In the last few days, Israel has been witnessing what some have called the start of a civil war. Concurrent with the threats of an all-out war with Hamas in the Gaza strip, mixed cities in Israel (with both Jewish and Arab populations) as well as Wadi Ara, have erupted with violence. Analyst are arguing what caused this massive unrest, the war in Gaza or the events in Jerusalem, (and I think they are wrong with both assumptions), but the results are devastating. Young Arab thugs are roaming the streets of Yafo, Lod, Akko and other cities, attacking Jews that happen to pass by, destroying property, including synagogues and sowing fear in the hearts of Jewish residents. In response, right-wing Jewish leaders have called on their masses (which in the press for some reason are called “activists” and not Jewish thugs) to “protect” the Jews and they have come out in numbers, mostly settlers from the Occupied Territories (Itzhar) and members of the racist, fascist organization “Familia”. The sad results have been the death of an Arab in Lod (shot to death by a frightened Jew), the lynch of a soldier in Yafo, a brutal attack on an Arab driver in Bat Yam (by Familia), the serious injury of a small child in Yafo from a fire bomb, and so on and so on. Property damage is significant, with a restaurant burned down in Akko, cars (including police cars) burned and destroyed and roads and infrastructure damaged.
Both Jews and Arabs have complained about the lack of response from the police, the indecisiveness, the restraint reactions and in general the lack of sufficient police on the street. Explanations from the commanders range from lack of manpower to fear of escalation, and the government has ordered the call-up of large numbers of extra manpower to attempt and quell the unrest before it reaches unmanageable proportions.
While politicians and of course Netanyahu have come forward with all kinds of statements about law and order, prevention of anarchy and the severe punishment that will be handed down to perpetrators, they would better spend their time and energy on the question of what is really happening here, and even more so, what has caused this to happen. And this analysis will have to go a lot deeper than support for the Palestinians in Gaza or anger about the events in Jerusalem. There is little doubt that the riots were started by Arab thugs, (and it should be investigated how organized this was and how much incitement from their leaders preceded it), but the problems of the Arab population are not new and go much deeper than either Gaza or Jerusalem. The frustration among the Arab population is the result of years and years of discrimination, explicit efforts by Israel and its governments to depict Arabs as second-class citizens, the lack of political involvement and continuous harassment by security forces.
The Arab leadership, on the national level but also in the local communities, needs to do some serious soul searching. It is unacceptable that violence on the level that we have witnessed in the past couple of days is tolerated and not condemned by Arab leaders. It should be a wake-up call to all, that the time to change direction is now. Mahmoud Abbas during the last elections took the first steps in this new direction and clearly and prominently placed the needs of the Arab population at the top of his agenda, and the fact that he gained wide support is proof that this is what his constituency is expecting of him. And the list of needs of his constituency is long. The deteriorating situation with crime in the Arab cities, with increasing violence and bloodshed should be a top priority, but there are many other no less important issues, and it is high time they were dealt with.
However, a much more intensive self-investigation needs to be done by the Jewish leadership and maybe the Jewish population as a whole. The long years of discriminatory action against the Arab population, with as absolute “highlight” the Nation-State Law, which defines Israel as the home of the Jews and of the Jews alone, have caused deep alienation among the Arab population, and an entrenched notion of self-righteousness among the Jews, who have been taught that considering an Arab a second-rate citizen Is both acceptable and logical.
It is high time that the basic, discriminatory notion that Israel is a Jewish, Democratic State is abandoned, to allow true equality for all citizens and not just for one population segment only.
This should include all the elements of institutionalized discrimination mentioned above, but should also and primarily be the beginning of a change in mindset, of attitude of the Jews towards Arabs and anyone else not Jewish. Only a complete rethinking of political and social discourse may, in time, lead to a recognition, true recognition and not just acknowledgement, that Arabs and other “goyim” are also human beings and no less than Jews. This is a process that will not happen overnight, and must involve changes in education and social interaction but in particular it will require the active involvement of Israeli politicians.
Politics must take the lead in such (for Israel revolutionary) changes. Only last month an ultra-right (read racist and fascist) member of the Knesset warned the Arab citizens of Israel, from the lectern in the Knesset, that they are Israeli citizens, “for now”! This disgusting racist remark did not result in a reaction from the chairman, and apparently this kind of language is acceptable in today’s politics.
It appeared that a start of such a change would be made with the formation of a new Israeli government that includes the active participation of Israeli Arabs, but the violence of the past days has caused Bennett, the leader of a minor ultra-right party, who nevertheless holds a pivotal position, to get could feet.
In daily life the explosion of hatred has far-reaching effects. An Israeli Arab, living in Ramle (a mixed Jewish-Arab city) told reporters on the radio that he decided to take his family north, to an Arab village. “My children speak only Arabic and in Ramle or Lod if the wrong person hears them talk, they may be in danger”. Is this the reality that we want to live in?
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