OPINION
The Palestinians Of Israel
NECHEMIA MEYERS
Israel Correspondent
INIC
ost Jewish citizens of
Israel can't understand
why Israeli Arabs are
so manifestly unhappy
about their situation. After all, Jews
note, Arabs living in Israel enjoy a
higher standard of living and a
greater freedom than their brethren
in neighboring nations.
Moreover, few if any of them
would voluntarily move from Israel
to a future Palestinian state, or any
other Arab country, for that matter.
So, the average citizen of Tel Aviv or
Haifa asks, what are they complain-
ing about?
They are complaining because
they are not comparing themselves
to citizens of Cairo or Damascus,
but to residents of the affluent Jew-
ish communities near where they
live. Take, for example, the Arab
towns of Tira and Taibe, on the one
hand, and the adjoining Jewish
towns of Kfar Saba and Raanana, on
the other. In the former, sewage
runs through the streets, many of
which are poorly paved or not paved
at all. The latter boast proper sewage
systems and well-paved streets, as
well as malls and cultural amenities.
There is far less of a divergence
where schools are concerned. Arab
educational facilities have advanced
enormously in recent years, to the
extent that many Arab schools are
better built and equipped than Jew-
In these circumstances, Arab
teachers, as well as their pupils, are
far from being "Israeli patriots."
And it is not chance that one of the
foci of the recent disturbances in
Umm al-Fahm, following the expro-
priation of Arab land, was the local
high school.
Umm al-Fahm is altogether a
problematic community, where
Israeli authorities are concerned. It is
ruled by the Islamic Movement,
which openly talks about a possible
Intifada within Israel's borders. And
together with most more-moderate
Arabs, the Islamists no longer call
themselves Israeli Arabs. They are
Long-term
understanding
is necessary
to achieve
long-term
peace.
ish schools. This I heard from a
leading Arab educator,
who recalled that, in the
`50s when he went to
high school, he chose a
Hebrew-language Jewish
Zouheir Bahloul is probably Israel's
school, despite his limit-
most popular sportscaster, and certainly
ed knowledge of Hebrew,
the one who speaks the best Hebrew.
because there were only a
Both of these things are notable consid-
handful of Arab secondry
ering that Bahloul is an Arab.
schools. Now, he added,
A recent TV documentary showed
there are more than 500.
how Bahloul always finds himself in
Moreover, teachers in
midfield., whether at a soccer match or
Arab schools tend to be
in Israeli society. Though he sent his
on a higher level than
own children to Jewish schools, he calls
those in Jewish schools,
himself a Palestinian and finds it impos-
mainly because Arab uni-
sible to celebrate Israel Independence
versity graduates have
Day. For the very event that brought
fewer alternative employ-
freedom to the Jews sent many of his
ment opportunities than
relatives into exile.
Jewish alumni. The rea-
One of the most moving segments of
son: defense-related
this documentary showed what hap-
offices and industries are
closed to Arabs.
Palestinians who happen to be living
in Israel.
So far, very few of those "Pales-
tinians" have actually betrayed their
Jewish fellow citizens. But just last
month, a resident of Jeser-el Zarka,
south of Haifa, was caught at the
edge of the Gaza Strip while waiting
to pick up two suicide bombers
who, had they not been arrested,
would have wrecked havoc in Tel
Aviv or Jerusalem.
If a long-term understanding is
reached between Israelis and Pales-
tinians, such incidents aren't likely
to recur. If not, they will recur —
with increasing frequency. _O
Caught In The Middle
pened when Bahloul went to cover a
soccer game in Jerusalem only a day
after a terrorist attack in Tel Aviv left a
dozen Jews dead or wounded.
In that game, Betar Jerusalem (whose
fans are very right-wing) was playing
Hapoel Taibe (an Arab team). As might
have been expected in the atmosphere
that prevailed after the attack, Betar
supporters kept crying out: "Death to
the Arabs, death to the Arabs."
Yet after the game, the Betar
Jerusalem fans gathered around Bahloul
with the greatest of friendliness.
Strange as it may seem, they manage to
hate Arabs and love Bahloul at the same
time.
LITTERS
were all Jews. Arab nationalism pro-
claimed "One Arab People." Arabs
considered it an insult to be called
"Palestinian."
In 1870, when the modern return
of Jews to their national homeland
began, all reports told how Palestine
was ruined and desolate — virtually
an empty land. Jerusalem, then a
community of hovels, was the largest
town with far more Jews than Mus-
lims and Christians. Jews brought
life to the desolation. With their
hard work, they cleared stony fields,
drained the deadly malaria-infested
swamps and reforested rocky slopes.
As Jews revived the land with their
loving care, Arabs flocked in to
enjoy the benefits of the Jewish
development of Palestine.
In 1948, Arab armies invaded,
killing 6,200 Jewish men, women and
11/13
1998
34 Detroit Jewish News
children. But Israel somehow survived.
Jews then abandoned the name "Pales-
tinians" and become "Israelis."
In 1967, Arab states tried once
again to destroy Israel and failed. It
was after that that Arabs who do not
accept the right of Israel to exist
assumed the "Palestinian people" des-
ignation.
We have to start telling it like it is.
They are not "Palestinians." They are
Arabs and they have many homelands.
Hymie Cutler
Director
Michigan Committee for a Safe Israel
Name Choices
Cause For Pride
Elliott Shevin's article "Unprepared
For Mary Elizabeth Doyle" (Oct. 30),
which recounts the trials and tribula-
tions he has to endure because of his
children's Hebrew names — "strange"
names such as Avraham, Tova, Yehu-
dah or Amichai — strikes a familiar
chord.
My son Alon, a New York attorney,
was often called by the more under-
standable name Alan, or at best it was
pronounced "Alahn." So what do you
do?
You patiently and proudly explain
the name and origin and instruct as to
how it should be pronounced, and it
works. But this is nothing in compari
son to what my son Udi or Ehud has
to endure. For Udi, most people
understandably substitute Yoodi or
Yoodai; for Ehud, it is mostly Eehand
by people not familiar with this beau-
tiful biblical name which is quite
famous in Israel.
So my learned advice to Mr.
Shevin, who gave his seven children
seven Hebrew names — albeit the
names Shayna and Basha are debat-
able as Hebrew names - is to be
patient.
As to the interpretation of Shayna
to mean "sleep," it is clever and cute,
but grammatically incorrect. In the
word Sheinah, the accent is on the last
syllable, whereas in Shayna the accent
is on the first syllable, which makes it
a Yiddish name after all (not that
there's anything wrong with it in
America).
Despite the sometimes inconve-
nience, Hebrew names are very impor-
tant to Jewish identity and the pride
of being Jewish, and they are definitely
worth the trouble.
Rachel Kapen
West Bloomfield