"Ugly Racism"

by **catbear** » Wed Nov 23, 2005 6:13 pm

Them "black moustaches" suffering again. Sounds like it could be an interesting read. <a href="http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article4298.shtml">electronicintifada.net/v2...4298.shtml</a> Israel's uglier face reared towards its Palestinain citizens Avigail Abarbanel, The Electronic Intifada, 17 November 2005 Susan Nathan's new book The Other Side of Israel: My Journey Across the Jewish/Arab Divide recalls her recent experience of making Aliya to Israel, claiming her right to immediate citizenship according to the Israeli law of return. Growing up in a Zionist home and having had more than one or two experiences of antisemitism, Nathan is at first enchanted with Zionism and in love with the idea of the State of Israel and what she believes it represents. However, it isn't long before that bubble bursts and she begins to see the less than ideal reality of Israel. Nathan decides to move from her comfortable apartment in Tel-Aviv to the Arab town Tamra in the Galilee. Her unique and unusual move draws a great deal of criticism and condemnation from both her English and Israeli friends (most of whom consider themselves 'leftist'). Ultimately, this decision costs her these relationships. In Tamra, Nathan finds herself in an entirely different reality. She witnesses how Palestinians who are technically citizens of Israel are treated as less than second-class citizens, living in a police state of the worst kind, not allowed to enjoy the democracy and lifestyle of their Jewish peers. Indeed, the right to live wherever one chooses was one reserved for Jews, and denied to Nathan's new Arab neighbors. Nathan catches on to the other methods that Israel uses to try to make the lives of its Palestinian citizens so unbearable that they choose to leave. The Shin Bet (Israel's internal security service) employs 'legal' and not-so-legal state means to keep all 'Israeli Arabs' under constant surveillance and basically control every aspect of their lives. Additionally, the Israeli state uses its bureaucracy to prevent Arab towns from expanding to accommodate their growing population and does everything in its power to make sure that Israeli Arabs live in conditions the rest of Israeli society would not tolerate. The Arab citizens of Israel lack even the most basic services and conditions such as housing, health, education and infrastructure that are taken for granted by Israeli Jews. Proper cinemas, restaurants, community centres, class rooms and textbooks, even proper street names or numbers, is unheard of in many towns. The lives of the Palestinian citizens of Israel are filled with a justified fear, as a result of the humiliation, deep discrimination, hopelessness, and hardship they encounter daily. Nathan finds that Israel also has designs on Palestinian identity -- educators cannot teach Palestinian history at school, only allowed to teach the content approved of by the state, usually seen only through Zionist perspective. Teachers who dare to mention anything about the Naqba (the expulsion of over 750,000 Palestinians from their land during the establishment of the State of Israel) lose their jobs and can find themselves in danger. Moreover, any appointment of a teacher in an Arab school has to be approved of by the Shin Bet. But what Nathan ultimately finds is that, without doubt, there are two states in Israel, one for Jews and one for Arabs. The state the Arabs live in is far from democratic, more akin to a vicious police state. And Nathan observes that Israeli Jews are either unaware of this or if they are, they believe that this is a state of affairs justified by 'security concerns'. Nathan's experiences bolster Dr. Uri Davis's argument that anti-Palestinian/anti-Arab racism in Israel is not only an attitude among the people but a deeply entrenched and explicit state policy. Moreover, this state-sanctioned racism is deliberately being concealed behind layers of bureaucracy and clever legislation that effectively make it invisible to the outside world. This racism is so pervasive that those who speak out against racism towards Arabs, as Nathan finds out, are branded a risk, a potential enemy. Nathan is now being treated like a traitor in Israel. Nathan is now viewed by Israeli authorities with suspicion and when she travels in and out of the country she is treated similarly as many of her Palestinian friends - as though she was a potential threat to state security. Nathan's sober stories prove beyond doubt that Israel is no more a democracy than the former Apartheid South Africa was -- a democracy for one select section of the population and an abusive and oppressive police state for the other.

by **israelirealities** » Wed Nov 23, 2005 7:35 pm

say that again. Was just reading a thread in Israel about the plight of the Bedouins (Arab semi nomadic moslem minority in Israel). I was involved in their situation around 15 years ago, nothing changed only got worse. but let's face it, nobody is going to do anything about the regime in Israel, as long as the US of A is interested to keep it this way. While reading about the long overdue and happy arrest of Pinochet tonight by a court in Chile, I thought again about the price societies paid for US "cold war" policies. Countries chosen as "Strategic assets" or frontiers, in their region were messed up from bottom to top. It usually came in the form of creating the conditions of a military, right wing fascist regime, answering only to the masters in DC, and who gives a shit of the citizens of the 'asset' are oppressed ? Chile is barely recovering, and Israel is not even half way there...it will take decades to undo the damage, and dismantle the structures of domination (usually via total corruption of said society). Naturally, those at the very bottom, suffer more. Rest assure, though catbear, that nobody here is having a ball, except the comprador class, very thin layer of coopted american stooges. The writer of this book is an an immigrant so naturally she would be less perceptive with regards to the injustices perpetrated against jews as well (the poor, the minorities, and mainly the duty to become a life-time soldier one way or the other, or serve as a sniffing dog for American military interests, if not outright guineapigs.). Jews who immigrate to Israel from affluent countries are totally blind to this problem, and their status here, among the JEws is by far higher than any indigenous ISraeli Jew. They have dual citizenship and the support, degrees, education, money, family, options in the USA or other country of origin (which here is looked up to the peak of desired culture and location). THis is an elite, and so naturally she would be more receptive to the plights of Arabs, so as to distance herself from her role as oppressor within her own community. (jews). Edited by: <A HREF=http://p216.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition.showUserPublicProfile?gid=israelirealities@rigorousintuition>israelirealities</A> at: 11/23/05 4:42 pm

by **catbear** » Wed Nov 23, 2005 7:51 pm

Hopefully, spelt right. A few years ago had a pleasant few days playing backgammon against young Israelis and local people. Never like the questioning tone and manner when leaving israel. Always remember one question...have you spoke to any arabs.? Mind you. Jerusalem is important for someone. !!

by **catbear** » Wed Nov 23, 2005 7:54 pm

Thanks for your reply. From ...Catbear, etc

"Ugly Racism"

"Ugly Racism"

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