Robert Cherry and Robert Lerman on October 1, 2014- Important Reminder of Netanyahu’s Policy on Israeli Arabs ****
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2014/10/01/arabs-are-slowly-but-surely-integrating-into-israel
Slow But Certain Integration in Israel.There’s more promise for improved Arab-Israeli relations than you think.
Weeks of devastating warfare and extremist rhetoric that began after the murders of Israeli and Palestinian boys have prompted many to ask if Israelis and Palestinians can ever get along. Skeptics aside, the answer is yes. Right in front of our eyes, we see how 1.7 million Israeli Arabs and more than 6 million Israeli Jews live in peace, because of how Israeli Arabs have been integrated into the economic, if not social, life of Israel.
Certainly, the decades after Israeli statehood were difficult and military rule over Arab communities lasted into the 1960s. But, over time, Israeli Arabs have come to believe that the Israeli government is serving their interests. They are increasingly seeing themselves as Israeli citizens, not as Palestinian outsiders. Affirmative action policies have significantly increased the number of Arabs employed in government agencies. The educational performance of Arab students has improved significantly as well, leading to a substantial increase in enrollment in Israeli universities. More Arab women are employed in professional careers, and Arabs with high-tech training have transformed Nazareth into a hub where numerous national and international companies run production development sites.
The government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has prioritized economic development in Arab towns and allocated funds for joint industrial parks in Arab and Jewish towns. Subsidies help firms hire Arab labor, and transportation infrastructure allows Arabs to reach employment sites. These ventures have been so successful that the government has begun setting up industrial parks and employment offices exclusively in Arab towns. In addition, the Israeli government developed a five-year plan for Arab education and established a special unit in the prime minister’s office to promote economic development in the Arab community.
Yes, there are bumps in the road. And there are Palestinian nationalists who seek to derail this progress and maintain solidarity between the 1.5 million Arab citizens of Israel and the 3 million Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza. Moreover, when these developmental policies began, Arab town officials were skeptical. But as initiatives proved successful, Arab mayors, especially those not affiliated with the Balad political party, began cooperating with ministry officials and taking a proactive stance, suggesting and planning additional projects.
One interesting indicator of cooperation is voluntary national service, the alternative to military service. (Israeli-Arab Druze citizens have long served in high positions in the military.) Since 2007, participation increased from a few hundred to more than 3,000, despite campaigns by Arab leaders against the program. Sociologist Sammy Smooha reports that 90 percent of participants take pride and satisfaction in their service.
These changes in Israeli society, involving Arabs and Jews, are reflected in economic and polling data. Arab family incomes are increasing, as are their attitudes toward life and their economic satisfaction. Between 2003-2004 and 2010-2011, the share of Israeli Arabs who are satisfied or very satisfied with life rose from about 75 percent to 85 percent, only slightly below the figure for Israeli Jews. In the same period, Israeli Arab satisfaction with their economic situation rose to 60 percent, only one percentage point below that of Israeli Jews.
Serious challenges remain in integration and in economic opportunity, but they are similar to what nearly all societies face with respect to income and education differences across ethnic groups. What is striking is that in spite of severe external pressure to join with other Palestinian Arabs, a recent poll found that a plurality of Arab citizens of Israel consider themselves Israelis and rejects the label Palestinian.
Today’s relations between Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs stand as visible proof that the two sides can get along in the context of peace.
Comments are closed.
