Speaking with Novi Magazin, Avi Dabush, who will soon graduate in rabbinic studies, says this is what RHR members do whether helping Palestinians plow their land or marching with them in Jerusalem under an interfaith banner. Dabush, a former member of the Mertz party which he left when he became CEO of RHR, continues to believe that peacebuilding, which would lead to a confederation of a two state solution, is the only path out of conflict.
Can you inform on your family background, how long has it been in Israel? What has been your path that has led you to RHR?
My grand-parents came to Israel respectively from Syria in about 1946 and from Libya in 1950. They left their countries of origin with a hope to live free from harassement, attacks and anti-semistism, but were also spurred by a sense of longing for a homeland, the ancestral homeland. My parents were born in Israel.
I was born and grew up a few kilometers from Gaza. For more than 20 years, I have been engaged in a wide range of causes such as the environment, social justice, state and religion, Human Rights. In 2015, I became an active member of the left leaning Meretz party which I left when I became the Chief Executive Officer of RHR in 2019. As a consequence of the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7th, my family and I were displaced from our home in Nirim kibbutz. We remain displaced in Beersheva to this day.
What spurred the establishment of RHR in 1988? How many rabbis are members today? Who are your funders?
RHR was established by rabbis of various denominations during the first intifada because of violations of Palestinian rights. Its current membership of 160 includes Israeli rabbies and rabbinical students. Our most significant national and international donations come from private donors (40%), foundations (30%) and churches and synagogues (20%).
What does the RHR do? Have there been any changes in its work since the attack on Israel on October 7th?
We work at different levels. We are mostly engaged in the West Bank, it has been more difficult to work in Gaza. We act as a protective presence against Jewish settlers who try to impose taxes on Palestinian farmers based on distorted religious ideas or who otherwise violently harass them. We help Palestinians with plowing, planting, harvesting. Every week we bring Israeli volunteers with us so that they can no longer ignore, but see first hand, what the Government and army are doing in our names in these areas. We are also active in areas of social justice.
RHR also conducts courses, to date for more than 1000 students before they are recruited to the army. The courses focus on Human Rights, especially as relevant to Palestinians, Bedouins in non-recognised villages in the Negev, LGBTQ and asylum seekers. Since October 7th, our work has increased. For the first time, we are distributing food boxes and medical aid in the West Bank, where we have doubled our protective presence. We conducted several interfaith events during Hanukkah last December. In Israel proper, we have successfully lobbied the Government and Parliament not to disconnect electricity for those who cannot pay, be they Jews or Arabs. We prevented the food-ration budget for the poor from being cut and ensured the food is equally distributed to the various communities. We are also helping people in Israel who lost their jobs, mostly Jews living near Gaza due to displacement, and Arabs who were dismissed. In April during Passover, because the Israeli Government was not allowing aid into Gaza, rabbis symbolically walked carrying food Gaza. Though we were stopped, it did send a strong message. On June third, we held an interfaith march in the center of Jerusalem, Muslims, Jews, Christians and Druze marched together. Similar events took place around the country.
However, we have not been successful as concerns the occupation of the West Bank, regardless of the successes in repairing reality. Along with the successes, we are also failing, this is the worst time in the history of our respective peoples since 1948.
How would you describe the relationship between the Palestinians whom RHR is supporting and the RHR?
Considering the very harsh reality in which it is taking place, the relationship between Palestinians and the members of RHR is a very good one, there is trust and some form of friendship. However, some Palestinians no matter what the issue may be, oppose cooperation with Jews, they are afraid that a positive relationship would translate into normalisation of the occupation of the West Bank. Religious representatives in the West Bank are prevented by the Palestinian Authority from having dealings with their Jewish counterparts. Regardless, RHR does maintain some communication with them. However, in Israel, RHR has established relationships e.g. with Ibtisam, the first female sheikh from the north of the country and with Hassan, a Bedouin sheik in the Negev.
You will complete your rabbinical studies in September. Would you say that different interpretations of the Jewish sacred texts lead to different political opinions, or do political opinions lead to different interpretations of the texts? Do profound divisions within the Israeli rabbinical community exist on religious or political basis?
