 |
Isaac Herzog is a Knesset Member from the Labor Party. A lawyer by profession, he previously served as cabinet secretary in the Barak government.
|
|
|
|
By Isaac Herzog
June 27, 2002
If I were an Arab Israeli teenager, I would probably be searching for my identity and my future. I would see how hard it is for some members of my family to find jobs in places such as government companies, and how many have lost their jobs. I would hear the Israeli public debate about the radicalization of the Arab sector and the "transfer" idea, in addition to ugly generalizations by public figures about minorities.
I would fall silent at the sight of attacks on Arab friends in crowded places, or even against a Druze clergyman in the street (regardless of the fact that he had served in the IDF); and of course I would witness the dilemmas about the confrontation with the Palestinians. My mind would be awash with the one-sided and hostile verbiage from the Arab satellite TV stations such as Al- Jazeera and the constant rabble-rousing of the Arab legislators who are supposed to be representing me in the Knesset. All in all, I would be very confused, not knowing what the future holds in store. Can I live a normal life here as a member of an Arab minority in the Jewish democratic state, I would wonder? And nobody could provide an appropriate answer or direction for me or for my generation.
That is the summary of the picture painted to participants in the Abraham Fund's public council that met recently in Tel Aviv. This organization has been working for the worthy cause of promoting Jewish-Arab coexistence in Israel in various ways for more than a decade. It includes well-known activists from all sectors of Israeli society and from various walks of life. It is headed by former Justice Minister Prof. David Libai and directed by Dan Pattir, who was advisor to prime ministers Menahem Begin and Yitzhak Rabin, and under the active leadership of its founder, Alan Slifka in New York.
The participants at the meeting took a close and worrisome look at the growing gap between Jews and Arabs in Israel during the past two years. The gap has deepened for several reasons: the Intifada and the October 2000 events in the Arab sector; the rising unemployment and objective hardship among minority Israelis to find work; the feeling of alienation and isolation among the Arab younger generation aroused by the racist undertones heard from Jewish peers and public figures; and the total ignorance of and insensitivity toward Arab lifestyles and feelings.
To make matters worse, neither the government nor the education system stresses the urgent need to promote the issues of equality and coexistence with Israel's Arabs. Multi-annual plans to upgrade infrastructures have been frozen because of budget cuts, and child allowances to those who did serve in the military are about to be slashed under the new economic plan - factors which contribute to Arab frustration and bitterness. About half of the Israeli Arabs are under the age of 18. The absence of a program to integrate them into Israeli society is definitely acting against the basic national interest of living together in the present and the future.
THESE ARE hard times for everyone in Israel. The security crisis and the war against terrorism overshadow the Jewish-Arab rift. But not everything stems from the military confrontation and not everything depends on money and resources. Often it is a matter of how individual citizens are treated. The local media tends to use pejorative generalizations in relation to minorities in Israel. After almost every terrorist attack, the possibility of complicity of Israeli Arabs is mentioned, leading to an almost permanent stigma. Arabs are treated with hostility and subjected to racist comments at places of entertainment. Establishments owned or frequented by Israeli Arabs, or which employ Arab citizens, are harassed. This attitude contributes to young Arabs' confusion and anxiety. It also strengthens the radical elements in the Arab sector, particularly in the Islamic movement, at the expense of the sane and responsible mainstream of the Arab Israeli public who wishes to live here in coexistence and equality.
The responsibility of the Arab political leadership - especially the Arab members of Knesset - cannot be ignored. With their rhetoric and their actions they have crossed red lines and deepened the rift. But many of the participants in the meeting last week were impressed by the internal debate and criticism from members of the Arab public against their representatives' negative contribution to the difficult situation, and by their desire to change direction back towards coexistence.
Like them, I too believe the direction can be changed and the deterioration halted. The imperative of coexistence is not a cliché; it is more vital now than ever. It ensures nothing less than a normal existence for both of the peoples in this land. The government and the leaders of all sectors should give this matter their serious and immediate attention. As one of the leaders of the Arab public aptly stated last week: "The nature of the relations between Jews and Arabs in Israel not only depends on the Arab public. It depends first and foremost on the Jews' attitude."
Views expressed by the author do not
necessarily reflect those of israelinsider.
 
|
|
|
|
Click on the blue headline to read a Talkback comment and respond to it. Click on the  icon to send a private email to the talkback writer. The icon appears only if the writer has decided to be contacted. If no popup window appears, please make sure your popup blocker allows israelinsider.com.
|
|
| |
|
|
