Friday, February 14 th, 2000
Dear Friends,
Happy Valentine's Day -- weird as that always sounded since St. Valentine was a Christian priest who was executed for performing a Christian marriage in pagan Rome before Rome became Christian. The love motif is said to have come from the letters he exchanged with the blind daughter of his jailor. St. Valentine's skull can be seen in Rome, and I have seen it. Not very pretty. This year, the celebration of love seems even more out of place than usual.
ISRAELI-ARAB DIALGOUE
Dialogue always develops slowly and, here, perhaps more slowly than elsewhere. It has taken me a long time to get as far as I have. So, a few comments but please bear in mind that these are my own impressions.
First, it seems to me that there are two Palestinian populations here: those who live on the West Bank and Gaza, and those who live in Israel. Jews call them "Palestinians" and "Israeli Arabs" respectively. I very rarely get to meet West Bank Palestinians. The one time I had the opportunity -- at the IEA retreat at Tantur -- I left too early and, while I reported in my last letter that there was little dialogue, a friend who was there to the end wrote me that there was a lot of sharing and dialogue but only at the end, which is usually true in dialogue groups.
The group I meet with monthly in Nazareth under the auspices of Yesodot is composed of Jewish and Arab Israeli educators and provides me with extended dialogue. The latter see themselves, I think, as "local Palestinians who were born and live in Israel." At our February meeting we had some real dialogue. The Israeli-Arabs see themselves as very rooted to the land, to the place where they and their families have lived for generations. When asked about living in an avowedly Jewish state, they respond quite openly and consistently that they don't mind being a minority. They understand that the Jews need, and have, a state and that they are a minority in it. What they object to is the discrimination. As a group, we cannot explore each case but, as a group, we can hear their stories. I wrote down the following:
(1) Employment: Palestinian Arabs do not serve in the army for security reasons but, when filling out employment forms (for Home Center for example), one must always give one's army status. When they fill it out, they are identified right away as Arabs, though often the name, village, and accent give that away, and they are denied jobs. The man next to me told us about his son in his twenties who cannot get a job even at a gas station because of discrimination.
(2) Public services: Building permits are hard to get but they see buildings going up for new Jewish immigrants all the time. Similarly, electric lines are run to Jewish settlements quickly while Arab villages wait for years. Ditto on roads, budgets for school renovation, etc. Cases in court are delayed in favor of Jewish cases.
(3) Land and water: In a localized economy and in a culture where land counts a great deal, these are crucial issues. We have heard two cases of people in our group whose land has been expropriated by the state at very low rates of compensation for use in building new immigrant towns. This means that what has been confiscated is not a small right of way but a large tract of land that has been in the family for generations and on which the family was counting for building a house or houses for the younger generation. This is very painful and a source of a great deal of anger and helplessness.
(4) Personal harrassment: Israeli Arabs are routinely stopped by police on the streets of Tel Aviv and elsewhere, asked for identification, and questioned. Sometimes they are threatened by armed officers. This is personally degrading, though they understand that it may be necessary.
(5) Miscellaneous: There was a study recently that showed that Israeli Arabs pay more interest on loans than Jews. Also, not all those who want to go to the University can do so and, when there, some areas such as aeronautical engineering are closed to them for security reasons. Also, archaeological sites that stress the Muslim presence in Palestine are routinely taken down to get to the stages beneath which are more important to Jewish history, and those left standing are poorly marked and not on the standard tourist trips.
This is a long list and it is by no means complete. Some of it may be only perceived; other parts of it are too real. However, generally, the feeling of Israeli Arabs is that they are citizens of the State. They pay taxes, follow the prescribed education rules, get car licenses, etc. and feel themselves loyal -- not as a matter of Zionist ideological commitment but as law-abiding residents with identity cards. However, they feel discriminated against; they do not feel equal. They do not want to be a majority and firmly reject the idea that every Arab family must outproduce Jewish families in babies so that they will eventually be able to be the majority and dominate the Jewish state. Nor do they want to move to whatever Palestinian state is eventually established; their tie is to the locality where they live. As near as I can tell, Israeli Arabs just want to be citizens of the Israeli state, though not as gung-ho Zionists, but also to get what is due them in equal measure. As an American Jew and as a person with ties to the civil rights movement, a lot of this sounded very familiar.
