Arabs in Israel
I was asked to clarify the complex situation of Arabs in Israel/Palestine. Israeli Arabs constitute 20% of the population of Israel (ca. 1.2 million). They have full citizen rights, voting, paying taxes and receiving welfare, passports, etc. Their schools are taught in the Arabic language, although they also have to learn Hebrew. They have full and complete freedom of religion.
Amongst the Israeli Arabs there are three main groups: 1. Muslims, who are 83% of the Arabs in Israel and are all Sunni Muslims; 2. Christians, 8.5% of various sects, and they vary tremendously in their attitudes towards Israel, some are very anti and some are pro. 3. Druze, 8.3% are a heretical Muslim sect, that are generally very loyal to Israel, since they have never been persecuted by the Jews. Even among Muslim Arabs there is a tremendous range of attitude, from the anti-Israel Muslim League, and some members of the Knesset that actively oppose Israel, to individuals who volunteer for service in the IDF. Druze are found in all levels of the IDF and in Israeli Government positions.
Among the Muslim Arabs in Israel are the Beduin (ca. 240,000) most of whom live in the Negev desert. They have until now been less poltically radicalized than their fellow Israeli Arabs and have long been tough and reliable trackers and border guards. There are two streams of thought regarding the Beduin in Israel, one is that they have lost a lot of their ancestral land and many live in poverty, not supported enough by Govt. welfare. Another is that they were landless nomads with little contact with the outside world until the Israel Govt. came and settled them in villages and gave them schools and training. It's probably a bit of both.
Arabs have full rights of assembly and demonstration as in any democracy. During the intifada in 2001 there were violent Arab riots, with Molotov cocktails thrown at gas stations and closing off roads and clashes with armed police, as a result of which 13 teenagers were killed and many policemen injured. Since then the responsible members of the Arab community have tried to ensure that all demonstrations are peaceful.
This should be distinguished from relations with the Palestinian Arabs, ca. 2.4 million on the West Bank and ca. 1.5 million in Gaza, who are "citizens" of the Palestine Authority (PA) which is not an internationally recognized State. Those in Gaza are controlled by Hamas, which is a radical Islamist Party that seeks to destroy Israel and replace it with an Islamic State. The Government of the PA under Pres. Abbas is affiliated with the Fatah group of the PLO and seeks to establish a Palestinian State. All the clashes with the IDF in Gaza and the West Bank are with Palestinians and NOT Israeli Arabs. The Security Fence (that in some places is a wall) is being built to separate Israel from access by Palestinian Arabs to prevent terrorism, and it has largely worked, together with targeted killings by the IDF.
Although in principle the situation of Arabs in Israel, with full democratic rights and economic development, is better than that in any Arab country, nevertheless there are problems. The amount spent per child on education and other amenities is generally less for Arabs than Jews. But, on the other hand Arabs often do not pay their rates (either because of economic or political reasons), and so many Arab municipalities are bankrupt, and the Israel Govt. has declared a moratorium on rescuing them.
The Arabs of East Jerusalem (270,000) are a somewhat different category. Since Israel reunited Jerusalem in 1967 they have been given Israel identity cards (green cards) but have not been made citizens of Israel. They can travel freely in Israel, but cannot vote. They are in a sort of intermediate position compared to the full rights of the Israeli Arabs and no Israeli rights of the Palestinian Arabs.
If you count, there are 6 distinct groups of Arabs in Israel/Palestine: Israeli Arab Muslims; Israeli Arab Christians; Israeli Arab Druze; East Jerusalem Arabs; West Bank PA Palestinian Arabs and Gaza Hamas-controlled Arabs. It does make for a confusing situation, and anyone who tells you that this situation can be resolved simply is obviously fooling you. There are also some other smaller minority groups in Israel, including Armenians and Circassians.
The greatest barrier to peace at the moment is the schism between the Islamist Arabs of Gaza and the nationalist Arabs of the PA on the West Bank. They are currently meeting in Egypt to try to resolve their differences and form a Unity Government for the PA. But, as I predicted, this has become impossible, because in order to receive funds the PA must accept the conditions of the international Quartet (US, UN, EU and Russia) to recognize Israel, stop using violence and terrorism and accept previous agreements, and Hamas have announced that they will never do this.
