|
bvillages, succeeded in transforming the entire social, economic, band political structure of Arab life, at a cost of more than $50 bmillion. Electricity was brought to almost every village, along bwith water and sewerage. New roads, houses, and clinics went bup. Agriculture was revolutionized as the irrigated areas were bexpanded, especially in the villages of the Little Triangle along bthe Mekorot pipeline. New water sources were developed, old bsprings restored, and pipes laid to the individual villages. bLong-term loans and easy terms for agriculture were made bavailable, and as a result mechanization developed rapidly. bTractors and combines replaced the old wooden plow and bdonkey and promoted the transition from subsistence to market bcrops. Israelis taught Arab farmers the latest methods of farm- bing, diversification of crops, and land conservation. The Arab bstandard of living skyrocketed. bEasy credit and other government help saw a spectacular brise in new, spacious stone homes, equipped with modern sani- btation, running water, gas cookers, refrigerators, and television bsets. Close to 90 percent of all Arabs have electric lighting, and bevery village now is blessed with paved roads and easy access to bthe national highway system. Life was made better than the Ar- babs had ever dreamed, thanks to Jewish money and efforts. And bthe inevitable happened. bThe rapid economic change that joined the educational ad- bvances brought about a social revolution. The difference between bthe young Arab and his parents is not measured in years but in bcenturies. The rural revolution sharply weakened the old feudal bstructure, as young Arabs were now able to apply for loans bthemselves and were no longer dependent on either fathers or bhamullas. In addition, the sharp rise in living standards only bbrought forth rising expectations, whetting both the economic band political appetites, so that the young Israeli Arab stands like bsome modern-day Oliver Twist, facing his Jewish “benefactor” band demanding: more! bIsraeli economic and educational advancement also led to a bmajor social change—the rapid growth of the number of Arabs bwho daily leave their villages to work in Jewish towns and cities bas well as the steady growth of an urban Arab population, with ball the radicalism that this implies. bIt is the town and city that produce unrest. Revolution, b
|
|