A constituency that is seldom mentioned in discussing Israel is the Arab Israeli population. It is a significantly large minority composing of pockets of population in Galilee, around the West Bank and parts of the Negev. Together, they consist of 19% of the population. This constituency has the right to vote and, at times, has had significant sway. Their decision in 1996 to vote with their feet and abstain from voting for Shimon Peres in that year’s direct Prime Ministerial election more than likely contributed to his razor-thin defeat to Benjamin Netanyahu. This abstention was in reaction to Peres’ launch of Operation Grapes of Wrath on the Palestinian population in Southern Lebanon.
More recently, Arab Israeli politicians have caused a great stir by actively speaking out against Israel’s most recent conflict. This culminated with the suspension of two Israeli Arab parties contesting the February 10 vote. Here are the parties and their actions.
Balad – A secular socialist Arab party that was once led by Azmi Beshara (pictured above). Beshara is accused of spying on Hezbollah’s behalf in relation to a 2006 trip to southern Lebanon. Israeli sources claim to have evidence that Beshara gave Hezbollah ideas on where to strike during their ferocious katyusha bombing campaign. He is currently in Syria and will be arrested upon returning to Israel.
Ra’am-Ta’al – A more conservative Arab party that tends to be the biggest vote-getter among the Arab population. The Ta’al part of this two-party merger is led by Dr. Ahmed Tibi (pictured here). Ahmed Tibi disses Israel every chance he gets and declares that the enemies of Israel are not his enemies. He refuses to characterize Hamas as a terrorist group. Tibi goes to rallies where Hamas and Hizbollah flags are flown.
More recently, Arab Israeli politicians have caused a great stir by actively speaking out against Israel’s most recent conflict. This culminated with the suspension of two Israeli Arab parties contesting the February 10 vote. Here are the parties and their actions.
Balad – A secular socialist Arab party that was once led by Azmi Beshara (pictured above). Beshara is accused of spying on Hezbollah’s behalf in relation to a 2006 trip to southern Lebanon. Israeli sources claim to have evidence that Beshara gave Hezbollah ideas on where to strike during their ferocious katyusha bombing campaign. He is currently in Syria and will be arrested upon returning to Israel.
Ra’am-Ta’al – A more conservative Arab party that tends to be the biggest vote-getter among the Arab population. The Ta’al part of this two-party merger is led by Dr. Ahmed Tibi (pictured here). Ahmed Tibi disses Israel every chance he gets and declares that the enemies of Israel are not his enemies. He refuses to characterize Hamas as a terrorist group. Tibi goes to rallies where Hamas and Hizbollah flags are flown.
Here is a youtube video of Ahmed Tibi trashing Israel. Tibi was quoted as saying that Kadima and Labor were "counting mandates as they were counting bodies in Gaza." Shame on him for accusing the Israeli government of electioneering by going to war against Hamas.
The two parties were disqualified from the election for refusing to recognize Israel's character as a Jewish democratic state. The case is now sitting in front of the Israeli supreme court.
Let me be clear: I know Israeli Arabs don't have the best conditions in Israel. They are among the poorest. But they have it pretty good. They don't have a free vote in the rest of the Middle East. They don't have the opportunity to rise up the economic ladder in other countries the way they do in Israel. In other countries, it often depends on who you know. And Christian Arabs aren't persecuted the way they are in other countries.
They have a right to complain about their second-class status in Israel. But what they cannot do, is go against the state. They agreed to stay in Israel and thus they should respect Israel. They should respect Israel's right to defend itself even if they have some connection to the Palestinians through blood or brotherhood. That is why they are not required to be IDF soldiers since Israel's prime enemies are Arab.
By respect, it means that they should regard any mission the Israeli government instructs the IDF to go on as in the interest of the general public, including its Arab population. The IDF mission in Gaza was in response to 8,000+ rockets. It was not electioneering. It was overdue.
By respect, it means that the Arab politicians should stop travelling to Syria, Lebanon and other countries that are at war with Israel except for making attempts to broker peace.
By respect, they should regard Azmi Beshara and other traitors to Israel as exactly that. Traitors.
Israeli Arabs should have choices to vote for. But those choices should only exist if they do not act against the interests of the state. It is fair to criticize Israel but not to act so advertantly against it.
Let's see what the Israeli supreme court will say.
**UPDATE** There is an Arab Center Party that seems more rational than the rest. They prefer to focus on domestic issues. Read here. Hopefully Arabs will vote for them or some of the mainstream Israeli parties.
2 comments:
I agree with a lot of what you say. However, i'd argue that the "second-class citizen" status stems from the fact that Arabs have been 100% uncooperative in Israel, and therefore Israel has been hostile to them. If the Arabs could show an ability to compromise and work together, i have full faith that the Israelis would work in harmony with that Arabs.
There are some Arab pockets that are co-operative. Smart Arab Israelis get up in the morning, work hard and earn a decent living. They would never live in Palestine if such a state was created.
The Druze population is tremendously patriotic to Israel and many of their people have served in the IDF and the Israeli government (the current Israeli Consul General to the American southeast is Druze). Abu Ghosh is another example of tremendous co-existence. Haifa has a pretty peaceful Arab population.
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