Let Taibeh go to Palestine (Gilad Sharon)

[Violet_Crumble]

On the occasion of Independence Day, the time has come to forget about A.'s skirt for a moment, to disengage temporarily from H.'s lips and take a bird's-eye view of the country's basic problems. Basic problems which, if dealt with, could change our lives here significantly and for the better, while neglecting them could be fateful and endanger us. There is no possibility of dealing with a hundred big issues at once, or even with 10. Even a leadership of stature cannot do this, and certainly not the one we have now. At most it is possible to deal with two or three big issues, and even this, only with a great deal of talent and superhuman effort.

We shall focus on one of the strategic problems: Israel and its Arab citizens. On the issue of a Jewish state versus a state of all its citizens, it must be said without embarrassment and without apology: Of course we want to live in a democratic country, but at the same time we want to live in a Jewish country. Israel was not established to bring a democratic regime to a benighted region. Israel was established as a national home for the Jewish people. Even the United Nations partition resolution of 1947, which the Jews accepted and the Arabs rejected, talks about two states according to a national division - a state for Jews and a state for Arabs. The wars, the truce agreements and life experience have led to the current situation in which about one-fifth of the population of Israel is Arab. There is no similarity between the situation of the Arabs of Israel and the situation of Jews in other countries of the world. The Jews of the United States, for example, despite their support and their feelings towards the State of Israel, proudly fly the American flag, sing the national anthem and celebrate American Independence Day on the 4th of July.

Memorial Day in Israel, which is so sacred to us, is not a day of pain for most of Israel's Arabs. Independence Day is a day of mourning for them. Go out and look for a national flag in Arab locales. This will prove to be a fruitless search. The fact that the Arabs of Israel are citizens of the Jewish state and not citizens of an Arab state is a mishap of history. If, heaven forbid, Israel were to find itself in a crisis and our enemies were to succeed in defeating us, then a single fate could be expected for the leftists, the rightists, the ultra-Orthodox and the secular Jews in Israel. This is not the case for the Arabs of Israel. There would be no danger for them. We are not really in the same boat; we do not share the same fate.

<snip>

Therefore, as I see it, the goal has to be a significant Jewish majority among the citizens of Israel, forever. Minorities have to be totally loyal to the state, to fulfill all the obligations and enjoy all the rights, like the Druze, some of the Bedouins and the Circassians. An example of action in this direction is changing the citizenship of the Arabs of Umm al Fahm, Taibeh, Jaljulya, Kafr Bara and so on - as far as and including Kafr Qasem. After all, there is no real reason why Qalqilyah and Tul Karm should be Palestinian and Taibeh Israeli. This is a mistake and nothing more.

A change of citizenship without a change of place of residence is also possible in other places. The inhabitants will live securely in their homes and will not lose a single dunam of land. Their citizenship will change, but let us admit the truth: Anyone who passes through one of these locales today will not see a single sign of the state of Israel. Nationally and culturally the population belongs to the other side, and their representatives will no longer be discriminated against because, after all, in a situation like this their citizenship and their nationality will be identical.

It is very easy to avoid the discussion and escape to the refuge of racist demagoguery, but this would be the easy way out. Of course there are other problems and other kinds of distress which are necessary to address, and even issues that are easier to deal with. But despite the difficulty and the cautious treading, this is an issue that should be put on the table frankly and courageously, and not ignored. If we try to run away from the problem it will pursue us. It is better to deal with it at our own initiative.

The author is a farmer and businessman and the son of former prime minister Ariel Sharon.

[azurnoir]

1. Sounds kind of like

the old "separate but equal" BS that was the hallmark of the pre-civil rights South, also known as Jim Crow. BTW most American Indians I know fast on Thanksgiving.

[oberliner]

2. What is the source for this?

There is no link to an article.

[Scurrilous]

4. Link:

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/851868.html

[Shaktimaan]

3. While I disagree with his solution

he makes a valid point about the differing mindsets among Israel's citizens. It's a real problem that I believe is one of the key's to solving the conflict. But there is no easy solution to this at all. It isn't the same as in America. In America no one is conscripted to fight against people that may be their own families. Yet without equality in the IDF draft and the benefits given to veterans plus the national solidarity that comes with serving, equality woill be a sham.

