On the face of it, the news coming in from the UK is pretty good. A survey
published last week by the London-based Institute for Jewish Policy Research
showed that 90 percent of Jews in Britain believe that Israel is “the ancestral
homeland of the Jewish people,” 82% consider it to play an important and even
central role in their Jewish identities and 72% categorize themselves as
Zionists, in contrast to only 21% who do not. Furthermore, an estimated 95% of
Jews in Britain have visited Israel at least once, 77% agree that Jews have “a
special responsibility to support Israel” and 87% agree that Jews are
responsible for ensuring “the survival of Israel.”
The report, entitled
“Committed, concerned and conciliatory: The attitudes of Jews in Britain towards
Israel,” is the result of the most extensive and definitive research ever
conducted on this topic, and in its exploration of some of the political views
of the Jewish population of Britain, it contains findings that will warm the
hearts of those both on the Left and the Right of the political
spectrum.
The dovishness of the community comes across very clearly: 67%
favor giving up territory for peace; 74% are opposed to the expansion of
existing settlements in the West Bank and, perhaps most strikingly, 52%
think
that Israel “should negotiate with Hamas in its efforts to achieve
peace.”
However, at the same time, the hawkishness of the community is
also apparent: 72% consider the separation fence/security barrier “vital
for
Israel’s security” and the same percentage viewed Operation Cast Lead as
“a
legitimate act of self-defense.”
Furthermore, fully 87% of respondents
believe that “Iran represents a threat to Israel’s existence.”
We
struggled with how to interpret this combination of dovishness and
hawkishness
when we were initially analyzing the data, but on reflection, came to
the
conclusion that, in many respects, the apparent paradox captures
perfectly the
nature of Israel’s ongoing dilemma. The peace versus security equation
needs to
be balanced on a daily basis; most overtures toward peace involve taking
risks
on security, and most clampdowns on security involve damaging prospects
for
peace. What Jews in Britain are saying – in much the same way as
Israelis are
saying – is that we want both.
THE FINDINGS were greeted positively by
the British Jewish community’s best known newspaper, the Jewish
Chronicle, which
ran with the headline “UK Jewish bond with Israel as strong as ever.”
While it
is distinctly possible to read the data in that way, my personal view is
that
there are signs of considerable disquiet in the findings, which indicate
that
all is not quite as rosy as some would like to believe.
Consider the
following. In our investigation of the state of Israeli society, 67%
agree that
there is “too much corruption in Israel’s political system.”
Approximately six
out of 10 believe that both Jewish and non-Jewish minorities “suffer
from
discrimination.”
Three-quarters think that “Orthodox Judaism has too much
influence in Israel’s society” and that includes, surprisingly perhaps,
almost
half of those who self-define as “religious.”
Each of these findings
suggests that a majority of Jews in Britain is looking at these aspects
of
Israeli society and struggling in some way to reconcile the realities
they see
with the values they believe ought to underpin a Jewish state. Perhaps
it is the
allegations against Ehud Olmert or Moshe Katsav, perhaps it is the
growing
alienation of Arab Israelis, perhaps it is the stranglehold Orthodox
authorities
have over the conversion process, but whatever the reason, it is clear
that
these types of difficult issues are leading some Jews in Britain to view
Israel
through quite critical eyes.
There’s more. A clear majority considers
Israel to be “an occupying power in the West Bank.” Forty percent do not
think
that control of the West Bank is vital for security; 43% do not believe
that
Israel has “little or no choice in most of the military action it
takes.”
And one-third thinks that Israel holds either as much
responsibility – or even more responsibility – for the failures of the
peace
process than its neighbors.
To date, none of this appears to be eating
away at the foundations of the relationship Jews in Britain have with
Israel. On
the fundamentals, the support is still overwhelming.
But below the
surface, there is evidence to suggest that a significant number of
people are
starting to ask some probing questions.
One can only guess at what the
long-term impact will be, but we should not rule out the possibility
that the
currently strong foundations might begin to crumble in the years to
come. Right
now, Jews in Britain remain deeply tied to Israel; the future, however,
looks
far less certain.
The writer is executive director of the Institute for
Jewish Policy Research in London. He is coauthor of the
recently-published
report ‘Committed, concerned and conciliatory: The attitudes of Jews in
Britain
towards Israel.’