Israel’s latest foolish act of self-harm

Israel, as a country and as a nation, has always suffered from a good measure of siege mentality. Being distrustful of the outside world is understandable considering the history of the Jewish people, but it has also become a useful political tool for cynics. For those on the right wing, it is ingrained in their ideology and state of mind. But it is equally a ploy to always portray Israel as a victim on whose behalf only they are willing and able to stand up to all those hateful foreigners who they claim wish for the destruction of the country.

The bizarre saga of two British MPs who were this month refused entry after flying to Israel is just another example of a self-inflicted PR wound inflicted by a government that is becoming increasingly paranoid and thrives on friction with the international community.

The two rather anonymous first-term British Labour parliamentarians, Abtisam Mohammed and Yuan Yang, had been traveling to Israel and the West Bank as part of a parliamentary delegation. But immediately after their arrival, they were detained at the airport and forced to fly back to the UK the next day. What makes this story even more peculiar is that the two lawmakers were given clearance to enter the country before they set off, meaning their arrival was hardly a surprise to the Israeli government.

Someone must have whispered in the ear of Israeli Interior Minister Moshe Arbel, between their clearance for entry and their detention at the airport, that two “troublemaker” British MPs were about to land in Israel, resulting in this hasty and reckless decision to prevent their entry.

According to The Times of Israel, the Interior Ministry explained that it had refused Mohammed and Yang entry because, when questioned about the purpose of their visit, they had stated that it was “to document Israeli security forces and spread hateful rhetoric against Israel.” It is hardly believable that they were so naive as to use these exact words to immigration officials. But even if this was what those who questioned them understood, it would have been smarter of the Israeli authorities to weigh carefully the miniscule degree of harm that would result from allowing two relatively unknown lawmakers to conduct their fact-finding mission against the extremely negative publicity that was bound to be caused by refusing them entry.

Showing lawmakers a more friendly attitude would have at least saved Israel much of the negative publicity it received

Yossi Mekelberg

The Israeli Embassy in London, which must have approved their visit or at least known about it, all of a sudden suffered a bout of amnesia and entered the fray, declaring that their country “will not allow the entry of individuals or entities that act against the state and its citizens (who are) actively involved in promoting sanctions against Israeli ministers,” or boycotting the country.

These positions are certainly uncomfortable to Israel, but would it not have been better for the Israeli Foreign Ministry to invite critics of its policies, such as these two British MPs, to a briefing at the ministry and a meeting with experts and bestow on them the utmost “hasbara” to explain their actions, whether justified or not? Or is it the case that those in charge of defending Israel’s policies on the Occupied Territories do not believe that their position is defensible?

Showing lawmakers a more friendly attitude would have at least saved Israel much of the negative publicity it received from most British politicians, with the exception of the Conservative Party and its leader Kemi Badenoch, which is hardly an endorsement that does anyone a favor.

Upon their return, Mohammed and Yang, along with Cabinet ministers including Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer and more than 70 other parliamentarians, staged a joint photocall in Westminster Hall in a show of solidarity that was widely reported in the national and international media. To top this, Foreign Secretary David Lammy made a public statement describing Israel’s act as “unacceptable, counterproductive and deeply concerning.” Game, set and match for Israel’s self-inflicted damage to its relations with the UK and beyond.

However, this incident runs deeper than Israel’s inability to tolerate any criticism, let alone acknowledge that there are any faults in its policies toward the Palestinians. Self-evidently, not every criticism of Israel is justified or reflects a genuine understanding of the complexities of this conflict and the wars it generates. There is usually too much of a binary approach and a tendency to unquestionably support either one side or the other, rather than offering constructive ideas and measures on how to bring it to an end.

Macron and the UK are not enemies of Israel, but allies with strong reservations about Israel’s approach to the Palestinians

Yossi Mekelberg

Nevertheless, what does Israel expect after 58 years of oppressive occupation that has resulted in the illegal building of hundreds of settlements on occupied land in violation of international law, which has allowed settler terrorism and the general oppression of the Palestinians there, and more recently the mass killings and devastation in Gaza? The more Israel bars politicians, researchers, journalists and activists from visiting these places, the more it becomes obvious that the Israeli authorities have much to hide and that even they no longer believe they can justify their positions to anyone beyond their most ardent and least inquisitive supporters.

To make things worse for Israel’s relations with its allies, last week it was the turn of a much higher-profile politician, French President Emmanuel Macron, to be on the receiving end of an obscene attack. It came from a certain self-exiled individual in Miami, who lives in luxurious conditions that nobody knows who pays for, while surrounded by Shin Bet bodyguards who we do know are funded by Israel’s taxpayers. This individual is Yair Netanyahu — yes, the son of the much-discredited Israeli prime minister.

Macron’s apparently unforgivable sin was to say that France could recognize a Palestinian state in a matter of months. The instant reply to the French president on X by the younger Netanyahu, a response which reflects the depth of his intellectual prowess and good manners, was: “Screw You.” He also suggested that France has no moral right to criticize Israel because it deprives lands such as New Caledonia, Polynesia and Corsica of independence.

In one tweet, he exposed both his rudeness and his ignorance of the fact that the residents of these territories are French citizens. Corsica enjoys autonomy and the people of New Caledonia voted several years ago against independence — a far cry from anything that the Palestinians are being offered by Israel. Benjamin Netanyahu also took to social media to express his love for his son, mildly criticizing his manners but nevertheless supporting his boy’s distorted content.

Macron and the UK and its Parliament are not enemies of Israel, but allies with strong reservations about Israel’s approach to the Palestinians. To alienate them with this kind of behavior is yet another act of self-harming folly that is characteristic of the senior Netanyahu and his government.

• Yossi Mekelberg is a professor of international relations and an associate fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House. X: @YMekelberg