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June 2008 In our lifetime, Israel's Arab population will become the country's majority ethnic group. Arabs have a high reproduction rate (which might decline as their standard of living increases, but probably not enough to nullify the projection). The Arabs would have become a majority already, according to statistics I read when I was a student, had it not been for the massive Jewish immigration from the former Soviet Union in the 1980s. This inflow did not discredit the projection, only postponed it. To remain a Jewish state, Israel needs large numbers of Jewish immigrants. That can happen if there is anti-Semitism or if life in Israel is so much more preferable to any other place where Jews live. To make Israel preferable to life anywhere else is an uphill battle. Anti Semitism is a ready made solution. It is ironic, it seems to me, that Israelis almost welcome anti- Semitism. With a wry smile they often ask me: "So what are the Jews doing in the Diaspora? They should make aliya (i.e., immigrate to Israel)." For the Jews in the Diaspora, anti-Semitism is something to dread. For Israelis it seems to be the hope for the Jewish state to remain Jewish. If such a massive Jewish immigration to Israel occurs, it means that there is massive anti-Semitism somewhere else. I wonder if I could welcome such a solution to Israel's existential problem. If that happens, anti-Semitism does not stop at the borders of the country that is experiencing it. It will be tough for Israel, too, one way or another. The Jews will in effect be congregated into a new ghetto, this time the size of a country rather than a quarter of a city. But still, it would be a ghetto, and under attack not only by its neighbors but by many other anti-Semitic countries worldwide. Not a pretty prospect. If such a massive immigration does not occur, Arabs will become a significant majority in Israel. They are already expanding into what traditionally were Jewish settlements. Upper Nazareth, which was built for Jews because Nazareth itself was Arabic and did not welcome Jews, is now partly inhabited by Arabs, and the Arab section is expanding rapidly. Carmiel, which was established to bring Jewish settlers to the Galilee, is now increasingly populated by Arabs. In Jaffa, which is part of Tel Aviv, Saudi millionaires are buying land that the Arabs will not sell to Jews. In a democratic country, which Israel is, every citizen has a right to vote. With a majority Arab vote, will Israel remain a Jewish state? Can these demographic changes lead to a civil war, since the Jewish Israelis will not willingly give up their Zionist dream of a Jewish state for the Jewish people? _______________________________________________ OSX-Nutters mailing list | [email protected] http://lists.tit-wank.com/mailman/listinfo/osx-nutters List hosted at http://cat5.org/
