Counter-immigration hits Zionist dream

Writing in Maariv newspaper, in 2002, Israeli intellectual Amnon Dinkis spoke of "the Jews" unhappiness in the Jewish homeland, because of Israel's political leader's failure in dealing with security, economic and social problems.

He added that bureaucracy in the state's structures, which dominates the minds of its political and military leaders, has only aggravated the situation and other intractable problems since the creation of Israel as a state. Other Israeli writers say that an increasing number of Israelis are faced with two options: either to push for a government that really believes in peace and goes ahead to achieve it with the Palestinians, or leave for their countries of origin.

Many Israeli observers point to numerous cases of counter-immigrants from Israel to European countries and the US. In this connection, the Israeli Department of Central Statistics notes that Jewish migration to Israel was 'negative' for the first time in 23 years. Its conclusions show that the numbers of counter-migrants have surpassed those incoming by 5,000 in the last 12 months.

According to a 2007 Israeli academic inquiry, in 1990s, some 700,000 Russian Jews have migrated to the US, and 160,000 to Germany, 50,000 to Austria, apart from tens of thousands who have headed to different European countries, compared to a million Russian Jews migrants to Israel in 13 years up to 2002. Recently, the Israeli press was abundant with reports on the phenomenon known as the "elite exodus", reference to thousands of cadres in the fields of technology and electronics, all of whom fall in the (22-30) age group , who left Israel in the last two years. Jewish counter-immigration from Israel has not been confined to the young, it has rather touched hundreds of businesses in construction which fled abroad in the last three years.

A 2007 report, issued by an Israeli university, shows that a considerable number of the Israelis "suffer from the political situation and the deepening financial crisis, to an extent that tens of thousands - most of them are households - have applied for immigration to West Europe and North America". The report adds that more than 40,000 citizens have applied for immigration to the US, West and even East Europe since 2004. Such a grave situation has forced Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to authorise his cabinet secretary to work for regaining 700,000 Israeli citizens who left the state since the Palestinian Intifada with the mere view of maintaining Jewish dominance in the state.

A report of the Israeli Ministry of Absorption indicates that these 700,000 Israeli counter-migrants have no intention at all to come back to Israel, and that many of them are in a process of conversion from Judaism, an event that forced minister Jacob Adri to frequently put the issue on the Cabinet's agenda, and to propose the appropriation of $370 million (Dh1.36 billion) to launch a promotion campaign to bring these youth.

Jews are actually well-off in most countries of the world, so the Israeli economic temptation doesn't match the benefits which Jews have gained in their own countries. For instance, Jews of the US have established a number of synagogues, youth centres, fund organisations, cultural and educational associations, sectarian relations agencies, and secular charity establishments.

Social integration

However, they are all based on Jewish ethnic attitude, and their members occupy outstanding posts in the Congress, State Department, the Pentagon, and in financial institutions, businesses, the media, etc. all of whom make a rich, well organised community. In September 2007, a certain study showed American young, non-committed and non-militant Jews to Jewish religious traditions are increasingly languid, if not withdrawing, in terms of expressing support to Israel.

The study also found out that Jews integration in the American society - including marriage from other religious faiths, and inclination to view Judaism as a faith, not ethnicity - is part of what goes on there. Roger Bennit, vice-president of Andria and Charles Bronfman Charity Organisation, which sponsored the study, said that "for our ancestors, the main question was how we look at Israel. But for the 1976 generation, the question is why should we look at Israel?"

On a complementary level, Russian Jews counter-migration is at high speed. A report, published in Yideot Aharonot in 2006, pointed to a 600% increase in Russian migration from Israel in recent years. The paper quoted a report (sent by the Israeli embassy in Moscow to the Israeli officials) as saying that about 50,000 Russians who migrated to Israel in the 1990s are living now in Russia, of whom 28,000 had officially applied for permanent residence and obtained Russian citizenship.

The report said the number of the returnees to Russia exceeded 7,500 Jews in 2003, which means a six-fold increase in the last four years. Maariv reported that Israelis who abrogate their citizenship are increasing year by year. In a word, the Israeli counter-migration deals a heavy blow to one of the most fundamental axioms of Zionism, and its intensification may mean deepening uncertainty among the Jews about the viability of the Zionist project itself.

Professor As'ad Abdul Rahman is the Chairman of the Palestinian Encyclopedia.