'Israeli Arabs' look to revolt against Israel
This is from an article about 'Israeli Arab' reaction to the events of the last few weeks in Egypt. Speaking to The Jerusalem Post days after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak stepped down on February 11th after three decades in power, Jafer Farah, director of the Mossawa Center – The Advocacy Center for Arab Citizens, described the elation and hope that the historic moment presented for Arab citizens of Israel.I'll be straight with you. There is a lot of discrimination against 'Israeli Arabs' in employment, and yes, there are government positions they will never be allowed to hold (including membership in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee for the Arab parties.
“What happened in Egypt is very encouraging and it’s important that Arabs in Israel see the importance of freedom for people in the Arab states,” Farah said, adding “we think the time has come for the Arab people to have freedom and to enjoy the wealth of their countries, whether it be from oil, tourism, anything. They don’t need to live in poverty anymore.”
Farah said that while the repression of the Egyptian people under Mubarak was far more severe than that suffered by Arab citizens in Israel, there are similarities nonetheless.
“Repression was far more intense and deep in Egypt but we have a feeling that what we have here are limits on our freedom, and we [Arabs in Israel] have very limited representation here. We don’t feel like full partners in the Israeli democracy.
The Arabs are partners when it comes to paying taxes, but not in the leadership of the country.”
Farah clarified that the revolution in Egypt was encouraging for Palestinians for three reasons.
“It showed that also in the Arab world the people have power and that those who think they can rule them forever will be disappointed. Second, it changes the balance of power in the region, and shows that if Israel wants real peace with the people of the region, it must deal with the people, not just the dictators ruling them.” Finally, Farah said, the revolution will make the world begin to view the Arab people with more respect and not just as a source of oil that must be corralled and ruled over with an iron fist.
Farah said that he didn’t think Palestinian people would look at the events in Egypt and try to emulate them against the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, saying that if people were to rise up against the PA it would be over their handling of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, not over issues of democracy.
Like Farah, Arab citizens of Israel who spoke to the Post this week described the events in Egypt as cause for celebration, and reason to believe that a new democratic wave may be sweeping the region.
Again and again they said democratization brings with it the promise of an improvement in the quality of life for the region’s residents and greater justice for the Arab people, including the Palestinians.
Most Israelis view the 'Israeli Arabs' as a fifth column and justifiably so. The minute they change their rhetoric to talking about improving their own status in Israeli society, rather than talking about the 'Palestinians,' the more Israelis will get a sense that they want to be part of our society and they will be treated accordingly.
Labels: discrimination, Egyptian regime change, Israeli Arabs are a fifth column
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 4:34 AM
6 Comments:
Yup. Most Israeli Jews know its not equality the Israeli Arabs really want.
Consider this: Israel is the ONLY country in the Middle East that allows a legal Islamic movement to exist.
Such a movement is banned in nearly every Arab country for good reasons.
When Israel's Arabs accept Israel's legitimacy and start working within the Jewish State instead of trying to de-legitimize and subvert it, will Israeli Jews consider them as partners in the country.
As long as they count on the Arab World to do away Israel for them, they will continue to be justifiably viewed as "fifth columnists" whose real interest is in Israel's demise and to date the Arabs have shown no sign Israeli Jews should reconsider that view they have of them.
http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2008/05/study-israeli-jews-and-arabs-want-peace/
• 77 percent of Arab citizens would rather live in Israel than in any other country in the world.
Looking forward to these folks drinking the waters of Gaza or Tyre or Damascus or Port Said or Rabat Amon. So many choices!
If they don't like living in Israel they are free to move to another country. Let them pick one with Sharia Law in place.
employment discrimination? really?
there are arab doctors, lawyers, techies...any field that they are not allowed to enter?
and of course they cannot be a part of anything where state or defensive secrets are discussed....one of their leaders took part in attempting to break the blockade
in america, she wouldve been shot for treason
The admission of anti-Arab discrimination in Israel, should not be made without reference to the fact that Israeli Arabs are not required to do military service and most of their leadership groups insist on this provision.
I don't like to be in the position of justifying any discrimination and imagine that much of what happens in Israel is due to pure racial prejudice, as happens in every other country. However, the army exemption in Arab favour has to cause some quid pro quo.
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