I would say that political opinions influence the interpretation of religious texts. Yes, there are deep divisions and there is no clear split between the state and religion. Religious Zionists and their political adherents are right wing radicals, such as Bezalel Yoel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, respectively ministers of Finance and National Security since 2022. There is a great divide between RHR and those who support settlements, annexation and occupation. They are also divisions as regards principles such as granting holy land to the enemy in exchange of peace or allow access to Temple Mount.
I quote from RHR: „We are guided by the richness of Jewish tradition, and by the call to advance the dignity and protect the rights of all individuals which we find at its heart.“ Do shock, trauma and human losses Israeli Jews have experienced as a result of the barbaric attack by Hamas on October 7th explain and justify that the great majority of Israeli Jews are supporting the type of war Israel is currently wagging in Gaza? How do you explain a quasi total lack of empathy toward the Gazan civilian population?
This is a very difficult question. We can’t ignore what happened on Oct 7th, but we can’t ignore what has since been happening in Gaza. The latter is partly due to imposed restrictions on Israeli media, of course we could inform ourselves from other media sources, a responsibility we have which we are not fulfilling. Hence, we are only thinking about ourselves, which is symptomatic in times of war and fear. But we have to make the effort to change. What is happening should not be happening in our name. Even those who believe that war is the solution should have empathy for civilian populations. Human Rights organisations called for a cease fire during the second week of the war.
Can the claimed „right“ to the Holy Land, the Holocaust and Palestinian murderous extremism such as Hamas, explain and justify Israel‘s behavior toward Palestinians before and since October 7th?
It can be explained because every human emotion and behaviour can be explained and understood, but it cannot justify the behaviour, the occupation, the discrimination. Jews were slaves in Egypt, then came the exodus and freedom, and with it the potential for power, that power is not meant to be used against others. For me, Judaism links to the liberation of all people, this is our wider mission.
Do you think that a Jewish state should have been established, if so, what are the arguments?
This is a question often coming from antisemitic sentiment. If I believe in the right of Palestinians to have a state, then I also believe that Jews have that right. Every nation has the legitimate right to a nation. It seems to me that the current pro-Palestinian expressions in the western world do not grasp the complexity of the situation. The extremism of Jews who want annexation of all territories or that of Palestinians who reject the existence of Israel, leads to violence.
Do you think that the way the Jewish state was established was fair and just? Could the State of Israel have been created in a way that would have accommodated both Jewish settlers and Palestinian autochtone inhabitants?
No, it was not created in a fair and just way, there was no agreement, Palestinian leadership rejected an agreement and wronly promised their people military victory. What happened in 1948 was a violent conflict, with extensive violations against Palestinians who suffered and lost a lot, many were forced to flee and are prevented from returning. One evil however cannot be fixed by yet another evil. What we need now is a diplomatic solution, so we need to talk. We need solutions for those who got hurt through history. „A Land for All“, a Jewish-Arab organisation, proposes just that, a homeland with two states with equal powers, i.e. a confederation. Starting from the premise that Arabs and Jews are children of this land, we need to together change the current reality and build a better future for all, which should include amendments for wrongs done since 1948. It is not just a political challenge, but a spiritual one.
What is your view of the case South Africa brought against Israel at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza under International Humanitarian Law? And what about the recent indictments by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court against Israel’s Prime Minister and Minister of Defense?
I am not a lawyer and not sufficiently familiar with International Humanitarian Law to make a legal judgement on the merit of these initiatives. If they can put pressure on the current Government, they would be of use. However, it is uncertain that they would solve the problem between Arabs and Jews. The change needs to come through changing from within the hearts and feelings of our communities.
Israel is not heeding the courts measures nor heeding the international community‘s calls for restraint in the conduct of the war, nor the UN Secretary General‘s call for an end to the war, the return of hostages and a peace deal that would bring about a two state solution. It remains in violation of numerous UN Resolution over the decades. Seems like a lot arrogance or can this be justified solely on security concerns?
There are indeed too many people who believe in Jewish supremacy who have too much power, especially today.
Not responding with wishful thinking but based on objective observation, do you believe that there is a possibility for true peace between Palestinians and Israeli Jews?
Yes, I do believe peace is possible. What we need is a change of Government in Israel as much as a change of Palestinian leadership. What we need to realise is that Israel’s security goes hand in hand with Palestinian Human Rights. This is not a conflict between Israelis and Palestinians or Jews and Arabs, but between people who believe in the values of justice, equality, Human Rights, peace, and those who do not, there are both on both sides.