The Israelis in the group also broke into dialogue. They want very much to have a Jewish state and are really, really worried about being taken over by a growing Arab population -- one that will change the star of David on the flag, the words of the national anthem, the emphasis on Hebrew, and take other steps to deprive the Jews of the little bit of land they have (Israel is the size of New Jersey in a much, much larger landmass of Arabic Islam). Israelis feel threatened by the "demographic bomb" in their midst but, being basically also political liberals and wanting to live in a democracy -- and we have Israelis from the settlements as well as from kibbutzim -- they recognize and regret the discrimination against fellow citizens who are Arabs. Still, given the choice between democracy with a possible Arab majority which would dominate and might even be hostile, and a Jewish state which might have to discriminate in some way to preserve its identity, they choose the latter -- with regret. The Israeli Arabs listened closely and asked, 'But what will you do with us?' Also, as one put it, 'I never knew the Jews felt threatened by us.'
Interestingly, in very good group-dynamic form, the leader of our group reversed roles and, in that reversal, everyone played true to whom they had become: the Arabs created represssive policies and the Jews demanded everything from an apology for the displacements of 1948 to an end to discrimination -- a very good exercise in intergroup understanding, even if we did not solve any problems on either the ideological or the practical level.
On another dialogical note: A group of Israeli Arabs mostly from Nazareth and organized by a Church leader there, together with some Jews, is going to Auschwitz to learn about the sources of Jewish pain and fear. I think this is a first.
COLUMBIA
Much has been written about the loss of Columbia. I would just like to share a cartoon from the Atlanta Constitution which shows a space vessel flying into an American flag, the star field of which contains six stars and one Star of David in the middle (http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/opinion/luckovich/2003/spaceluckovich.html) and the cover of Ma´ariv, an Israeli evening newspaper. The title says "The Magen David remains whole" and the subtitle says, "Bush says to the children of Ramon, 'Your father bombed the Iraqi reactor; I will finish the job'" (http://www.emory.edu/UDR/BLUMENTHAL/magendavid.htm).
THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM
We have just returned from a three day trip to the Negev and Eilat with our good friends, Naftali and Rachel Stern. On the way down, we stopped at Sde Boker, the last residence of David Ben Gurion, the father of the modern Israeli state. I remember hearing him address us foreign students when I was here in 1958-59. His message was then, as it always was, 'Come to Israel. Only here can a Jew live a fully Jewish life -- speaking the language of the people, living in its land, reading its literature, and participating in the building of the third Jewish state.' Sometimes, I regret not having taken him up on that offer. The small wood cabin in which Ben Gurion lived is on a kibbutz (collective farm) in the middle of the desert and it is very, very modest -- a little like the cabins we had in summer camp. His grave is also nearby and it is very impressive -- not the grave itself but the spectacular view over the Zin riverbed: a vast space of dry desert carved out by eons of erosion. It was moving to stand there, and I thought of my father and his long-time dedication to Zionism. Because we were late leaving, we had to miss the ancient city of Ovdat and the Spring of Ovdat, an oasis in this desert.
The following morning we went the the Machtesh Ramon. It is among the largest non-volcanic craters on the planet -- a huge, huge area the center of which erupted allowing the exposed matter to be eroded by powerful forces over eons and eons. The result is a stunning descent into the crater by car, which we did and, as we drove across it, we passed a volcano which was dwarfed by the crater itself. Driving on one of the side roads, we saw the desert in bloom: small plants with flowers, everywhere. Wherever a touch of rain has come, there are flowers. We drove through the crater and out the other side towards Israel's southernmost city, Eilat. However, before getting there, we took a detour and drove up into the mountains again, passing the Egyptian border, and then making a spectacular descent to Eilat. The mountains are actually of different colors: some white, some red, some dark brown. It looks as if the Creator couldn't make up His mind what to do with the area, or was just delighting in the variety of creation.
Upon arrival in Eilat, we went directly to the underwater coral-reef museum. I had heard about this but, even while there, I just couldn't believe the beauty -- so much color in the fish, such delicacy in the lace-like coral. I just kept going around and around to see it all again and again. I can still see the colors in front of me though the pictures I took did not come out at all. Finding a hotel turned out to be an adventure of a different kind. I hate traveling without reservations but Ursula loves the give and take of finding the right place for the right price -- except that, in Israel, we are tourists and no amount of charm got us a good price. Finally, our hosts plus Ursula's charm got us a very nice hotel just off the northern beaches. By the time I got to the water, it was dark and everyone had left the beach. So I went in the following day: refreshing though saltier than I had expected.
