'The phrase 'the Jewish soul' excludes me'

New consul general to Shanghai under fire for comments on anthem, Jewish state

Netanyahu calls Meretz MK Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi’s appointment a scandal; she says she wouldn’t be questioned ‘if I were a Jewish woman’

Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi (Meretz)
Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi (Meretz)

Meretz MK Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi, Israel’s newly appointed consul general in Shanghai, China, said Wednesday that she does not know the words to Israel’s national anthem, and that its lyrics exclude her.

Asked during an interview on Kan Bet radio what she will do when the Hatikvah anthem is played at official ceremonies, Zoabi said, “I don’t know the anthem by heart, the phrase ‘the Jewish soul’ excludes me.”

The second line of Hatikvah talks about the “the Jewish soul” yearning for Zion.

The first Arab woman to head an Israeli diplomatic mission, Zoabi told Kan radio that her appointment was “a source of pride of all Arab women in the country,” adding, “I am the first to break this glass ceiling and I’m proud about that.”

On Monday, Foreign Affairs Minister Yair Lapid announced Zoabi’s appointment as Israel’s new consul general in Shanghai, noting her “rich managerial experience” and “diverse and impressive economic and public service background.”

Legislators from both the governing coalition and the opposition criticized Lapid’s selection.

Former prime minister and opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu called Zoabi’s appointment a “scandal.”

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett (R) and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid in the Knesset plenum, January 5, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

“It is inconceivable that the person representing Israel in one of the important world powers is someone who doesn’t recognize Israel as a Jewish state and opposes its national anthem,” he tweeted in Hebrew. “I demand that the government cancel her appointment today.”

Communication Minister Yoaz Hendel strongly condemned the appointment as well, arguing that a person who holds anti-Zionist views should not represent the country on an international stage.

“It is inconceivable that a person with an anti-Zionist position like her will serve as the face of Israel in such an important country,” Channel 12 cited Hendel as saying.

Opposition leader and former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to a Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations mission at the Knesset in Jerusalem, on February 22, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

MK Bezalel Smotrich, who leads the far-right Religious Zionism party, currently in the opposition, also slammed the decision.

“There is no line this government is unwilling to cross,” he said, accusing the government of “political, Zionist and moral corruption.”

Others questioned the real motivation behind her appointment, arguing that Lapid’s decision was a “win-win” situation motivated by internal politics.

Zoabi has been a thorn in the side of the coalition, which rules by a razor-thin majority, withholding her vote on several occasions to torpedo key legislation, including a recent bill on conscripting the ultra-Orthodox.

“Lapid took action to improve the chances of making it to the rotation and reduce the risks along the way,” a source involved in the decision told the Haaretz website on Tuesday, referring to Lapid becoming prime minister under a coalition rotation agreement with Naftali Bennett.

MK Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi attends a Knesset committee meeting in Jerusalem on June 21, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Asked on Wednesday whether her appointment was unrelated to her record of “embarrassing the coalition,” Zoabi responded: “Would you have asked me this question if I were a Jewish woman?”

The Meretz MK said she faithfully represented the Arab community as part of her job as a politician. “Now, I will faithfully represent the economic cooperation between China and Israel. I think it will have a great impact.”

She said she was confident that her appointment was based on her professional and diplomatic capabilities.

“I have a global opportunity to influence the economic ties between Israel and China,” she said, noting her experience in finances as a graduate in managerial economics from the University of Oxford, where she studied as part of a program in 2019.

She hailed the coalition for promoting the idea of inclusiveness and encouraging the Arab sector in Israel to pursue meaningful careers.

“I really believe this coalition is doing good things for the Arab sector and the Israeli society as a whole,” she said, despite “appearing on the outside to be unstable at times.”

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett holds a ministerial meeting in Jerusalem, on November 15, 2021, to discuss violent crime in the Arab sector. (Haim Zach/GPO)

“When I look at the ‘change government,’ and it’s not just a slogan, I see many things that have happened… some of which are these kinds of nominations that shouldn’t be taken for granted — nominations that serve as a message to the Arab community about inclusiveness — ‘you can also be part of the decision-making process in the most senior echelons,'” she said.

Zoabi said she hopes to bring “her own personal perspective” to her new role, as well as her ability to examine issues both “locally and globally.”

Asked about her position on China’s persecution of Uyghur Muslims, Zoabi said her role was not political. “The Israeli embassy in Beijing deals with political issues,” she said.

Addressing a document that deals with the future of Arab Israelis and does not recognize Israel as a Jewish state, which was co-edited by Zoabi more than a decade ago, the lawmaker was asked whether she still considers Israel to be “the result of Jewish and Zionist colonialism,” as the document reads.

“I believe that the State of Israel in its essence can be a true democracy,” she said. “I disagreed with a lot of points raised in the document.”

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