-Caveat Lector- -------- Original Message -------- Subject: [imra-l] Dan Margalit: Will Arab Israelis turn the Wadi Ara region into a Middle Eastern Sudetenland? Reaction to Sharon visit unjustified, Arab Israeli rioting can't be compared to Zu Artzeinu protests Date: Thu, 5 Oct 2000 08:56:17 +0200 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: "IMRA Newsletter" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Dan Margalit: Will Arab Israelis turn the Wadi Ara region into a Middle Eastern Sudetenland? Reaction to Sharon visit unjustified, Arab Israeli rioting can't be compared to Zu Artzeinu protests By Dan Margalit - Ha'aretz 5 October 2000 [IMRA note: For purposes of reference, and in order that readers appreciate the significance of this column, Dan Margalit is a leading leftist in the Israeli media] Some serious, public soul-searching is required in the wake of the grim, tragic casualty list produced by the recent riots: four Israeli soldiers and police officers and dozens of Palestinians, including ten Israeli Arabs. The Palestinian leaders should listen to this soul-searching in a level-headed manner, despite the fact that Arab members of Knesset played a key role in the escalation of the violence.Opposition leader and Likud chief Ariel Sharon fanned the flames of hysteria by visiting the Temple Mount. However, it is in the nature of Israeli democracy - under whose wing the Arab citizens of Israel are so anxious to seek asylum - to allow activity the sole purpose of which is to amass political capital. For the time being, Prime Minister Ehud Barak is prepared to discuss international sovereignty over the Temple Mount, while Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat is adamantly opposed to such an arrangement. It is particularly important for the Palestinians to understand that we will never permit any place in this land to be Judenrein - "clean of Jews" or "Jew-free." Therefore, Sharon has the right to visit the Temple Mount. The chain of events following the visit clearly indicates that the Arabs wanted this ghastly confrontation. It is easy to secure the sympathy of the world with the photograph of a dead child; however, the responsibility lies squarely on the shoulders of the Palestinian leaders, who so cynically dispatch children to the frontline. The only person deriving any political gain from the pictures is Arafat, whose hands are stained with the blood of the sons of the members of the Four Mothers movement, which pressed for a withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon. The same can be said about the demonstrations by Israeli Arabs within the pre-1967 borders. A stable state cannot allow demonstrators to hurl rocks and fire weapons at police officers. The results, which have been expressed in the loss of human lives, are painful, yet Barak and Public Security Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami managed to maintain the delicate balance between sensitivity to human lives and a steel determination to enforce the principle of law and order. Their approach deserves praise, even though there were some places in which this balance was tragically violated. It should be noted that these violations will be investigated and will require the assumption of personal responsibility. The Arabs are right in saying that the Israel Police did not open fire on demonstrators from the right-wing Zu Artzeinu movement who burned tires at traffic intersections. However, it must be pointed out that these demonstrators did not endanger the lives of police officers by throwing rocks or using live ammunition. In contrast, the price tag of the sporadic shots fired from the home of militant Uzi Meshulam ended in the death of one demonstrator. Beyond the recent riots, Israeli Arabs would be wise to carefully consider the serious question marks that have been produced by their overall position. On the one hand, all Israeli Jews understand that their Arab compatriots identify with the Palestinian demand for an independent state. On the other hand, there is a serious question that must be asked: Why, in every dispute with Arafat, do Israeli Arabs never find even one point in favor of the government of Israel? This total identification and the absence of any voices in the Israeli Arab community publicly calling for an end to the violence gives rise to the suspicion that the members of this community constitute a fifth column. In the face of the continuation of the violence, hope is fading that once their situation improves, Israeli Arabs will be satisfied. In fact, there is a growing fear that the Israeli Arab minority will want more, that it aims for autonomy within the context of the State of Israel, for a State of Palestine beyond the pre-1967 borders and for a binational state within these borders. Many of us remember the achievements of the subversive minority in Czechoslovakia of the 1930s. There is the fear that within a very short period of time, there will be an attempt by the Arab Israelis to take advantage of the split in Jewish Israeli society and to turn the Wadi Ara region into a Middle Eastern Sudetenland. The leaders of the Arab minority adopt a uniform attitude when they come to the Knesset. As citizens in a democracy on the defensive, the Jewish majority in Israel should learn from the Arab minority, which openly challenges its position by means of predetermined decisions by the High Arab Monitoring Committee for Arab Affairs. Imagine what would happen if there were a Jewish covenant - based on an agreement between all the political parties of the Jewish majority - that said that all internal decisions on political and security matters would be made in advance by the Israeli branch of the executive committee of the Jewish Agency for Israel. Imagine if such a branch consisted of the leaders of the parties in accordance with their respective electoral strength and if all decisions made on vital issues by the Israeli branch were binding for all political parties in the Knesset and the coalition. It is a horrifying thought that a democracy on the defensive could end up in such a situation; however, this scenario could materialize if the present emergency situation continues --- You are currently subscribed to imra-l as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. 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