JERUSALEM: Jewish-Arab relations in Israel are fraught with tension, and racism is part of it whether we admit it or not. Racial tension is not a product of the conflict but the latter sustains and strengthens it. Needless to say, even in places where peace dwells, racism is alive and well.
Many organizations in Israel have warned of the rise in expressions of racism by Jews towards Arabs in the past few years. The failure to adequately address this phenomenon by Israeli society as a whole and the state in particular, demonstrates why this fact should not come as a surprise.
The purpose of racism is control – preserving the privileges of the dominant group – and it demonstrates and symbolizes the oppression and negation of the “other . The dominant group maintains its control over the centers of power – public policy and decision-making – and determines the distribution of physical and even spiritual resources. This is extremely dangerous since in almost every society there is a wide range of different cultures and nations that represent the “other . Overt and covert racism exists also within Arab society where ethnic and religious identity has become key to the day-to-day running of society, to the process of accepting and rejecting those perceived as “other .
There are many reasons for Jewish racism against Arabs. Among other things, it is linked to processes that Arab society in Israel has undergone since the establishment of the state when the Arab minority found itself severed from the rest of the Palestinian people and the Arab nation. The relations between the State of Israel and its Palestinian citizens were formed in the shadow of the tensions that marked Israel’s relationship with the Arab world in general and the Palestinians in particular.
The Palestinian citizens of Israel found themselves in a complex situation where, on the one hand, they wanted to maintain their links to their people and nation, but also wished to be integrated as citizens. This was not always welcomed by the Israeli establishment or Jewish society, large parts of which were suspicious of the Arabs, and even exhibited noticeable signs of racism in both private and public life.
This dynamic has reached new records in the last few years. A report by the Association of Civil Rights in Israel from 2007 shows an increase in the expressions of racism against the Arab citizens of Israel: 55 percent want them to emigrate, 78 percent oppose their sitting in the government and 75 percent of our high school students think that they are dirty and stupid. The report also showed that in 2006 there was an increase of 26 percent in racist acts against Arabs, from verbal expressions through discriminatory policies to police violence. In light of political developments in the past year, it can be assumed that since the abovementioned research was carried out this trend has only become worse.
Many Jews view the rise in racism against the Arab citizens of Israel as a justified response to acts of solidarity by sections of the Arab public and leadership with the Palestinians in the Occupied Territories. Such acts are considered tantamount to active cooperation with the enemy. This misunderstanding of the other side shows that what one side views as natural behavior, the other side sees as unnatural and even traitorous.
It is important to mention that there are a number of organizations and individuals, Jews and Arabs alike, who promote human rights and believe that relations between Arabs and Jews should be rooted in equality and mutual respect. They work tirelessly in the struggle to overcome racism.
Although their impact on society at large is not substantial, it is important that these activities exist.
The racism within Arab society in Israel manifests itself differently from that which characterizes Arab-Jewish relations, but it too is alive and kicking – both overtly and covertly. Covert racism over the past few years has become exceedingly dangerous, especially in the eyes of people who believe in liberal values and freedom, and who must confront those whose rejection of these ideals is manifested in their outlook and way of life. Covert racism cannot be tangibly measured but it is expressed in the discourse of a society comprised of many religions and ethnicities and in the way members of this society relate to each other.
Albert Memmi, in his famous book “Racism, notes that one of the ways to deal with racism is to develop moral behavior. Most importantly, he adds, it must come “from a choice and from a place of wanting it – easier said than done, especially in the complex reality of conflict such as the Arab-Jewish situation in Israel.
Moral behavior is not hereditary but is acquired in a process which is brought to life both in informal education – at home and in the community – and in formal education, at school and in other institutions. Therefore, humanistic values and moral behavior must be imparted to all people and at an early age, both within the official educational system and at home, before racism begins to takes hold.
In addition to education, it is essential to hold joint activities for Arabs and Jews: at the public level with condemnation of all signs of racism by influential public officials; at the parliamentary and legislative level with laws against racism that are implemented in full; in the media, with a platform provided for programs about racism; and at the communal level by creating joint activities for Arabs and Jews of all ages and in all subjects with assistance from civil society organizations.
Optimism is not the sole driver of our actions, and we are not under the illusion that racism will vanish from the face of the earth, but it is in our power – in cooperation with enlightened Jews and Arabs – to decrease its level in society and to keep its damage to a minimum. And the sooner we do it the better.
Amal Abu Zeidan is active in various peace organizations and involved in educational programs that promote democratic values. He comes from the village of Maghar in the Galilee and lives in Jerusalem. This article was written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews).
