Three problems, only one of which can be mentioned

Israel faces

  1. Physical threats from Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria, Iran, etc.
  2. A political decision made in the US that the Palestinians may not be defeated, and
  3. A growing internal threat:

Arabs demonstrate in Umm el-Fahm(IsraelNN.com) Several thousand Arabs led by Arab nationalist Knesset members participated in a procession through the Israeli city of Umm el-Fahm near Megiddo Tuesday evening. The demonstration was held in protest of Israeli military operations in Gaza and involved incidents of rock throwing at Israeli cars.

The crowd chanted “Israel, the mother of terror” and held a sign that read “Stop the Zionazi” in English. Additional slogans were “Rest, O martyr, we will complete the task,” “Warm blessings to the rock children,” as well as the standard “With blood and spirit, we will redeem Palestine.” The participants held Syrian and PLO flags. Some of them covered their faces with keffiyehs, or traditional headdresses, in the manner of terrorist thugs.

Arab Knesset members from several factions spoke to the crowd and reviled Israel for what they called “the massacre in Gaza.” The speakers also justified the rocket fire on Israel and insisted it was a reaction to Israeli actions.

For some reason, it is considered irresponsible for an Israeli politician to mention problems no. 2 or no. 3 above.

It’s forbidden to protest against US interference in Israeli policy — interference which always comes about to prevent the final defeat of Israel’s enemies — whether it’s Egypt and Syria in 1973, the PLO in 1982 or Hamas today. This intervention is always done in the name of peace, but in fact leads to continued war. The dependency on the US has gone far beyond what’s healthy, and as US interests are perceived to diverge from those of Israel, the consequences for Israel grow worse. The growing rapprochement between the US and Iran is an example.

And it’s forbidden to mention the disquieting fact that a large proportion of “Israeli Arabs” are disloyal to the Jewish state that they live in. Not that this is surprising (for many reasons), but it is a fact and a fact that will become significant in the event of a wider war. But anyone who says this is accused of racism, of wanting to complete the nakba or to commit genocide.

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One Response to “Three problems, only one of which can be mentioned”

  1. Shalom Freedman says:

    The Arab minority in Israel refuses to be a normal minority loyal to the state. Its representatives in the Knesset work in the interest of the enemies of Israel. The crowds in Umm-el – Fahm chanting in support of ‘Hamas’ are an indication of where the heart of a good share of this community is.
    The effort to give this group more power within the Jewish state is a mistaken one. The answer has to be some kind of separation.