Frida0111. L9ig 53
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Populous Arabs a Threat to Israel's Future
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ZOA to Sponsor
Fall Conference
in Miami Beach
NEW YORK (JTA) —
e Zionist Organization of
America is sponsoring a Na-
tional Jewish Leadership
Conference on American-
Israeli Relations held -in
Miami Beach, Fla., October
24-28.
ZOA president Ivan J.
Novick said the conference
would be an "opportunity to
draw together concerned,
responsible leaders of the
academic, lay and profes-
sional communities" to "re-
view and assess issues that
affect America-Israel rela-
tions and relations between
Israel and its Arab
neighbors."
By ALON BEN-MEIR.
From my recent conver-
sations with several demog-
raphic experts and some
government officials in Is-
rael, it appears that the fear
that Israel may lose its
Jewish majority and therby
its Jewish identity is becom-
ing more and more realistic.
There are a number of
factors that make this pros-
pect more likely — and
hence more troubling — as
time goes on. The immigra-
tion of Jews to Israel has de-
creased to only few
thousand annually, while
emigration from Israel has
increased it is estimated
that during the last two de-
cades more than 400,000
have left Israel. This trend,
compounded with a low
birth rate (1.8 per 1,000 per
year) and liberal abortion
laws has taken a large
chunk of Israel's potential
population. (Some one mil-
lion abortions have been
performed during the last
two decades alone.)
While some of the prob-
lems can be more easily
corrected than others, it
seems abundantly clear
to most demographic ob-
servers in Israel that un-
less the government
moves swiftly and de-
vises workable and effi-
cient remedies to the
situation, Israel will in-
advertently start the
process of losing its
Jewish identity - and
thereby; its raison d'etre.
Surely, from a strictly
moral point of view there is
nothing wrong with a demo-
cratic secular state in which
all inhabitants live peace-
fully with each other. The
situation in Israel, however,
is quite different and the
prospect is extremely peril-
ous.
Israel was created for' the
persecuted Jews, for the op-
pressed and the diainher-
ited. If Israel is to remain a
haven for those Jews who
might be expelled from
their respective countries in
the future, it must remain a
Jewish state, it must main-
tain its Jewish orientation
and identity.
The question is not
strictly one of morality. To
provide a home for perse-
cuted JeWs is moral and is
right. But for the state of•Is-
rael to maintain the highest
code of morality and human
rights it must follow policies
that would not compel fu-
ture generations of Israelis
to resort to repression in
order to maintain the
Jewish identity of their
state.
In the final analysis, a
Jewish majority is relevant
only when compared to the
Arab Palestinian popula-
tion living within Israel it-
self or in the administered
territories.
If the Israeli government
cannot sustain a constant
flow of Jewish immigrants
to Israel while discouraging
Israelis from emigrating,
and if Israel does not turn
its immediate attention to
the severe social and eco-
nomic gaps and provide
more far-reaching incen-
tives for larger families, and
finally, if the government
fails to devise policies that
would inhibit additional
•
The question is whether
trict who, in accordance
with the right of free option, , the Begin government can
choose Israeli citizenship, afforcl , r,0 take a risk based
will be entitled to vote for, on the a‘s.nriPtion that the
and be elected to, the Knes- Arab Pales4nians will con.
set in accordance with the sistently refuse to acc e pt l&
rael's sovereign existence in
election law."
If the Palestinian resi- any form.
On the • Other hand, the
dents of the region accept
this provision, this could Palestinians may very well
conceivably within a short adopt "the silent and no
period of time shift the de- violent path4o ,Amb
mographic ratio between tory-a-Ad temporarily put
the Jews and the Arabs to aside their national pride in
60-40, respectively. Most favor of this long-range
demographers are of the prospect — a prospect that
view that the Arabs will could lead to the creation of
clearly move toward a a secular state in which the
majority by 1990 if the cur- Arab Palestinians retain a
rent trends of the Jewish majority and of which ever*
demographic posture con- the PLO has been a staunch .
advocate.
tinue.
.
.
IS THE TIME TO
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Russian Arsenal
WASHINGTON — Rus-
sia has reportedly spent up
to $4 billion in Libya in the
past year, replacing 2,000
tanks with new mode,ls,
building two giant airfields
and other military installa-
tions.
According to the Foreign
Report of the London
Economist, Russia's arsenal
in Libya ranks only behind
the weapons build-up on her
Chinese and European bor-
ders.
Arab Palestinians from be-
coming full-fledged Israelis
without discrimination and
oppression, Israel will not
'remain a state for the Jews
as envisioned by its Creator.
Any autonomy plan that
offers the Arab Palestinians
Israeli citizenship with
equal rights including the
right to vote and to be
elected to public office will
be nothing less than na-
tional suicide — at least
from the viewpoint of
Jewish identity.
Provision Number 16 of
the Self-Rule Plan submit-
ted by Prime Minister
Begin provides that the
"Residents of Judaea,
_ Samaria and the Gaza Es-
Gentlemen:
Please insert my New Yedr Greeting
and Family
Mr. and Mrs.
Address
City
State
Check Enclosed (circle one) $7.50 — $12.50 — $17.50 —
°
IN=
Zip Code ........ -
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