THIS TINY incident does perhaps help me somehow to understand the feelings of Arab citizens of Israel.
What are they? Israelis? Arabs? Palestinians? Israeli Arabs (a term they detest)? Palestinian Citizens of Israel (as many now prefer to call themselves)? All of these? None of these?
After the war of 1948, during which the State of Israel was founded, and during which some 750,000 Arabs fled or were expelled (and prevented from returning), the population of the new state amounted to 650,000 people, of which 20% were Arabs. By a miracle (or Jewish immigration), this percentage has remained unchanged to this day, in spite of the much higher Arab birth rate.
After the foundation of Israel, all Arab towns and villages in the new state were subject to a "military government," a regime that did not apply to any specific territory, but only to the Arab inhabitants. It meant that no Arab was allowed to leave their village or township without written permission, even if it meant only a visit to a cousin in the next village. No transaction, whether an import license for a tractor or permission to send a daughter to teachers' college, could be effected without written permission.
This detestable regime lasted for 18 years. Jewish Israelis of the peace camp and the bi-national Communist Party were actively engaged in attempts to terminate it. I took part in dozens of demonstrations, and even devised the emblem of the campaign (a simple "x").
As long as David Ben-Gurion was in power, assisted by Shimon Peres, our protests came to naught. Only when both were kicked out by their own party was the military government abolished. The Shin Bet (secret internal security service), by the way, advocated abolition -- arguing that it did more harm than good, that the service could do its job better without it.
During those years I was closely connected with the Arab community, making many friends in Arab towns and villages. I had Arabs on the staff of my magazine, which was unusual at the time, and when I set up a new party, we had Arab candidates and voters.
Unfortunately, I have neglected these connections since the six-day war of 1967, when Israel seized the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. I became completely engrossed in the fight for the creation of a Palestinian state and for human rights in the occupied territories.
SO WHAT is the situation of the Arab citizens in Israel proper?
There are two descriptions.
One is that they are equal to all other citizens of Israel, the "Jewish and Democratic State."
The other is that they are a mistreated minority, downtrodden and discriminated against, eking out a miserable life.
Which picture is true?
Years ago, long before Avigdor Lieberman became Minister of Defense and could still say what he wanted, idiotic or otherwise, he made a startling proposal: to set up a Palestinian state and join to it the adjacent Israeli territories inhabited by Arabs, in exchange for West Bank areas inhabited by Jewish settlers.
According to this proposal, many of the Arabs who are now citizens of Israel would become part of the future State of Palestine together with all their lands, villages and towns. Wonderful.
But the reaction among the Arabs in Israel was a furious outcry. Not one single Arab voice was raised in favor of it.
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