english.daralhayat.com 2008/12/04 21:04 GMT

Westminster Notes (Israel's Population)

Sir Cyril Townsend Al-Hayat 2004/06/12

Watching on television Israel's giant, sinister armored bulldozers rumbling about their despicable duties in Rafah, rendering refugees homeless in many cases for the second or third time, it is easy to see them as symbols of the State of Israel moving inexorably forward. It is also easy to forget that in many ways Israel is a troubled State. Leaving aside the poor performance of Israel's economy, and the fall in the number of tourists visiting Israel, there is a real problem over the size of the population.

We can all recall the powerful lie that Palestine was 'a land without people for a people without land', which got halfway around the world before truth had its boots on. The refugees in Rafah are a small part of the answer to it. But it is a reminder that modern Israel is at heart a nation of immigrants mainly from East Europe - a mini Poland in the sunshine.

My Economist Pocket Diary for 2004 tells me the population of Israel is 6,117,000. Arab Israelis make up nearly 1,000,000 of that figure. A further 3.5 million Palestinians are dispersed between Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza. The latest figures I have seen suggest that ten Palestinian babies are being born for every two Israeli babies, and it is possible that by about 2070 most Israelis will be Arab Israelis. The majority of the population of the former Mandated Palestine will be Arab well before that date.

Between 1948 and 1992 2.3 million immigrants arrived in Israel from over one hundred different countries. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon not long ago announced, as one of the aims of his Government, the attraction of a million more people within the next decade. But this is not happening. Last year immigration fell back to just 23,200 and this was the lowest figure since 1990. The Promised Land seems to be losing its promise under Mr. Sharon.

Israel has an astonishingly and discriminatory Law of Return which non-Jews find hard to accept in this new century. In general terms this allows citizenship in Israel to be granted to those who have a Jewish spouse or Jewish roots.

Since 1989, this has resulted in approximately one million immigrants from the former Soviet Union. The religious Right complain that this law is far too lax and not strictly according to Jewish Law. Official Government figures in 1999 pointed out that more than half the immigrants to Israel were not technically Jewish because they did not have a Jewish mother or had undergone a conversion. At least 200,000 of the immigrants from the former Soviet Union came into this category.

The influence of Jews from the former Soviet Union followed the relocation of Soviet emigration rules and was hastened by the collapse of that Union. A big head of steam had built up behind the 'refuseniks', who had been refused permission to move to Israel in the 1980s and who were being poorly treated.

The mass movement of Jews is clearly over. Prime Minister Sharon has spoken of attracting Jews from other parts of the world. No doubt he had in mind the arrival of the Falasha, a group of people in Ethiopia holding the Jewish faith - some dispute this point - who were airlifted to Israel in 1984-5 after secret negotiations. It has been estimated there are 12.9 million Jews in the world, and South America has been mentioned as a possible new source of supply. However, the number of Jews in each country in South America is comparatively small.

Alarmingly for Prime Minister Sharon official figures state that 72,000 of the Soviet Jews who came to Israel have since left, mostly for America, Europe or Canada. Some 13,200 left Israel in 2002. I have always believed the attraction for Soviet Jews was getting out of the Soviet Union rather than into Israel.

According to Ian MacKinnon of The Times (10^th May): "Unofficial estimates suggest that there are now between 50,000 and 90,000 Israeli Soviet Jews in Moscow alone. An opinion survey conducted by the Tel Aviv Mutagim Institute last year found that 26 per cent of Russian immigrants in Israel were considering leaving, compared to 6 per cent who admitted contemplating such a move before the outbreak of the Palestinian Intifada in September 2000."

It was estimated some years ago that over half a million Israelis lived abroad permanently. I remember an academic, who had studied these matters, telling me that on any one day Israel was half-empty of Israeli citizens. Jews wish to identify with Israel, perhaps own a plot of land there or be buried there, but not many it seems wish to live there all the time. This is a peculiar aspect of the State of Israel.

Prime Minster Sharon, and those who seek to keep the Jewish State Jewish, have a genuine problem on their hands.

