Avigdor Lieberman’s loyalty oath and Abe Foxman

According to a Feb. 10th article by Ben Harris in JTA “Lieberman loyalty proposal finds support in U.S.”

“Some liberal Israeli and Jewish groups have condemned Lieberman as a fascist—the left-wing Meretz Party even compared him to the late far-right Austrian politician Joerg Haider—for his proposal to require Israeli citizens to sign an oath of allegiance to the Jewish state in a bid to curtail Israeli Arab political power. ... Lieberman, 50, has proposed requiring a loyalty oath as a condition of Israeli citizenship. Those who refuse—Arab or Jewish—would have their citizenship revoked, though they’d be permitted to remain in the country as permanent residents.”

This is the same Lieberman who was reported in Haaretz as saying back in October:  “Yisrael Beiteinu Chairman MK Avigdor Lieberman said at a Knesset plenary meeting on Monday, addressing Arab MKs, that “a new administration will be established and then we will take care of you.”  http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/962767.html

Here is what the article had to say about this situation and Abraham Foxman of the ADL’s position:

“Some liberal Israeli and Jewish groups have condemned Lieberman as a fascist—the left-wing Meretz Party even compared him to the late far-right Austrian politician Joerg Haider—for his proposal to require Israeli Arab citizens to sign an oath of allegiance to the Jewish state.

But the Anti-Defamation League, an organization that is quick to spot instances of discrimination, says Lieberman is right to be concerned about apparent acts of disloyalty by Israeli Arabs.

Abraham Foxman, the ADL’s national director, noted with concern the trips by Arab Israeli Knesset members to enemy states and expressions of solidarity with Hamas by Israeli Arabs during Israel’s recent military operation in the Gaza Strip.

“There were a lot of people who said, ‘Hey, that’s disloyal,’ ” Foxman told JTA. “That’s what he’s talking about. He’s not saying expel them. He’s not saying punish them.”

Jewish Voices for Peace has a letter to Abraham Foxman that you can sign asking Abe Foxman to condemn attempts to strip citizenship from Israeli Arab citizens. http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/301/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=1840 

SEE ALSO:

Jewish Leaders Largely Silent on Lieberman’s Role In Government: But One Prominent U.S. Rabbi Criticizes ‘Hate-Filled Campaign’,  Nathan Guttman http://www.forward.com/articles/103178/

Foxman, Klein: Tag-Team Apologists for Israeli Racism, Richard Silverstein http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2009/02/11/foxman-klein-tag-team-apologists-for-israeli-racism/

UPDATE May 27, 2009

ADL Head Slams Loyalty Oath For Arab Israelis http://www.thejewishweek.com/viewArticle/c40_a15900/News/Israel.html

“Entitled “Loyalty Oath – A Condition for Citizenship,” the draft legislation proposes requiring citizens to declare “loyalty to the state of Israel as a state that is Jewish, Zionist, and democratic, to its symbols and values” and promise to fulfill national service requirements.

“I have a lot of problems with the proposed language because by including a pledge to Zionism it smacks of discrimination,” said Abraham Foxman, the Anti-Defamation League’s national director. “It’s odious. Zionism is something you should aspire to, but it shouldn’t be something that you get punished for if you don’t.”

“Foxman noted that the oath would also create problems for fervently Orthodox Jews who don’t recognize Israel’s Zionist character.

“Americans are not comfortable with loyalty oaths — this goes back to our experience with McCarthy,” he said. Foxman said a loyalty oath is acceptable if it’s inclusive.”

UPDATE June 1, 2009

Israeli cabinet rejects loyalty oath proposal http://www.ww4report.com/node/7396