Rabbi Saroken's: Vayishlach and Going Rogue
In 1815, Cambridge University in England began its debate club. And in all of the years since, the debate club gathers regularly to discuss different topics relating to academia and international media and the club itself has hosted figures including the Dalai Lama, Winston Churchill and Ronald Regan. A few weeks ago, the university hosted a debate titled “Israel is rogue state.” And the debate's starting point was that Israel is a problematic country, which does not obey international law. Thousands of people attended, include the senior academic staff, students and guests.
Lauren Booth, one of the most prominent and outspoken pro-Palestinian activists in Britain who converted to Islam after visiting Iran and coincidentally, the sister-in-law of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Mark McDonald, the head of the Labor party’s friends of Palestine and Middle East Association represented the anti-Israel side of the debate….. and according to newspapers…initially, it seemed that the hall was overwhelmingly anti-Israel, as the pair launched into a harsh diatribe against the Jewish State.
But things took an unexpected turn, when 19 year old Gabriel Latner, one of the debaters “in favor” of the proposition, argued that yes, Israel is a rogue state – in an unorthodox fashion. By presenting five pro-Israel arguments that show that Israel is, if not a “rogue state,” then at least “rogue-ish.” And trying to convince even pro-Israel attendees to vote for the proposition. “Let me be clear. He said…I will not be arguing that Israel is “bad.” I will not be arguing that it doesn't deserve to exist. I won't be arguing that it behaves worse than every other country. I will only be arguing that “Israel is rogue.” And then he went on to define rogue suggesting that while the word “rogue” has come to have exceptionally damning connotations, the word itself is value-neutral. Explaining that a rogue state is one that acts in an unexpected, uncommon or aberrant manner. A state that [he suggests] behaves exactly like Israel.
1. His first argument was statistical. The fact that Israel is a Jewish state alone makes it anomalous enough to be dubbed a rogue state. Said Latner…There are 195 countries in the world. Some are Christian, some Muslim, some are secular. Israel is the only country in the world that is Jewish. So, Israel's Jewishness is a statistical aberration.
(2) His second argument concerned Israel's humanitarianism, in particular, Israel's response to a refugee crisis. Not the Palestinian refugee crisis – for I am sure that the other speakers will cover that – but the issue of Darfurian refugees. Everyone knows that what happened, and is still happening in Darfur, is genocide, whether or not the UN and the Arab League will call it such. There has been a mass exodus from Darfur as the oppressed seek safety. They have not had much luck.
Blame it on Israel's cultural memory of genocide. But while many have gone north to Egypt – where they have been treated despicably. The brave make a run through the desert in a bid to make it to Israel. Not only do they face the natural threats of the Sinai, they are also used for target practice by the Egyptian soldiers patrolling the border. Why would they take the risk? Because in Israel they are treated with compassion – they are treated as the refugees that they are – and perhaps Israel's cultural memory of genocide is to blame. The Israeli government has even gone so far as to grant several hundred Darfurian refugees citizenship. This alone sets Israel apart from the rest of the world.But the real point of distinction is that the IDF sends out soldiers and medics to patrol the Egyptian border. They are sent looking for refugees attempting to cross into Israel. Not to send them back into Egypt, but to save them from dehydration, heat exhaustion, and Egyptian bullets. Compare that to the U.S. reaction to illegal immigration across their border with Mexico… To call this sort of behavior anomalous is an understatement.
(3) His third argument was that the Israeli government engages in an activity which the rest of the world shuns – it negotiates with terrorists. Yasser Arafat, Yasser Abed Rabbo one of the lead PLO negotiators that has been sent to the peace talks with Israel….And the Israeli government is sending delegates to sit at a table with this man, and talk about peace. And the world applauds….You would never see the Spanish government in peace talks with the leaders of the ETA (he said) nor the British government negotiating with Thomas Murphy. And if President Obama were to sit down and talk about peace with Osama Bin Laden, the world would view this as insanity. But Israel can do the exact same thing – and earn international praise in the process. That is the dictionary definition of rogue – behaving in a way that is unexpected, or not normal.
Latner’s fourth argument was that Israel has a better human rights record than any of its neighbors. At no point in history, has there ever been a liberal democratic state in the Middle East – except for Israel. Freedom House has reported that Israel is the only country in the middle east that has earned designation as a “free” country….whereas most countries in the Middle East are: theocracies and autocracies. But Israel is the sole, the only, the rogue, democracy. Out of every country in the Middle East, only in Israel do anti-government protests and reporting go unquashed and uncensored.
His fifth and final argument was the presence of Ran Gidor’s, from Israel’s embassy whose very presence gave evidence to the fact that Israel was in fact a “rogue state” Consider, for a moment, what his presence here means, said Latner… The Israeli government has signed off, to allow one of their senior diplomatic representatives to participate in a debate on their very legitimacy. That's remarkable. Do you think for a minute, that any other country would do the same? … Would China participate in a debate about the status of Taiwan? Never. And there is no chance that an American government official would ever be permitted to argue in a debate concerning its treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. But Israel has sent Ran Gidor to argue tonight against me.
That's five arguments that have been directed at the supporters of Israel. But he had an extra minute or two left. And decided to make good use of it…. “And here's an argument for all of you – Israel willfully and forcefully disregards international law. In 1981 Israel destroyed Saddam Hussein's nuclear bomb lab. Every government in the world knew that Hussein was building a bomb. And they did nothing. Except for Israel. Yes, in doing so they broke international law and custom. But they also saved us all from a nuclear Iraq.
That rogue action should earn Israel a place of respect in the eyes of all freedom loving peoples. But it hasn't. But tonight, while you listen to us prattle on, I want you to remember something; while you're here, Khomeini's Iran is working toward the Bomb. And if you're honest with yourself, you know that Israel is the only country that can, and will, do something about it. Israel will, out of necessity act in a way that is the not the norm, and you'd better hope that they do it in a destructive manner. Any sane person would rather a Rogue Israel than a Nuclear Iran.
And after both sides concluded their arguments, the audience voted for the side they found most persuasive and 74% of the votes went to Israel. Wonder of wonder, miracle of miracles J
In this week’s Torah portion, we read about Joseph who, like many others, is a “dreamer” he dreams dreams of grandeur and through his dreams that we know that his heart yearns for more – his dreams give him a respite from his reality and fill his life and thoughts with purpose and meaning. And perhaps Latner was a dreamer too…dreaming of convincing hundreds of thousands of young adults to re-consider their understanding of Israel through his opportunity with the Cambridge Debating Club. Not so long ago…at a night sponsored by the Baltimore Board of Rabbis, Rabbi Ron Shulman, shared his dream…that one day, in his lifetime, he would invite us all (and I do think he’ll extend the invitation to include his Beth El friends J) that he would invite us all to a peace party at which we will all celebrate a peace agreement in Israel. And that is his dream. And so it goes with dreams…as Theodor Herzl rightfully observed; “Every creed of man was once a dream” and in the words of Rabbi Z. Rabinowitz: “Dreams offer dress rehearsals for the reality yet to be…. Israel like the US, is not perfect, but it is the sole functioning democracy in the ME -- constantly working to improve -- and as Ratner's argument also pointed out, it is our state, our home and ours to help protect, advocate for, and yes, to help improve.
And so may we ALL dream great dreams, and may we simultaneously listen to the dreams of others…for the sake of Israel, the world and for the sake of our future. SS!