Why does no one speak of the 1.9 million Arab Israeli citizens?

[Cary]

Last edited Fri Nov 29, 2019, 10:04 PM - Edit history (1)

The live in peace, as Israeli citizens. They live better lives than they would live in any of the 22 Arab nations. They are not trying to leave Israel and they certainly live better than any Jew in any of those Arab nations.

This says something yet no one listens.

[Big Blue Marble]

1. The question is are they accorded the full rights that other Israeli citizens have?

It is my understanding that they do not.

[Cary]

2. I have seen little to support your "understanding"

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-status-of-arabs-in-israel

[Big Blue Marble]

3. Have you looked for this information?

This recent article is a start. This is a complicated situation with different opinions.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/09/20/no-matter-how-many-palestinians-vote-israeli-elections-we-still-cant-win/

[Cary]

4. I have looked

It doesn't seem complicated to me: Arabs and Jews living in a flourishing democracy in peace.

I can understand why some might want it to be complicated, but that doesn't make it so. Nor does it make it complicated simply because there is dissent.

Do you have a comparable example of Jews living in relative peace in any one of those Arab states?

[Cary]

5. Thank you for at least responding

The response here disappoints me.

Please notice that I did not say that Jews in Israel were perfect. There is room for improvement. You seem to think that it somehow has to be perfect.

I listened to stories today of buses blowing up in Tel Aviv and rocket attacks. Unfortunately some mistrust of some Palestinians is well earned.

But you have not challenged my assertion that life for Arab Israeli citizens is better than that for the average Arab in any of the 22 miserable Arab nations.

I don't offer that as a testament to Jews, per se. I offer that as a testament to democracy and to peace.

[MosheFeingold]

10. I am not suprised by your post

But I am disappointed.

The truth is that Israeli Arabs (generally either Muslim or Nazarene) have full rights of Israeli citizenship.

The one exception is that they could volunteer for the IDF, but were not drafted. Many join voluntarily, however, to defend their home against the radical Islamists who run the PA. In fact, so many Nazarene Arabs joined that they petitioned (and were granted) the "right" to be drafted, just like everyone else. (The Druze Arabs always insisted on being subject to the draft.)

The Arabs, as a group, have the highest educational attainment in Israel. The Nazarene Arabs are, per capita, the wealthiest demographic in Israel. To say they outstrip their radical cousins in the PA and Jordan is the understatement of the century.

Sure, there are some bigots in each and every group. So what? That's everywhere. In the PA, the Nazarene Arabs were so religiously persecuted that most have left the PA, leaving Bethlehem as the only hold out, and it is rapidly shrinking. Certainly nothing like that is going on in Israel. Israel has wide open religious freedom and people are free to worship (or dismiss) HaShem as they see fit. There are robust laws against employment and other discrimination.

Anyway, as accused practitioners of apartheid, the Israelis are piss poor at it. The Arabs communities in Israel are flourishing.

[irisblue]

6. a big American Civic Holiday weekend might be a bit busy for people to respond

Also, have you checked out the Israel/Palestine group?

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1134



Enjoy the weekend

[Cary]

7. irisblue,

Last edited Sun Dec 1, 2019, 01:10 PM - Edit history (1)

No one is under any obligation to please me or prevent my disappointment, holiday or not. I would like some good discussion on the topic. I feel that the only response that I have so far is a straw man.

I am no expert on the subject.

[EllieBC]

8. They don't support the narrative.

People like Major Ala Wahib, the highest ranking Muslim officer in the IDF, don’t fit the narrative and therefore must be disregarded.

[Cary]

9. It seems to not fit several narratives

I have some very liberal friends whom I can only consider to he rabidly pro-Israel and they avoid this fact too.