Chutzpa of the Week…writes Michael Kuttner
Another example of naïve Israelis being treated as idiots by those with whom they keep hoping will become peace partners occurred in Jerusalem this week.
Michael Kuttner
The Prague forum, a grassroots initiative launched in February to bring together Israelis and Palestinian Arabs in support of the two state solution heard an address given by Muhammad All-Madani, “Chief Coordinator with Israeli society for PA President Mahmoud Abbas. If those Israelis present, who included two members of the Knesset, expected to hear endearing words of praise they would have been sorely disappointed indeed. What they heard was another diatribe of lies delivered by one of the PA President’s close colleagues. In what has become almost a daily ritual the representative of our misnamed peace partners indulged in yet another orgy of accusations against Israel which has no basis in fact but thanks to the media will now join other such statements in the media blogosphere.
Madani rebuffed the Israeli demand to recognize Israel as the Jewish state with a scathing critique of Israel’s treatment of its Arab citizens.
Here is what he said:
“Any Israeli talk of peace with the Palestinians remains hollow… as long as the governing institution in Israel fails in weaving correct, healthy, straight and just relations with its Palestinian Arab citizens,” “Israel cannot claim that it aspires to reach peace with its Arab neighbors at a time it continues to suppress its Palestinian citizens and treats them as if they are third- or fourth-class citizens.”
He also dismissed Israel’s concerns about security and rejected any Israeli presence in the Jordan Valley or anywhere else in territory claimed by the PA. It is his statement about Israel’s Arab citizens however to which I want to draw your attention. Please note that he describes the Arab minority who are full Israeli citizens as “Palestinian Arabs”. This is no mere slip of the tongue. It is in fact a red warning flag which needs to be challenged. By describing these Israeli citizens as Palestinian Arabs he is preparing the ground for a future further claim against the Jewish State which he and his boss have no intention of recognizing.
In effect what is happening here is that the PA by claiming that Israel’s Arab citizens are in fact Palestinian Arabs can and will at some stage demand that the areas where they live must become part of “Palestine”. Some of the current Arab members of Knesset already claim they are Palestinian Arabs and no doubt there are others who also agree with this definition.
This then raises another question. If in fact Israeli Arabs are being treated as third or fourth class citizens, why has there not been a mass movement of these allegedly down trodden individuals to the Garden of Eden which presumably exists in the Palestinian Authority and Gaza? Why, when it was suggested that in a peace arrangement areas inhabited by Israeli Arabs could be transferred to PA control in exchange for land annexed to Israel, was there an uproar and outrage on the part of those likely to be affected?
The answer of course is very simple. There would be hardly any Arab Israeli citizens who would want to exchange their access to first class health care, education, employment and democratic rights for the dubious privilege of what currently exists in either the PA, Gaza or any other Arab State in our region. They know only too well where they are better off and where civil liberties, human rights and the rule of law are guaranteed.
The lies trotted out by those to whom we are urged to make more gestures know no bounds. It has become a regular ritual. The sad part is that there are still people who are so deluded that no matter how many lies are forthcoming, how many false accusations are made and how many times they are spat on, their inability to learn the obvious lessons makes one wonder what parallel universe they inhabit. Like battered spouses they keep on going back for more and when the inevitable assault occurs instead of learning their lesson they instead ignore or belittle the facts.
The other culprits in this continuing farce are the media and international community who ignore this ongoing hate incitement and demonization. The end result is that the mud sticks and we have to deal with the lethal consequences.
The runner up prize for chutzpa of the week goes to Navi Pillay, the UN Human Rights Commissioner. At yet another meeting of the UN Human Rights Council the rest of the world’s many human rights abuses were ignored and the focus as usual turned on Israel. She issued the usual condemnation of Israel, accusing settlement activity of violating “the entire spectrum of Palestinians’ social, cultural, civil and political rights.” She deplored rocket fire from Gaza but then in the same breath condemned Israel for “excessive” responses.
Missing from the whole meeting was any mention of PA hate incitement and glorification of terrorists, the misuse of donor funds to pay terrorists and their families’ annual stipends and the gross violations of human rights occurring on a daily basis throughout the Arab world. Israel had for a short while refused to participate in the farcical antics of this misnamed body but after pressure from “friends” who promised a more balanced approach, re-engaged with it. What a waste of time this turned out to be as the misnamed human rights council once more identified Israel as the source of most of the evil in the Middle East and the world.
Ho hum – business as usual. Time to expose their hypocrisy once again. Will we do that or meekly continue to swallow the abuse hurled our way?
Michael Kuttner is a Jewish New Zealander who for many years was actively involved with various communal organisations connected to Judaism and Israel. He now lives in Israel and is J-Wire’s correspondent in the region.
