Published: 23 April 2018
Last updated: 4 March 2024
On the one hand, there are those who say that any criticism of Netanyahu that is not preceded by a criticism of every other country in the world that doesn't live up to its noblest ideals, is an act that delegitimises Israel and may in some cases be anti-Semitic.
This has been the response that many Likud MKs have taken towards the actress Natalie Portman after she announced that she will not be visiting Israel to receive the Genesis Prize. Her stated reason, as posted on her Instagram account, was that she chose not to attend so as “not to appear as endorsing Benjamin Netanyahu”, who was to be giving a speech at the ceremony.
However, to affirm her Anti-Netanyahu but pro-Israel credentials, she added: “By the same token, I am not part of the BDS movement and do not endorse it. Like many Israelis and Jews around the world, I can be critical of the leadership in Israel without wanting to boycott the entire nation.
“I treasure my Israeli friends and family, Israeli food, books, art, cinema, and dance. Israel was created exactly 70 years ago as a haven for refugees from the Holocaust. But the mistreatment of those suffering from today’s atrocities is simply not in line with my Jewish values. Because I care about Israel, I must stand up against violence, corruption, inequality, and abuse of power.”
The response to her boycott of Netanyahu has been labelled by many who identify as “pro-Israel” as a boycott of Israel. Arsen Ostrovsky, who made Aliya from Sydney and is currently the Executive Director of The Israeli-Jewish Congress, tweeted: “#NataliePortman is no better than all those other BDS bigots. Actually, worse, because she is also Israeli. Another self-righteous hypocrite. Shame on you!”
Culture Minister Miri Regev lambasted Portman, saying she had “fallen into the hands” of the BDS campaign that aims to isolate the Jewish state. Likud MK Oren Hasan went even further after starting the hashtag #portmannot_israeli, calling on Interior Minister Aryeh Deri to cancel Portman’s Israeli citizenship, in response to her criticism of Netanyahu's policies.
READ
Could a Bibi boycott work? (Haaretz)
ANSHEL PFEFFER Natalie Portman's motives aren't important. The real question is whether the Netanyahu brand has grown toxic
Is Natalie Portman’s Israel Protest a tipping point? (Daily Beast)
In the same week, where Israel marked both the saddest and most joyous days in her national calendar, the acclaimed author David Grossman faced a similar dilemma to Natalie Portman, after being awarded the 2018 Israel Prize for Literature. The Prize giving ceremony happened on Yom Ha’atzmaut, with the keynote speakers being Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Netanyahu.
Grossman, who is a fierce critic of both these leaders, had a choice to make about whether to attend this ceremony. Instead of choosing the path of Portman, he ultimately accepted the prestigious Prize from the hands of those with whom he strongly disagreed. At the same time, he used his public platform to raise questions about the direction Israel is headed towards in 2018 in far more effective way that Portman’s brief and partially inaccurate Instagram post.
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The night before he received the Israel Prize, Grossman gave a powerful speech at a joint Israeli-Palestinian memorial for victims of war. It was organised by the Parents Circle Bereaved Families Forum, of which he became a member in 2006 after losing his son Uri in the Second Lebanon War.
At the memorial, which was attended by 6800 mostly-Jewish Israelis, he clearly laid his pro-Israel credentials on the line, explaining his joy at celebrating Yom Ha’atsmaut, and looking forward to celebrating many more such anniversaries with his grandchildren and their future offspring.
At the same time, he levelled a sharp critique towards the policies of the Netanyahu government, saying that the lack of recognised borders in his country have led to a reality where “strong Israel may be a fortress, but it is not yet a home”.
Commenting on the lack of progress in the peace negotiations, he added, “The solution to the great complexity of Israeli-Palestinian relations can be summed up in one short formula: If the Palestinians don’t have a home, the Israelis won’t have a home either.”
He also shared his concern about other issues including the plan to deport asylum seekers to Uganda and Rwanda, and the prime minister’s attempts to enact laws bypassing the High Court.
The day following his speech, MK Besalel Smotrich (Jewish Home) called on the government to strip Grossman of the Israel Prize. "There are lines that we do not cross. We can criticise and even insult the government and its leaders, but we must not harm IDF soldiers on Memorial Day and accuse them of the blatant lie of killing innocents," tweeted Smotrich.
There are two messages that can be drawn from the approaches and responses to both Grossman and Portman. In the case of Portman, it would be wise to remember that the BDS is a largely ineffectual movement, and that Portman's decision didn't become a victory for BDS until the pro-Israel crowd declared it to be, placing her squarely in that camp despite her clear statements that she opposes the BDS campaign.
In the case of Grossman, and many others like him in both Israel and Australia who are critical of Netanyahu, but still see themselves a part of the Zionist family, it is worth noting the conclusion drawn by Suzanne Rutland and Zehavit Gross from the Monash University Gen17 survey. “Attachment, exploration and criticism are not contradictory, but reflect the concern and involvement of the younger generation (of Australian Jews) and serve as a form of reclaiming their connection to Israel through critical engagement.”
The future of the relationship between young Jews in Australia and Israel will be measured in some way around whether these recommendations are heeded or ignored. For now, the best path for our community to choose is to keep the tent door open as wide as possible.
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This approach was expressed dramatically by Miriam Peretz, who, as a right-wing, religious and Mizrachi Israeli, is in many ways the opposite of David Grossman in her social and political outlook. In her speech after winning the 2018 Israel prize for Lifetime Achievement and Special Contribution, Peretz acknowledged that “among the prizewinners are those who have experienced loss but whose spirits nevertheless remained unbroken” – a direct reference to Grossman.
Grossman, who was standing just metres away on the stage, gave her a warm embrace - a powerful example of what can happen in both Israel and the diaspora when those who are passionately pro-Israel but anti-Netanyahu such as Grossman and Portman are welcomed into the family tent. Without them and the many others who are deeply invested in the wellbeing of Israel, the pluralism of Zionist ideas and visions will further be diminished in the eyes of those who most want it to succeed.
Main photo: Natalie Portman (JTA)
