cicerone imposter wrote:Brandon, You probably do not know, but Palestinians have no legal or property rights in Israel; NONE. When any individual gives up hope of a good life in the future, all hope dies, and their only option to let their voice heard is by suicide bombing.
Try living in Israel as a Palestinian, and you'll begin to understand.
When you write of Palestinians in Israel, what do you specifically mean? Arab citizens of Israel or the Arabs in the Palestinian territories.
It is very difficult to find, on the web, articles that address the topic of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict with objectivity. Pardon me, but I'm afraid I do not consider the articles that you and Blueflame post as objective.
I was able to find the following link
Arab Citizens of Israel
You'll note that the article carries with it a warning that it's objectivity has been questioned. I've read the critical commentary attached and it seems to emanate from both sides of the argument which is a pretty fair indication of objectivity.
A reading of the article does indicate that there are discriminatory practices in Israel directed toward Muslim Arabs citizens. This does not seem to be the same case as regards Christian or Druze Arabs.
Per the article:
Quote:Israeli Arabs are full citizens of the State of Israel, with equal protection under the law, and full rights of due process. Unlike Jewish citizens, they cannot be drafted into the Israeli army, but they may serve voluntarily. There are currently nine Israeli Arabs sitting as members of the 17th Knesset out of a total of 120 seats, and there is one Arab judge, Justice Salim Jubran, sitting in the Supreme Court of Israel. Ariel Sharon's 2001 cabinet included one Israeli Arab minister, Salah Tarif, and in March 2005, Oscar Abu Razaq was appointed Director General of the Ministry of Interior. Arabic is one of Israel's official languages.
The article provides a detailing of discriminatory practices, which certainly suggests Israel does not have clean hands as respects the institutional and social treatment of Israeli Arabs. However, it is important to note that as a democracy, the Israeli government does not have absolute power, and that the Israeli judiciary has, and continues to be an avenue for justice:
Quote:In June, the Supreme Court ruled that omitting Arab towns from specific government social and economic plans is discriminatory. This judgment builds on previous assessments of disadvantages suffered by Arab Israelis
[/QUOTE]In February 2006, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that the government education development plan discriminated against Israeli Arabs and mandated that the government should come up with a new plan within a year.[/QUOTE]
Quote:The JNF's statutes prohibit the sale or lease of land to non-Jews. In October, civil rights groups petitioned the High Court of Justice claiming that a bid announcement by the Israel Land Administration (ILA) involving JNF land was discriminatory in that it banned Arabs from bidding."
Given that Israel was born in a war with Arabs, has fought two subsequent major wars with Arabs and has been under the continuous attack of Arab terrorists for decades, it is not only understandable why Arabs within Israel may not be seen as having the same interest in the security and prosperity of Israel as Jews, it is a bit remarkable that there is not even more discrimination. Under the circumstances, how many other nations in the world would have acted differently or worse?
At the same time, Israel faces a dilemma unlike any other in the world. Established as a homeland for a race of people who had been homeless for centuries; had been persecuted throughout history and were the victims of a very real and serious attempt to wipe them off the face of the earth, Israel is faced with the reality that if Arabs are permitted truly equal rights and, more importantly, there is an attempt to redress the wrongs of the past through the Right of Return, demographics and democracy will do to a Jewish State what Arab dictatorships could not.
Never-the-less, Israel prides itself for being established on democratic principles and unless the democratic ideal is a sham in that nation
the discrimination against Israeli Arabs must be corrected.
As for the Right of Return, it is highly unlikely that any Arab who sincerely wishes for peace and stability in the area is going to remain adamant in insisting that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians be allowed to return to Israel as citizens. Israel cannot concede on this point and there will never be peace if the Palestinians do not.
I doubt I would be well contented as an Arab citizen of Israel and I do not doubt that I would feel a sense of outrage over the injustice I saw and experienced.
I also doubt I would express that outrage by strapping bombs to my body and blowing up a cafe and 50 or so innocent civilians.
African-Americans in this country have experienced discrimination every bit as severe, if not more severe, than what the Arabs in Israel experience and they never resorted to the insane tactic of using suicide bombings to achieve equality.
The Palestinians have been extremely ill served by their leaders, and to the extent that the Palestinians in Gaza and The West Bank suffer from poverty and lack of opportunity, their main thanks should go to men like Arafat, not Israel. Billions of dollars in aide has gone to the Palestinian territories over the years. On what has it been spent?
The best hope for the Palestinians is their own Ghandi or King, and yet given the chance to vote, they select Hamas. All of their violent tactics, no matter how much it may slate some perverse hunger for esteem, will not buy them lasting peace and prosperity. It may eventually lead to a two state solution, but with Israel a bitter neighbor and the men of violence at their helm they will exist as in impoverished third world country for decades to come.