<h1>Westminster Notes (Israel's Population)</h1><h4>Sir Cyril Townsend     Al-Hayat     2004/06/12</h4>Watching on television Israel's giant, sinister armored bulldozers rumbling about their despicable duties in Rafah, rendering refugees homeless in many cases for the second or third time, it is easy to see them as symbols of the State of Israel moving inexorably forward.  It is also easy to forget that in many ways Israel is a troubled State.  Leaving aside the poor performance of Israel's economy, and the fall in the number of tourists visiting Israel, there is a real problem over the size of the population.We can all recall the powerful lie that Palestine was 'a land without people for a people without land', which got halfway around the world before truth had its boots on.  The refugees in Rafah are a small part of the answer to it.  But it is a reminder that modern Israel is at heart a nation of immigrants mainly from East Europe - a mini Poland in the sunshine. My Economist Pocket Diary for 2004 tells me the population of Israel is 6,117,000.  Arab Israelis make up nearly 1,000,000 of that figure.  A further 3.5 million Palestinians are dispersed between Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.  The latest figures I have seen suggest that ten Palestinian babies are being born for every two Israeli babies, and it is possible that by about 2070 most Israelis will be Arab Israelis.  The majority of the population of the former Mandated Palestine will be Arab well before that date.Between 1948 and 1992 2.3 million immigrants arrived in Israel from over one hundred different countries.  Prime Minister Ariel Sharon not long ago announced, as one of the aims of his Government, the attraction of a million more people within the next decade.  But this is not happening.  Last year immigration fell back to just 23,200 and this was the lowest figure since 1990.  The Promised Land seems to be losing its promise under Mr. Sharon.Israel has an astonishingly and discriminatory Law of Return which non-Jews find hard to accept in this new century.  In general terms this allows citizenship in Israel to be granted to those who have a Jewish spouse or Jewish roots.Since 1989, this has resulted in approximately one million immigrants from the former Soviet Union.  The religious Right complain that this law is far too lax and not strictly according to Jewish Law.  Official Government figures in 1999 pointed out that more than half the immigrants to Israel were not technically Jewish because they did not have a Jewish mother or had undergone a conversion.  At least 200,000 of the immigrants from the former Soviet Union came into this category.The influence of Jews from the former Soviet Union followed the relocation of Soviet emigration rules and was hastened by the collapse of that Union.  A big head of steam had built up behind the 'refuseniks', who had been refused permission to move to Israel in the 1980s and who were being poorly treated.The mass movement of Jews is clearly over.  Prime Minister Sharon has spoken of attracting Jews from other parts of the world.  No doubt he had in mind the arrival of the Falasha, a group of people in Ethiopia holding the Jewish faith - some dispute this point - who were airlifted to Israel in 1984-5 after secret negotiations.  It has been estimated there are 12.9 million Jews in the world, and South America has been mentioned as a possible new source of supply.  However, the number of Jews in each country in South America is comparatively small.Alarmingly for Prime Minister Sharon official figures state that 72,000 of the Soviet Jews who came to Israel have since left, mostly for America, Europe or Canada.  Some 13,200 left Israel in 2002.  I have always believed the attraction for Soviet Jews was getting out of the Soviet Union rather than into Israel.According to Ian MacKinnon of The Times (10th May): "Unofficial estimates suggest that there are now between 50,000 and 90,000 Israeli Soviet Jews in Moscow alone.  An opinion survey conducted by the Tel Aviv Mutagim Institute last year found that 26 per cent of Russian immigrants in Israel were considering leaving, compared to 6 per cent who admitted contemplating such a move before the outbreak of the Palestinian Intifada in September 2000."It was estimated some years ago that over half a million Israelis lived abroad permanently.  I remember an academic, who had studied these matters, telling me that on any one day Israel was half-empty of Israeli citizens.  Jews wish to identify with Israel, perhaps own a plot of land there or be buried there, but not many it seems wish to live there all the time.  This is a peculiar aspect of the State of Israel.Prime Minster Sharon, and those who seek to keep the Jewish State Jewish, have a genuine problem on their hands.