Dual Citizenships Days are Numbered !
When it comes to citizens of Jewish origin holding dual citizenship, in particular an Israeli passport, it would appear its days are numbered. With many European politicians arguing that ‘one cannot serve two masters,’ loyalty to the nation-state and, thus, national cohesion and democracy are undermined. The British government is a case in point where debate over British citizens going abroad to enlist in Israel’s IDF for three years and then returning to the UK to resume their life in Britain. It’s suggested these dual passport holders are guilty of disloyalty to the country of residence. It appears they are now to be treated in the same way that the UK and others viewed the citizens of their respective countries who went overseas to fight for Al-Qaeda, a militant terrorist organisation led by Sunni jihadists.
I know of a young married couple who wanted to immigrate to Australia from Israel. The husband was a joint Australia-Israel passport holder with a family who had lived in Australia for generations. They were refused entry on the grounds that the husband had recently served in the IDF, taking part in the Gaza campaign. The government’s ad-hoc decision, in principle, denied an Australian citizen his rights as a citizen of the Commonwealth of Australia.
Australia’s Department of Home Affairs insisted that there had been no changes to policies concerning Israelis. This case, along with similar cases, would tend to put the lie to that statement.
The trend is gaining momentum, and indeed, the stronger the link with Israel, the greater is the harsh recrimination for those Jews affected by those hostile to Israel. This problem can now be seen in the United States, which has always held suspicions of dual loyalty amongst many American Jews. Time will tell if this type of discrimination against Jews and the Jewish State should become the norm and not the exception.
Regardless of the rights and wrongs of dual citizenship, the question of allegiance to a foreign nation rather than to the Jewish one, by remaining in France, for example, a Jew would testify to believing himself more French than Jewish, untainted by the suspicion of dual loyalty. This is wishful thinking, and Jewish history should put paid to that illusion.
This is not a question of loyalty; it’s a question of denying Jews unqualified acceptance within their country of choice, and another argument for coming home to Israel.
