Noah Pollak, executive director of the Emergency Committee for Israel, has a piece in Commentary this month about Btselem, a major Israeli human rights organization working in the Occupied Palestinian territories Pollak, an American Jew of the extreme right persuasion, is known for his close connections with Israeli politicians and his unwavering dedication for attacking Israeli leftists. His piece on Btselem is an expected mix of NGO Monitor attacks which rely on guilt by association and taking statements out of context to paint Btselem as a radical organization disconnected to Israeli society with no allegiance to the Jewish state. He even has the audacity to title his piece ‘The Btselem Witch Trials.’

Pollak labours throughout the piece to describe all of the ‘crimes’ Btselem has committed against Israel including documenting human rights abuses in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, statements comparing Israel with Apartheid South Africa, blaming Palestinian infighting on Israeli Occupation (an Occupation, in Pollak’s understanding, that does not really exist), ‘ manipulating traditional definitions of international law’(because settlements are legal according to Pollak’s interpretation), and publicly proving that Israel engages in collective punishment of the Palestinian population.  Most of his information seems to have come from an elaborate system of Google Alerts as well as a steady supply of NGO Monitor newsletters.

Pollak, like many commentators in the American Jewish right, are still unclear about the illegality of Israeli settlements and their infrastructure. He writes, “Btselem mounts campaigns on certain issues, such as the supposed illegality of Israeli communities over the armistice lines of 1949 and the supposed illegality of West Bank checkpoints erected to interdict suicide bombers.”  Sorry Pollak, the whole world and the majority of Israeli society knows that Israeli settlements are illegal according to international law.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=415_4aSuzlc[/youtube]

One issue underlying the entire piece is Zionism. Pollak consistently refers to Btselem as an organization that is interested in the destruction of Zionism and the Jewish State. Ironically, through his vicious attacks, Pollak exposes his own misunderstanding of what Zionism is and how convoluted the term has become in the American Jewish community (see video).  For Pollak, Zionism clearly means obedience to the official Israeli narrative. For some American Jews, this idea is acceptable as they are not citizens of Israel and do not engage with the country on a civic level. For Israelis however, this narrow understanding of Zionism could never function as it would mean the end of critical debate in the country along with it any semblance of democratic values. Israel is merely a fantasy land of Pollak’s extreme world of Zionism where the only official narrative comes from trustworthy politicians who provide stimulating chamber of commerce tours of West Jerusalem to eager ‘friends’ of Israel. Any challenge to the official narratives embodied by these politicians is tantamount to treason and reflects the desire to see the Jewish state destroyed. Oh and of course, settlements are legal and there is no Occupation.

Pollak concludes his attack with, “The policies they [Btselem] support would constitute nothing less than Zionism’s destruction. And they apparently have no compunction about seeking its destruction from without, since they have learned to their disappointment and rage that Israel is too strong a nation to allow itself to be destroyed from within.” I am curious if Pollak is able to articulate this argument in the Hebrew language.  If he was, then an entirely new paradigm of thought would be available to him. He would be able to see that many Israelis feel that Israeli presence in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza is wrong and a violation of international law.  He would understand that Btselem is an organization which is a product of a society fed up with occupation, control, political lies and endless conflict. Israeli society understands the political realities which face it and will be willing, throughout international pressure, internal upheaval or a mixture of both, to change path in order to save the state. Pollak’s Zionism is a relic of the past and is out of touch with the majority of Israeli society. His disconnection from Israeli reality represents a danger to the state of Israel and the Zionism that he holds so dear.