4 | JANUARY 4 • 2024
A
fter Hamas’ onslaught
on Oct. 7 when they
killed at least 1,200
Israelis and
kidnapped over
250 people, and
in the midst of
the devastating
war we are cur-
rently seeing
in the Gaza
Strip, many
have feared another escalation
in violence between Israel’s
Jewish and Arab citizens in
Israel proper.
Indeed, after the violence
we saw in Israel’s Jewish-Arab
mixed cities during the Gaza
war in May 2021, one may
have assumed that we would
see another outbreak of ethnic
violence between Jews and
Arabs in Israel. However, after
three months of war, not only
has the relationship between
Israel’s Jewish and Arab citi-
zens been one of the few
arenas of relative calm in
Israeli society, but we are
actually witnessing a historic
desire for a renewed coexis-
tence between them.
Shortly after Hamas’ attack
on Oct. 7, a poll conducted by
the Israel Democracy Index
(IDI) found that roughly 70%
of Israel’s Arab citizens said
they feel they are a part of
the State of Israel — an all-
time high in the last 20 years.
In addition, a poll conducted
by the Konrad Adenauer
Program for Jewish-Arab
Cooperation at Tel-Aviv
University revealed that more
than one-third of Israel’s Arab
citizens said that “Israeli” is
the most important part of
their personal identity — the
highest it’s ever been.
At the same time, polls
indicate an increased desire
among Israel’s Jewish citi-
zens to create a more equally
shared society with their Arab
counterparts. For example,
another recent poll conducted
by the IDI found that 56% of
Israel’s Jewish citizens want
to amend Israel’s controversial
nation-state law that was
passed in 2018, “so that it
includes the principles of
full equality for non-Jewish
citizens of the state.”
These statistics may come
as a pleasant surprise after the
PURELY COMMENTARY
for openers
Happy (?) Ending
A
nyone who is aware
of word structure
(and you know that
I am) should notice that there
are some common endings
that manifest
themselves. Let
me educate you
by giving some
examples.
Never under-
estimate how far
someone would
go to partici-
pate in criminal
activity. There are those who
prevaricate so often that you
begin to speculate as to their
trustworthiness.
Want to terminate some-
one? You may try to decapitate
or asphyxiate them. If you are
unsuccessful, they may try to
retaliate in a way that you may
not calculate. Never under-
estimate the lengths that some
may go to for revenge. No one
will congratulate you but they
may try to incarcerate you.
If you wish to purchase
something at a fair, you may
negotiate. The seller will con-
template your offer, anticipate
his profit and facilitate a com-
promise. Selling an item to
you may stimulate more sales.
Be sure to authenticate any
antique.
If you feel that you have a
latent talent, create something.
If it takes planning, meditate a
while; this may dictate a pos-
itive result. Emancipate your
latent talent. Do not get irate
if results are not quickly forth-
coming. If your anger does not
abate, this will alter your cre-
ativity. By the way, no one will
appreciate temper tantrums.
Anyone who tries to indoc-
trinate you should be avoided.
Do not try to debate them;
it will only aggravate you
both. You may then start to
hyperventilate, accelerate your
heart rate and do other phys-
ical damage. Your opponent
will not commiserate, merely
demonstrate his insensitivity
and abdicate any responsibili-
ty for your condition.
I would like to accommo-
date your submissions for
many of the words you feel I
neglected. However, I would
need to have someone sedate
me to read them all; so do not
activate your email system. I
will, however, leave you with a
riddle. Why was six afraid of
seven? Because seven ate nine,
of course.
SY
MANELLO
Editorial
Assistants
opinion
New Hope for a Shared
Arab-Jewish Future
Jonah Naghi
Times of
Israel
continued on page 8