Israel and “Afro-Asia”
| Date | 01 June 1961 |
| Published date | 01 June 1961 |
| Author | Michael Brecher |
| DOI | 10.1177/002070206101600201 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
Israel
and
"eAfro-Asia"
Michael
Brecher*
FRO-ASIA"
brings
to
mind
many
images.
To
some,
it
66A
is
merely a
geographic
expression.
To
others,
it
is
the
home
of
the
great
religions,
whose
teachings
have
with-
stood
the
ravages
of
time
and
men.
A
third
symbol
is
colonial
rule
and
underdeveloped
economies.
A
fourth
is
race
or
colour.
Finally,
the term
"Afro-Asia"
suggests
political
and
economic
change,
of
such dimensions
as
to
transform
the
classical
system
of
international
relations.
Whatever
image
is
selected,
Israel
clearly
falls
within
the
meaning
of
"Afro-Asia".
The
Jewish
state
is
part
of
the
Asian
continent;
in
fact,
it
is
located
close
to
the
point
at
which
Asia
and
Africa
converge. Moreover,
Judaism
took
root
in
Asian
soil,
flourished
there,
and
exerted
a
profound
influence
on
West
Asia
through
the
absorption
of
many
of
its
ideas
by
Islam.
Israelis share with
other
Asians
and
Africans
the
fruits
of
a
lengthy,
at
times
bitter,
struggle
for
national
self-determina-
tion.
Like
Indians
and
Indonesians, Ghanaians
and
Nigerians,
they
have
known
the
meaning
of
foreign
rule.
Nor
was
it
mere
chance
that
Israel
achieved
its
independence
in
1948,
for
this
was
part
of
a
sweeping
historical
process
and
the
ferment
of
national
consciousness
throughout
Asia
and
Africa.
To
deny
that
there
is
a
Jewish
nation
is
to engage in
semantic
trivia;
the
overriding
fact
is
that
in
their
millenia
of
dispersion
Jews
everywhere
felt
and
thought
as
members
of
an
integrated
com-
munity.
And
during
the
past
seventy-five
years
an
Israeli
nation has
been
forged
in
the
fires
of
struggle
no
different
from
that
of
nations
all
over
"Afro-Asia".
Israel
is
not
economically
under-developed in
the
same
sense
as
are most
Asian and
African
states;
using
the
indices
of
per
*Department
of
Economics
and Political
Science,
McGill
University.
Research
for
this
article
in
Israel
in
the
summer
of
1960
was
made
possible
by
a
Grant
in
Aid of
Research
from
The
Canada
Council.
108
INTERNATIONAL
JOURNAL
capita
income,
per
acre
productivity,
capital--or
labour-intensive
industry,
employment skills
and
public
health,
Israel
qualifies
more
as
a
European
state.
1
However,
its
paucity
of
resources,
the
large number
of
unskilled
immigrants,
and
the
desert
char-
acter
of
much
of
its
land
compel
the
same
kind
of
massive
economic
effort
imposed
by
the
shortage
of capital
and
skills
elsewhere in
Asia and
Africa.
Nor
does
the
flow
of
economic
aid
from
the
West
ipso
facto
make
Israel
a
Western
state.
2
In
its
racial
composition,
too,
Israel
is
"Afro-Asian" almost
as
much
as
it
is
Western.
Originally
an overwhelmingly
"white",
European
community,
about
40
per
cent
of
its
two
million
people
are
of
Asian
and
African
extraction;
like
everything
else
in
Israel,
the
demographic
picture
was
basically
altered
by
the
great
"ingathering
of
the
exiles"
during
the
1950's.
3
As
for
the
awakening
of
Asian and
African
peoples,
few
compare
in
pace
and
depth
with
the
change
wrought
by
a
segment
of
Jewry
returned
to
its
ancient
homeland.
The
impact
of
the
anti-colonial
revolution
on
the
structure
of
international
politics
does
not
merit
elaborate
treatment
here.
