A World Congress of Decency

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We know exactly when the criminals and reprobates whose descendants now rule Australia arrived in Botany Bay. The first fleet of eleven convict ships arrived on January 20, 1788 to found Sydney, a penal colony that was the first European settlement on the continent. We know that those criminals (you might call them settlers) had no prior history on the continent and that everything–everything–they now own was forcibly taken from aboriginal people. We know that the aboriginal people have suffered indignities and oppression in Australia and are still marginalized and discriminated against.

On October 13, 2023, in the most recent referendum on the issue, Australian voters overwhelmingly (60%-40%) rejected a plan to give greater political rights to Indigenous people. All six states voted No to a proposal to amend the constitution to recognize First Nations people and create a body for them to advise the government.

Note that the descendants of settlers were not asked to surrender land or establish a separate state, but simply to recognize some limited rights. Anthony Albanese, the Prime Minister at the time, was disappointed: “When you aim high, sometimes you fall short. We understand and respect that.” The opposition, however, said that the result was “good for our country.”

Similar stories can be told about various jurisdictions throughout the world, though referenda are few and far between. There is no Kurdistan because the Kurds have been denied their own state by Syria, Iraq, and Turkey. Turkey occupies a portion of Cyprus by force of arms and has expelled the indigenous Greek Cypriots. Spain refuses to recognize any Basque entity. Russia and China? Don’t even ask. Europeans began to settle North America in earnest in the 17th Century. The United States and Canada were built on stolen land.

And yet, Israel has not barred a single Australian from entering the country as a consequence of their reprehensible behavior. Indeed, no country in the world has taken action against Australia or sanctioned its officials for the shameful behavior of their ancestors and their ongoing refusal to address the situation. Ditto the Turks, Spaniards, Russians, Americans, and Canadians.

Why discuss this now? Because Australia has just denied entry to Ayelet Shaked on the grounds that she opposes a Palestinian State. Yes, on the basis of her political position. Her opinion. On the same day, the International Criminal Court, in violation of its own rules and international law, issued warrants for the arrest of Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant.

Disgusting, odious, hypocritical, revolting, repulsive, shameless, contemptible, despicable, vile, moronic antisemites and bigots. There is no other explanation or justification.

Ayelet Shaked is a patriot and an Israeli heroine, who has served her country admirably and honorably. She is entitled to her political opinion, especially since recent events have tended to prove its wisdom. Of course it almost goes without saying that there has never been a Palestinian state, that the argument for a Palestinian state is purely emotional and ideological, without any historical or juridical basis, and that Jews are the indigenous people in the Land of Israel. The colonizing Arabs arrived 2,000 years after the Jews.

But even if that were not the case, do democracies really punish politicians for holding unpopular opinions? Well, Australia does. And the US, Canada, and the UK sanction organizations that provide moral and economic support to people who believe that Israel has a right to land that has never–never, never, never–been part of any Palestinian entity.

It is not worth the time or effort to debate the stupidity or illegality of the actions of Australia or, for that matter, the ICC. Under the standards being applied by the ICC, no leader or general of any country at war would avoid prosecution. And, to boot, the ICC lacks jurisdiction.

Revulsion and disgust are the only appropriate responses.

Perhaps if Australia were a Jewish State, or if the aboriginal people had a United Nations apparatus devoted to perpetuating their persecuted status and educating them to hate all the colonial intruders, the righteous nations of the world and the ICC could take up the cause of the aboriginal people. As it is, however, they will need to maintain their focus on Israel. And make no mistake. The only–only, only, only–reason that Israel and its officials are singled out in this way is antisemitism.

That, indeed, is the definition of antisemitism: subjecting Jews to detrimental and discriminatory action as a result of hostility and prejudice against Jews.

What will happen now? Not enough.

The protests in Congress and the Knesset and various Jewish organizations are wholly predictable and wholly inadequate. Jews who have maintained a moral compass, and non-Jews throughout the world who have a sense of decency and fairness, need to go beyond expressions of outrage. They need to band together, to coalesce and exercise their moral and economic power to put an end to the nonsense, or at least to exact a price from the perpetrators of these foul and transgressive policies and actions.

Good people are not without power and resources. They just lack leadership, focus, and direction. Herzl convened a World Zionist Congress in response to the scourge of antisemitism. Jewish and Gentile leaders need to convene a world congress of decency in defense of Israel and other democracies and institutions, some organization that will take the place of the feckless, corrupt, and immoral UN.

Surely there are enough people, foundations, governments, and institutions that could band together to agree on policies that support and defend freedom, democracy, and justice. It would not be hard to put together a statement of principles. Sponsor initiatives opposing the authors and publishers who discriminate against Jewish and Israeli writers. Call out and defund academics and institutions that boycott Israeli scientists, scholars, and universities. Defend Jewish students on campus.

Surely there are enough resources in the world to exact an economic and political price from perpetrators of BDS, vandalism, and other manifestations of antisemitism. It is time to stop cowering in the face of prejudice and ignorance. It is time to stop coddling bigots and haters.

I’m old, but I would be ready to join. Especially if Ayelet Shaked were at the helm.  There are a host of right-thinking Evangelicals who would flock to the cause. When the elite colleges revealed the depth of their tolerance for anti-semitism, people like Bill Ackman, just by stepping up, brought about significant change. We all need to step up. Most of the people in the world have not given up on decency; they are just cowed into silence and inactivity by the clamor of the haters.

Where is the visionary leadership that will lead us in a movement to exact a price for hatred, bigotry, and injustice? Who will organize and lead a World Congress of Decency?