First off, I want to say that I understand where both of your hesitation comes from around my use of Jewish and Israeli values to equate values of anti-occupation and anti-racism. It is certainly not clear that that is what they are– but at same time, Matt, while I agree with you that Israeli policies of cruelty and violence could certainly be opposed from a place of universal values, I think that there are also other systems of values that could lead one to oppose these policies- feminist values, Palestinian values, American values. For me, Jewish values inform my opposition to such policies, not in a sense of “superiority,” but rather in a sense of what I know. Do all Jews share these values? Of course not. But can these values be based in Jewish texts and history? I think so. And as for Israeli culture- I understand that this one is even more tricky, as a national identity, but I want to clarify that I am not talking about policy or politics or certain elements of our history like expulsion and hatred. Those exist, certainly, but so to do the warm and positive elements of the culture which I pointed out and want to uplift. Will most Israeli Jews agree with my description of what Israeli Jewish culture should lead us to believe? I don’t know. Probably not in full. And yet, I find these to be anchoring forms of identity. So, while I hear your hesitancy, I would challenge both of you to think about whether it is worth attacking my formulation if it leads us to similar values of anti-racism and anti-occupation as do humanistic or Palesitnian values in this context.

What will happen to children born in the refugee camps? Will they be educated? Where is home? Refugees are assembled solely to remove then in a gentle final solution. They may leave Israel at any time, perhaps otherwise expelled when their home country by race is no longer “dangerous.” The presently ruling coalition has successfully defined stability as removal of the impure other. The logic is at work in the Bank and, while Arab politician citizens want the refugees out as well, these citizens are themselves subject to purity control by other means. Israel cannot continue this path without quashing the values evolved in Diaspora. War readiness does not apply to the refugee case; this should warn that “purity” is once again evolving as a means of social control. Winning can make a new enemy–oursleves.

The African immigrants are not just “economic refugees”. One could have said that Jews immigrating to America were just economic refugees, but we know they were fleeing antisemitism and persecution as well.