Suffice
it
to
note
that
a
European-centred
multi-power
system
has
given
way
to
a
bi-polar
world
political
system
in which
the
new
states
of
Asia and
Africa
are
now
subjects
rather
than
mere
I
For
a
comparison
of
indices
of
economic
development
among
Asian
and
Afri-
can
states,
see Almond,
Gabriel
A.
and
Coleman,
James
S.
(Eds.): The
Politics
of
the
Developing
Areas
(1960),
Appendix.
Thus,
per
capita
gross
national
pro-
duct
in
Israel
is
$540.
The
next
highest
in
"Afro-Asia"
is
Malaya
with
$298.
The
lowest
is
$52
in
Burma,
with
Afghanistan
and
Ethiopia
a
mere
$54.
Simi-
larly, Israel's
literacy
rate
is
93
per
cent.
The
next
highest
is
the
Philippines
with
62
per
cent.
For India,
the
rate
is 28
per
cent,
while
the
lowest,
5
per
cent,
is
shared
by
Somalia
African
states
of
the
French
Community, Saudi
Arabia,
Afghanistan
and
Ethiopia.
2
German
reparations
for
crimes
against
Jewry
(Is.
£
72
million)
and
foreign
grants
and
loans
(Is.
£
226
million)
provided
67
per
cent
of
the
funds
for
Israel's
development expenditure
in
1961-62
(Is.
£
445
million).
Israel's
total
expenditure
for
that
year
is
estimated to
be
Is.
£1,869
million.
The
Israel
Digest
(Jerusalem)
Vol.
IV,
No.
2,
January,
20,
1961,
p.
5.
In
addition
the
central
fund-raising
mach-
inery
of
Jewish
communities
have
provided
the
Jewish
Agency
for
Israel
with
$581
million
during the
eleven
years
following
the
establishment
of
the
state,
i.e.,
an
annual
average
of
$52.8
million.
"The
Fateful
Years"
(brochure),
Keren
Hayesod
United
Israel
Appeal,
1960.
This
figure
excludes
specific
projects
for
which
aid
is
provided,
such
as
the
Hebrew
University,
the
Weizmann
Institute
of Science,
the
Technion,
etc.,
or
the
funds
raised
by
the
sale
of
Israel
State
Bonds
abroad.
Foreign
financial
aid
to
Israel
is
substantial.
However,
other
Asian
states
receive
larger
amounts
of
foreign
(Western)
aid
and are
more
dependent
on
such
aid
than
is
Israel,
e.g.,
South
Viet
Nam,
Formosa, South
Korea,
Laos.
Yet,
no
one
suggests
that
they
cease
to
be
Asian!
3
From
1948
to
1958
immigration to Israel
totalled
922,274.
Of
these
Asia
pro-
vided
29.6
per
cent and
Africa
24.9
per
cent
i.e.,
"Afro-Asian"
immigration
in
the
first
decade
accounted for
54.5
per
cent
of
the
total
or
492,638.
On
January
1,
1959,
the
population
of
Israel
totalled
2,041.672
in
the
following
categories:
Jews
1,810,148;
Muslims
152,568;
Christians
47,612;
and
Druzes
21,344.
The
last
three
are
of
Asian
extraction,
i.e.,
221,524
non-Jews. Classification
of
Jews
by
continent
of
origin
is
unfortunately
not
readily
available,
for
this
would
include
persons
born
in
Asia
and
Africa
as
well
as
Israeli-born
Jews
whose
families
originated
in
Asia
or
Africa.
However,
estimates
and
projections
suggest
that
about
40
per
cent
of
the
population
of
Israel
in
1959
were
of "Afro-
&slan
ex-
traction.
The
figures
cited
are taken
from
Facts About
Israel,
1959,
Ministry
for
Foreign
Affairs,
Jerusalem,
pp. 36-38.
To continue reading
Request your trial