdrew. But some panel members then refused to participate, saying the award had been tainted, and various artists petitioned the Supreme Court to cancel the Literature Prize. Authors like Ruth Dayan and David Grossman withdrew their candidacy in protest.

Ironically, despite the controversy, it is to Israel’s credit that a battle over opposing views and stories can be debated and decided this way through a legal system protecting citizens’ rights to tell differing – and often difficult – narratives about their society. In many Arab countries, writers arguing for alternatives to the state- or religious-sanctioned versions would be brutally punished.

South African Jews face a struggle in asserting a positive Israeli narrative against BDS and its partners like Cosatu and sections of the media and academia. One of the best stories they have, however, is Israel’s openness to different views.

If the Israel-haters would listen, they might understand how well it resonates with the South African ideal, where a diversity of stories is celebrated, not suppressed. Unless, of course, their hatred of Israel comes from something other than ignorance or misinformation. Anti-Semitism perhaps?

Geoff Sifrin is former editor of the SA Jewish Report. He writes this column in his personal capacity.