Think about the inequality in the right of return. Why should Israeli Arabs want to fight for Israel or celebrate Independence Day? The Independence ideology is geared towards the sacrafices made (the silver platter) by Zionists striving for a Jewish state. There is a place for Arabs as obstensibly equal citizens in Israel. But equality on paper is not the same as living in a culture that is built for a people different from your own. In this way, Arab Israelis are always "outsiders" within Israeli culture.

But just as I don't think that the answer is to strip them of citizenship and cleanse Israel of anyone who doesn't fit the ideal, nor do I think the answer is to reshape Israel's image and purpose to meet the needs of every citizen. For what it is worth, Israel's role is that of a Jewish state, and I find nothing wrong with its culture and laws reflecting that. Compare it to Japan or Morocco. As Japanese and Arab states they have a unique culture that informs their national philosophy. In Morocco, the Arabs are the invaders, overshadowing Berber culture. Yet even though Morocco is an Arab state and the Berbers have had to adapt as such, their own culture has informed the Arabs of Morocco creating a fusion of cultures that has a distinct flavor unimitated elsewhere. That's how it works usually.

I am not arguing for the Arab's to be treated "less" than the Jews. I am arguing for mutual repect and equal rights, equal responsibility and equal visions of nationality. I obviously have no idea how to reconcile the paradox of "special homeland" and "full equality." But I also don't see it as being any different than any other state that has equal rights and sets aside preferential treatment for its own specific culture. Many states employ a right-of-return for ethnic emigrants specific to their one culture. I wonder how they reconcile their own systems of different but equal? Or if they do at all?

[pelsar]

5. i guess a minor problem with his plan...

is that the israeli arabs simply dont want to live under the flag of "palestine'.

Over 90% of Arab residents in the 'Triangle' are opposed to the land exchange plans announced by the Israeli Government on the 3rd February, 2004

http://www.mada-research.org/sru/press_release/survey_landPop.shtml
_________

so the problem lies not in their acknowledgment that living in israel is far better than living in "palestine"..the problem is the confusion of the issues. Today many israeli arabs call themselves palestinians....but have no intention of living under the palestinian flag, they see what hamas/fatah are all about and its not democracy.

As i see it, first is their acknowledgement that despite the problems, they are israelis, second whereas doing army service will be very difficult for many they can do national service, something many of the religous jews do in place of army service. Many times people have to chose which side of the line they're on...and its not a bad thing. Whats worse is muddling the issues. The Japanese Americans did it, so too did the German Americans (some went back to fight for their original country). Being a minority in a democracy is not the worst of all things, many many people are minorities in democracies and when called up they can fight for those democracies as did the blacks during WWII. Democracies major advantage over the other forms of govt is that they can and do change with the times. The Israeli Arabs, have according to the poll, have made their choice, perhaps its time they also make it clear to their brethren.

[The Magistrate]

8. Another Problem With It, Sir

Is simply that it is an offence to any conception of liberty and democracy to strip people of their citizenship against their will.

This proposal is nothing but a call for 'ethnic cleansing in place", and cannot be treated as an acceptable element in Israeli political discourse.

[breakaleg]

6. First they stripped the majority of their land. Now they want to strip the remaining Arabs of their

citizenship. What's next? Will there be anything left to take away from the people who lived their all along?

[Shaktimaan]

7. who is "they?"

and why exactly is the land Israel was built on "theirs" (Arab, you mean?)

[oberliner]

9. They?

Gilad Sharon is only one person, and his claims to fame are being the son of the former PM and being investigated for fraud.

[breakaleg]

10. In the scenario mentioned, should it come to be, they would be Israel. nt

[oberliner]

11. Gilad Sharon doesn't represent Israel in any capacity

I don't think it's fair to say that "they (meaning Israel) want to strip the remaining Arabs of their citizenship" when it's Gilad Sharon and his ilk who are suggesting such things.

[breakaleg]

12. Isn't he suggesting that Israel adopt this policy?

[oberliner]

13. My point is that there are RWers in Israel, just like in the USA, Europe

and elsewhere who promote extreme views. It doesn't mean that the country itself supports them.

Le Pen has made numerous racist remarks but that does not mean that France itself holds those views.

[breakaleg]

14. And mine was, if this plan in enacted, that is what it would amount to.