On Israel’s Social Divisions, Discretion Is the Better Part of Leadership

The essay “The Looming War over Israel’s Law of Return” paints a disquieting picture of the Jewish state being plunged into a struggle between “Jews” and “Israelis.” The author, Rafi DeMogge, predicts that the current political and cultural controversy over judicial reform is but the first phase of this fight. In his opinion, the next phase will ensue from an attempt to change the Grandchild Clause in the Law of Return. This coming round of conflict can be expected to be even fiercer than the present one, and could tear asunder the fabric of the Israeli, and Jewish, people.

I disagree entirely with this analysis, for two primary reasons.

My quarrel isn’t only with the evaluation of the current reality; I admit that DeMogge’s sociological analysis might well include accurate observations. Even if I am inclined to agree with the objections raised by Ofir Haivri and Yehoshua Pfeffer in their responses, that certainly doesn’t mean that there isn’t much else that the essay gets right. Yet my main concern with articles such as this one is that they can turn into self-fulfilling prophecies, helping to create the reality they predict.