Amongst the Israeli Arabs there are three main groups: 1. Muslims, who are 83% of the Arabs in Israel and are all Sunni Muslims; 2. Christians, 8.5% of various sects, and they vary tremendously in their attitudes towards Israel, some are very anti and some are pro. 3. Druze, 8.3% are a heretical Muslim sect, that are generally very loyal to Israel, since they have never been persecuted by the Jews. Even among Muslim Arabs there is a tremendous range of attitude, from the anti-Israel Muslim League, and some members of the Knesset that actively oppose Israel, to individuals who volunteer for service in the IDF. Druze are found in all levels of the IDF and in Israeli Government positions.
Among the Muslim Arabs in Israel are the Beduin (ca. 240,000) most of whom live in the Negev desert. They have until now been less poltically radicalized than their fellow Israeli Arabs and have long been tough and reliable trackers and border guards. There are two streams of thought regarding the Beduin in Israel, one is that they have lost a lot of their ancestral land and many live in poverty, not supported enough by Govt. welfare. Another is that they were landless nomads with little contact with the outside world until the Israel Govt. came and settled them in villages and gave them schools and training. It's probably a bit of both.
Arabs have full rights of assembly and demonstration as in any democracy. During the intifada in 2001 there were violent Arab riots, with Molotov cocktails thrown at gas stations and closing off roads and clashes with armed police, as a result of which 13 teenagers were killed and many policemen injured. Since then the responsible members of the Arab community have tried to ensure that all demonstrations are peaceful.
This should be distinguished from relations with the Palestinian Arabs, ca. 2.4 million on the West Bank and ca. 1.5 million in Gaza, who are "citizens" of the Palestine Authority (PA) which is not an internationally recognized State. Those in Gaza are controlled by Hamas, which is a radical Islamist Party that seeks to destroy Israel and replace it with an Islamic State. The Government of the PA under Pres. Abbas is affiliated with the Fatah group of the PLO and seeks to establish a Palestinian State. All the clashes with the IDF in Gaza and the West Bank are with Palestinians and NOT Israeli Arabs. The Security Fence (that in some places is a wall) is being built to separate Israel from access by Palestinian Arabs to prevent terrorism, and it has largely worked, together with targeted killings by the IDF.
Although in principle the situation of Arabs in Israel, with full democratic rights and economic development, is better than that in any Arab country, nevertheless there are problems. The amount spent per child on education and other amenities is generally less for Arabs than Jews. But, on the other hand Arabs often do not pay their rates (either because of economic or political reasons), and so many Arab municipalities are bankrupt, and the Israel Govt. has declared a moratorium on rescuing them.
The Arabs of East Jerusalem (270,000) are a somewhat different category. Since Israel reunited Jerusalem in 1967 they have been given Israel identity cards (green cards) but have not been made citizens of Israel. They can travel freely in Israel, but cannot vote. They are in a sort of intermediate position compared to the full rights of the Israeli Arabs and no Israeli rights of the Palestinian Arabs.
If you count, there are 6 distinct groups of Arabs in Israel/Palestine: Israeli Arab Muslims; Israeli Arab Christians; Israeli Arab Druze; East Jerusalem Arabs; West Bank PA Palestinian Arabs and Gaza Hamas-controlled Arabs. It does make for a confusing situation, and anyone who tells you that this situation can be resolved simply is obviously fooling you. There are also some other smaller minority groups in Israel, including Armenians and Circassians.
The greatest barrier to peace at the moment is the schism between the Islamist Arabs of Gaza and the nationalist Arabs of the PA on the West Bank. They are currently meeting in Egypt to try to resolve their differences and form a Unity Government for the PA. But, as I predicted, this has become impossible, because in order to receive funds the PA must accept the conditions of the international Quartet (US, UN, EU and Russia) to recognize Israel, stop using violence and terrorism and accept previous agreements, and Hamas have announced that they will never do this.
posted by Jack Cohen at 8:34 PM
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