http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/922234.html
Last update - 09:50 09/11/2007
All in favor
By Jessica Balaban
tags: Israel, Arabs, civil rights
With so many Jewish and other Israeli issues needing to be addressed, why
should world Jewry rally to the aid of Israeli Arabs?
The answer is two-fold. First, our tradition teaches that all who reside
within the Jewish state should be accorded dignity, respect and equality.
Second, the security of the Jewish state requires that it normalize the
situation of, and its relationship with, its Arab citizens. Islamic extremism
is sweeping across the Middle East. The thought of an Israeli Arab population
that is inspired by and pledges allegiance to religious groups like Hamas or
Hezbollah should be enough to make the need for change clear within Israel.
Israeli Arabs, if accorded full civil rights, can be a positive bridge between
Israel and her neighbors. It is not only the right thing to do, it is a thing
we believe Israel must do. Israel's future depends on it.
There are nearly 1.2 million Israeli Arabs living in Israel, representing
20 percent of the population. Relative to their fellow Jewish citizens, they
face clear differences in quality of life, including discrepancies in life
expectancy, infant mortality, education, access to employment and standards of
living. These are indisputable differences that call for intervention by the
government and equalization of civic services.
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The Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues, a coalition of more
than 70 Jewish organizations, was officially formed in January 2006 to educate
American Jews about Jewish-Arab relations in Israel. This educational
initiative arises out of deep-rooted support for the Jewish state's right to a
secure, healthy and peaceful existence, with social and political equality for
all its citizens, as guaranteed in Israel's Declaration of Independence. We are
led by major mainstream organizations, which include the American Jewish Joint
Distribution Committee, the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies, the
Anti-Defamation League, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish
Organizations, the New Israel Fund and UJA-Federation of New York. Our
membership ranges from the Orthodox Union to the Union for Reform Judaism and
includes 26 foundations, 19 federations and UJC. We have conducted meetings
with our Foundation Forum and a Federation Forum will be launched at this
year's UJC General Assembly (GA). These forums gather like minds to study the
issues and search for effective solutions. UJC, with support from the Task
Force, added an additional workshop session to this year's program on
federation involvement in the Israeli Arab arena. Additionally, at the GA, UJC
will give exposure to its new Venture Fund for Jewish-Arab Equality and
Co-existence in Israel, whose aim will be to leverage collaborative, strategic
investments among funders in this area.
Task Force activities include educating the American Jewish community on
majority-minority relations in Israel by way of national and international
conferences, study tours to Israel, and distribution of educational materials -
all being done in partnership with our Israeli colleagues, Jewish and Arab, who
are devoted to strengthening the fabric of Israeli life. The topic increasingly
appears on the agenda of national board meetings, in synagogue and college
visits to Israel, and in discussion forums among our members.
This knowledge has translated into increased funding for economic,
educational and social service initiatives in Israel. All of these developments
symbolize a shift in American Jewry's recognition of the necessity for Israel
to address the basic needs of its Arab minority. Task Force members have the
support of the Government of Israel as well as the Jewish Agency, which
partnered with the Abraham Fund, a Task Force member, after last summer's war
with Lebanon, on a program to increase the number of Jewish students learning
spoken Arabic in Jewish schools, so as to bridge gaps of culture and fear.
We recognize that Israel has a host of priorities - Qassam rockets
hitting Sderot, long strikes in the educational system, and poverty, just to
cite a few. However, the Task Force remains concerned about the situation of
Israeli Arabs. After the violent riots in northern Israel in October 2000, the
government pledged to make elimination of inequality between Jewish and Arab
citizens, and of discrimination against the latter, a top national priority.
These recommendations have yet to be implemented. The recent events in Peki'in,
however, remind us that the issue of majority-minority relations in Israel is
still bubbling beneath the surface. Until the inequalities are corrected, a
major foundation stone of the State of Israel will not be stable.
This is not a right-wing or left-wing issue. Member organizations
recognize the need for the Arab citizens of Israel not only to benefit but also
to contribute and participate in strengthening the fabric of Israeli society.
Israel's treatment of its minority population is an issue of Jewish values and
the Jewish majority must see equality for Israeli Arabs as an issue of
immediate and significant importance, regardless of ideological or political
beliefs.
We are partners with Israel in great and challenging times. Most
importantly, we are partners in striving to ensure the well-being of all the
people of Israel, and the future of Israel as a Jewish state.
Jessica Balaban is the executive director of the Inter-Agency Task Force
on Israeli Arab Issues (www.IAtaskforce.org ).
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