|
bAnd again: “The Arab is tied intimately to the Arab world bthat surrounds him—in language, culture, religion, family, na- btion, and politics. Does this minority identify with Israel? bAbsolutely not! And we dare not expect him to.” bFinally. Finally, one hears plain, honest truth. Finally, one bexpects to hear plain, honest solutions. Sharon continues: b“Once and for all we must begin a serious, deep, and ongoing bapproach to solving the cardinal problems of the Israeli Arabs.” bDare we hope? b“The objective is to educate an Arab citizen who is law- babiding, proud of his culture, and able to be absorbed into Is- braeli society. We must teach the Arab youngster more Hebrew bso as to be absorbed into a position. We must develop in bhim a positive attitude toward creative work. . . .” bOne hardly knows whether to laugh or to cry. bThere is hardly any difference between Labor and Likud. bBegin’s new deputy prime minister, Simha Erlich, set off on Jan- buary 4, 1980, to meet the Arabs of the Jewish state. In Nazareth, bheart of the Arab Rakah (Communist Party) and PLO forces in bIsrael, he told his audience: “I promise you that the government bsees in you a dear, loyal, and important community for the State bof Israel.” He proved this at a symposium in Tel Aviv on March b20, 1980, on the subject of the “developing Arab village,” proud- bly boasting: “Within one and a half years all the Arab villages bin Israel will be connected to the electric grid.” bPerhaps the most depressing statement of all was the one bmade by the chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and De- bfense Committee, Moshe Arens, a staunch member of Begin’s bHerut Party, who told a seminar (June 5, 1980) of his views on bJewish-Arab coexistence. “We must,” he said, “develop a prop- berly pluralistic society where Jew and Arab are equal in every re- bspect, including career opportunities. Life in Israel’s democracy bshould be made sufficiently attractive to deter the Arabs from bwanting to secede.” It seemed that the madness of blindness had bstruck down even one of the brighter Israeli figures. Labor, bLikud; there is little difference. bIf whom G-d would destroy He first makes mad, the bAlmighty must be exceedingly angry with His people. The fran- btic and frenetic search for a “solution” to a problem that is in- bdeed a cancer in our body politic leads to suggestions and com- b
|
|