Sunday, June 27, 2004
One of my colleagues is perturbed by the apparent willingness of a majority of Israeli voters to support encouraging the state's Arab population to emigrate. This is indeed a worrisome sign, though I wouldn't conclude out of hand that one poll finding somehow nullifies Israel's democratic, constitutional structure. Approval of encouraging emigration is not quite the same as approval of coercive methods.
And as to diagnosing the roots of this particular malady, I fear that he has left out a crucial ingredient - the apparent radicalization of many Arabs living in Israel. The outbreak of violence in 2000 in the West Bank and Gaza coincided with violent action by Israeli Arabs. An unprecedented (if still relatively small) number of them have been implicated in bombing plots against Israelis. One of the community's foremost leaders, Azmi Bishara, had his legislative immunity stripped from him after making speeches supporting Hezbollah and calling upon Arab states to confront Israel.
So it's not just a sense of post-Oslo gloom and economic difficulty at work. More than before, Jewish Israelis feel at risk from their Arab neighbors and worry that the Arab community will reenact the historical role of the Sudeten Germans. This fear is probably exaggerated, but the descent of Israeli Arab leaders into radical, wild rhetoric has much to do with it. This community is well placed to act as a bridge between Israel and the Arab world, or to lead the whole region further toward an abyss. If its leaders play more to Al Jazeera than the interests of their own constituents, expect further panic among Israel's majority population.
And as to diagnosing the roots of this particular malady, I fear that he has left out a crucial ingredient - the apparent radicalization of many Arabs living in Israel. The outbreak of violence in 2000 in the West Bank and Gaza coincided with violent action by Israeli Arabs. An unprecedented (if still relatively small) number of them have been implicated in bombing plots against Israelis. One of the community's foremost leaders, Azmi Bishara, had his legislative immunity stripped from him after making speeches supporting Hezbollah and calling upon Arab states to confront Israel.
So it's not just a sense of post-Oslo gloom and economic difficulty at work. More than before, Jewish Israelis feel at risk from their Arab neighbors and worry that the Arab community will reenact the historical role of the Sudeten Germans. This fear is probably exaggerated, but the descent of Israeli Arab leaders into radical, wild rhetoric has much to do with it. This community is well placed to act as a bridge between Israel and the Arab world, or to lead the whole region further toward an abyss. If its leaders play more to Al Jazeera than the interests of their own constituents, expect further panic among Israel's majority population.
