Israel’s upcoming election is being billed as a choice over the future ideological direction of the country. To discuss the vision being offered by the Israeli right, Fathom assistant editor Lorin Bell-Cross spoke with Dr. Yoaz Hendel, the Chair of the Institute for Zionist Strategies and a former spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They spoke in London on 21 January 2015.

PART 1: THE ISRAELI RIGHT AND HUMAN RIGHTS

Lorin Bell-Cross: You have written that, ‘In recent years, two erroneous axioms have been internalised: The first is the exclusive correlation between Zionism and the political right. The second is the exclusive correlation between human rights and the political left … human rights are a democratic and moral imperative that overrides all agendas in the political spectrum from the right through the left − just as the values and goals of Zionism belong to and instruct all of us − left and right alike.’ What made you raise the issue of human rights on the right? And how successful has this been?

Yoaz Hendel: We are facing two main challenges. One of them is our policy regarding Judea and Samaria, the second one is the issue of human rights.

Human rights have become an important tool in creating policy vis-a-vis Israel, especially in Western countries. Because Palestinians understand they will not achieve their aims through terrorism – which will only result in fighting and destruction – they have chosen a different way: to fight with Israel in the diplomatic field and they fight with Israel on the narrative.

As a democrat and a liberal who belongs to the right, I believe that every country should have organisations that criticise its actions, like human rights organisations. At the same time, I have noticed that human rights organisations, both inside and outside of Israel, are using the issue of human rights as a tool to fight or criticise Israel, not in order to improve the human rights inside Israel, or conditions in Israel, but in order to take one side in this conflict.

For many years I criticised these groups, but I understood that criticism is not good enough – you actually find yourself out of the game. You can criticise them and sit on the fence while they do what they do – deliver information and hold the flag for liberalism and humanitarianism – while you are sitting outside. I felt uncomfortable with this situation because I feel no less liberal or humanitarian than others and I thought that we need to be part of the game.

Read the article in full at Fathom Journal.