"The Arab MKs understood that the minister meant transfer. Livni, for her part, did not bother denying it,"
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Last update - 02:51 26/11/2007
The hope in Livni's words
By Nazir Majali
It is the same old story: A high-placed Israeli leader, in this case Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, came out with a declaration about the Arabs of Israel, and the Arab MKs understood it as the opposite of what she meant. Someone - in this case MK Ophir Pines-Paz - jumped on the bandwagon and came to the Arabs' defense, and we have another reason to quarrel and deepen the alienation between the state and its Arab citizens.
Livni spoke of the need for the Palestinians to recognize Israel as a Jewish state. In exchange, she explained, Israel would recognize the Palestinian state as the nation-state of the Palestinian people. And just as Israel is the state of all the world's Jews, Palestine would be the state of all Palestinians, and should be "the response to the national aspirations of the Palestinian people wherever they are... even those who live among us as citizens with equal rights, while their national rights will be expressed by the Palestinian state," as she put it.
The Arab MKs understood that the minister meant transfer. Livni, for her part, did not bother denying it, either because the statement gave her points on the right, a commodity her cabinet colleagues, among them the Labor Party chairman, are very keen on, or because she simply holds the elected officials of Israel's Arabs in low regard.
None of this justifies the Arab lawmakers' shrill response. Livni is not known as a supporter of transfer. In her statement she specifically referred to Israel's Arabs as citizens with equal rights. In fact, her statement recognizes the fact that Israel's Arabs can remain citizens without asking them to eschew their own people. We hear this question again and again from our Jewish friends. How can you be Palestinians in the State of Israel? Decide - either you are Palestinians and then you should move to the Palestinian state, or disassociate yourself from the Palestinians, serve in the army and you will receive full rights.
We explain again and again: We are Palestinians because we were born Palestinians. This is our people. We love them and we want them to stop suffering and gain independence and a normal life. We also explain, in the same breath, that Israel is our country. It is the land of our birth. We will not leave it under any circumstances. We do not say this to goad the Jews, but out of our own free will. We live as Israelis from a psychological, social and economic point of view. It does not suit us to live the life of our Palestinian brethren in the Palestinian Authority or outside the country. We would be lying to ourselves if we did not freely admit that Israeli life, for better or worse, is the life we have chosen and we do not want to give it up.
Livni solved this problem for us: You can live as full citizens in the State of Israel, and also as Palestinians. Like the Jews of the United States. She concedes that Israel's Arabs find it difficult accepting Israel as a Jewish state, because then the question arises - if it is a Jewish state, where does that put us? What of our rights as a national minority? Her answer was: The State of Israel is the expression of the national aspiration of the Jewish people, and the state of Palestine is the expression of the national aspiration of the Palestinian people. If you are looking for flags and symbols, you will have them. Use them here, too, if it is important to you.
The problem with Livni's statements is the fact that she did not bother to explain and correct herself, which still shows her insensitivity when it comes to Arab citizens. If she did mean transfer, let her say it courageously. If not, it seems she has introduced a brilliant and important idea into the Israeli discourse that might solve one of the problems at the foundation of this accursed conflict.
As an Arab, I want this shit Livni to give the Arab leaders who chose to go to this sham "meeting" (because one cannot call it a summit) against the will of the great majority of the Arab people, a good lesson that might wake them up from their coma.
What the Israelis are trying to do is to institutionalize apartheid in Israel by having the Palestinians and Arabs recognize the "Jewishness of the damned state of Israel. This way only Jews could become legal citizens while Christians and Muslims should shove off or be treated like second class citizens without equal rights. This article tells us that all citizens in Israel enjoy equal rights, but we know of course that this is rubbish. You have to be an Ashkinazi Jew to be regarded as a full citizen. If you are a Sephardi Jew... or even worse, a Christian or a Moslem, you can go to Palestine if you want any rights. In Palestine of course, Israelis will be controlling the water and electricity, air and ports etc...
Another point is that one cannot compare states as Israel does based once on religion ie Judaism for Israel.. and nationality for Palestinians. I imagine that Israel will be for the Jews while Palestine will be for the Christians and Muslims. This is simple racism and Israel is a racist state. It is however disgusting that Arab leaders and the United States organize a "summit" that has no agenda in order to institutionalize Israel's racism and apartheid against Christians and Muslims. Have these leaders no pride or dignity?? What the hell has happened to this world??