YORAM ETTINGER: ARABS CONDEMN-BUT PREFER ISRAEL
Arabs Condemn – But Prefer – Israel
Yoram Ettinger, “Second Thought: A US-Israel Initiative”
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4050815,00.html
The current seismic developments in Arab countries have removed the Middle
East “screen saver,” exposing the real Middle East: top heavy on violence,
fragmentation, volatility, hate-education and treachery, and low on
predictability, certainty, credibility and democracy. The collapse of Arab
regimes reflects the collapse of superficial assumptions, which have
underlined Western policy-making and public opinion molding. The upheaval
in Arab societies highlights the dramatic gap between Israel’s democracy and
its Arab neighbors.
In fact, recent events in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain, Oman, Libya, Syria
(and you ain’t seen nothing yet…) have enhanced the craving in the Arab
Street for the liberties and benefits of Israel’s democracy.
For example, Israeli ID cards have been sought by senior PLO and Hamas
officials and their relatives, such as the three sisters of Ismail Haniyeh,
the top leader of Hamas. They married Israeli Arabs and migrated from Gaza
to Tel Sheva in Israel’s Negev. Two are already widows, but prefer to remain
in the Jewish State, and the son of the third sister serves in the Israeli
Defense Forces. Akrameh Sabri, the top Muslim religious leader in eastern
Jerusalem, who delivers anti-Semitic and pro-terrorist sermons retains his
Israeli ID card as do Hanan Ashrawi of the PLO, Muhammad Abu-Tir of Hamas,
Jibril Rajoub’s wife, etc.
150,000 non-Israeli Arabs, mostly from Judea and Samaria, married Israeli
Arabs and received Israeli ID cards between 1993-2003. In addition, scores
of thousands of illegal Arab aliens prefer Israeli – over Palestinian –
residence.
A significant wave of net-emigration – 30,000 Arabs from Judea, Samaria and
Gaza annually – since 1950, was substantially reduced in 1968, as a result
of access gained to Israel’s infrastructures of employment, medicine and
education, and of Israeli construction of such infrastructures in these
regions. The level of annual Arab emigration subsided during the peak years
of Aliya (Jewish immigration to Israel), since Arabs were heavily employed
in constructing the absorption infrastructure.
Israeli Arabs vehemently oppose any settlement – such as an exchange of land
between Israel and the Palestinian Authority – which would transform them
into Palestinian subjects, denying them Israeli citizenship.
A sizeable number of Jerusalem Arabs prefer to remain under Israel’s
sovereignty, according to a January 12, 2011 public opinion poll conducted
by “The Palestinian Center for Public Opinion” headed by Nabil Kukali of
Beit Sakhur. The poll was commissioned and supervised by the
Princeton-based “Pechter Middle East Polls” ( <http://www.pechterpolls.com>
www.pechterpolls.com) and the NY-based Council on Foreign Relations.
Since 1967, Jerusalem Arabs – within Israel’s municipal lines – have been
permanent Israeli residents and Israeli ID card holders. Therefore, they
freely work and travel throughout Israel and benefit from Israel’s
healthcare programs, retirement plans, social security, unemployment,
disability and child allowances, and they can vote in Jerusalem’s municipal
election.
According to the January 2011 poll, which was conducted by Palestinians in
Arab neighborhoods far from any Jewish presence, 40% of Jerusalem Arabs
would relocate to an area inside Israel if their current neighborhood were
to be transferred to the Palestinian Authority. Only 27% would relocate to
the Palestinian Authority if their neighborhood were to become an
internationally recognized part of Israel. 39% assume that most people in
their neighborhood prefer Israeli citizenship, and only 31% assume that most
people in their neighborhood prefer Palestinian citizenship. 35% prefer to
be Israeli citizens and only 30% prefer Palestinian citizenship.
One can assume that is the pollsters would have added the cultural “fear
factor” – of Palestinian terrorist retribution – the number of Jerusalem
Arabs preferring Israeli citizenship would have been higher.
What do the Arabs of Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and Gaza know about Abu
Mazen’s Palestinian Authority that Western policy-makers and public opinion
molders do not know?! When will Western policy-makers and public opinion
molders remove the Abu Mazen “screen saver” and confront the real Abu
Mazen?!
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