Louis Proyect writes: >> David B. Shemano wrote: >> > Is there any evidence that there are a meaningful number of >> > Jews and Arabs that have any desire to live as equal citizens >> > in a democratic secular state in which neither Jews nor Arabs >> > have a power majority? Where is the historical evidence that >> > such a state in the region could be successful? >> >> Actually Jews lived amicably with Arabs before the state of Israel >> got created (in fact they were Arab Jews and frequently spoke >> Arabic). Here's an Iraqi Jew's take on the tragedy of the creation >> of this state that led to the expulsion of the Palestinians as >> well as the expulsion of Arab Jews from their homeland:
To the extent true, Jews lived as tolerated tiny minority in a pre-modern society. It never would have occurred to an Iraqi Arab that Jews should be treated as equal members of the society, that Jews should exercise political power over Arabs, etc.. That dynamic is entirely distinct from the present post-enlightenment view of equality under the law, meritocracy, social mobility, etc. The Israeli Jews would probably be happy to treat Israeli Arabs as Jews were treated in Arab countries -- a tiny minority tolerated as long as they kept their mouths shut and heads low. Why do think such a dynamic is acceptable in 1945 Iraq but nonacceptably racist in 2010 Israel? David Shemano _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