The following day we took a boat trip around the Gulf of Aqaba. As some of you may know, Eilat is an Israeli port and it sits right next to Aqaba, the Jordanian port. A few miles down the western coast is the Israeli-Egyptian border and a few miles down the eastern coast is Saudi Arabia. The tour boat approaches both the Jordanian and the Egyptian borders, though everything is very safe. There has never been trouble from Jordan and only a very little, some time back, at Taba. I did not see any sign of the American navy in the area though the Gulf is quite long and they could have been over the horizon. After the boatride, we returned to the hotel and our hosts drove us to the Rabin Peace Gate, the formal border with Jordan, and to Taba, the formal border with Egypt. On the way, Ursula got to fill a family tradition. In the 1920s, her grandmother was in Egypt and Israel for a Zionist congress. There is a picture of Omi Elsie on a camel. So, Ursula found a camel to ride. Not having pants, she borrowed a pair from Rachel Stern and then, with much trepidation (caught nicely in some fotos), Ursula and Sarah (the camel) went for a ride -- or rather, a brief walk around the parking lot. Still, she has been on her camel, like her grandmother 80 years ago.
The last day of the trip, we left Eilat and went to the Timna Park north of the city. This is an area where the ancient Egyptians mined copper in the 12-13 th centuries B.C.E. They left sketches on the canyon walls and a temple. Solomon probably mined copper in these hills too. The shafts were pretty primitive and it took a large company of slaves and semi-slaves, together with an army of overseers, to run the mines. It is hard to imagine how they all lived in this otherwise totally dry, desert environment; not to speak of the heat in summer (it can reach 130 degrees). The park also contains a reconstruction of the tabernacle used by the Jews in the desert which, while not elegant enough, nicely recreates the dimensions and feeling. We need to go back to Eilat because one could spend a day or two just hiking around the area.
The return to Jerusalem took us up the Arava, the great geological rift which stretches from Turkey to Madegascar and includes the Jordan River valley and the Dead Sea. We followed the lower reaches of the rift up to just below the Dead Sea and then turned northeast through the upper Negev toward the coastal plain. The scenery is just dazzling: sometimes flowering desert and sometimes total wasteland; sometimes varied in color and sometimes monotonous. When we broke back into the coastal plain, the green color assaulted our senses which had grown accustomed to browns, greys, and rusts.
A wonderful trip and a momentary escape from the harsh realities of the world; also, a wonderful few days with good friends.
THE FOOTSTEPS OF WAR
(2/9/03) It began with urgings to Israeli citizens to update their gas masks. Then came the flights overhead. Since nothing flies over Jerusalem, every flight was noticeable and there were many of them, at all times of the day and night. Then came the 52-page leaflet in the mail with full instructions. Then a notification about the briefing in English given at the University. We went and learned a lot more than we ever wanted to know about nerve gas and atropine, about mustard gas and flour (which absorbs the chemical from the skin), and about how to seal a room and what to put in it. I was impressed by the "improvements" made since the Gulf War of 1991. The pert young woman was very nonchalant and reassuring: it probably won't happen in Jerusalem; you only go to the sealed room and put on masks if your neighborhood is hit and you will only need to stay there from 15 minutes to 2-3 hours; the Iraqis don't have nuclear weapons so that is not a threat -- still it is scary. We tried on gas masks; they are actually rather comfortable -- a tourist photo-op. We will buy the material for a sealed room but I'm not sure we will actually make one (why not?).
Meanwhile, the Muslims are celebrating hajj (pilgrimage) and Id al-Adha (the sacrifice at the end of the hajj). It will end this week and the Americans will oblige the Saudis by not attacking during the pilgrimage. The inspectors have until next Friday, so nothing will happen until then. We read about stepped up American security and have warned our children in Paris to have water, food, money, and a escape route from the city if necessary. The French are trying to keep their Muslim population in line by not joining the war effort (I suppose that is why they don't see what is plain to see). I have no idea why the Germans and the Russians are hesitating. The Israelis have warned Iraq and the Palestinians of severe reprisals in case of serious conventional or non-conventional attack. Deterence is the name of the game, together with preparedness and intelligence.
Still, life does not stop; you can't let it stop or the terrorists win. So, I go to Tel Aviv to lecture tonight. There is a lecture at the Institute tomorrow. And Monday afternoon we will take our three-day trip to Eilat. You can't just wait around. Keep the prayers coming.
(2/14/03) We returned from our trip to find that the Belgians have decided to try Ariel Sharon after he leaves office but have refused to even consider trying Yasser Arafat who has been in the direct terror business since the 1960s when hijacking airlines was in style. They have also refused to consider trying Saddam Hussein whose use of nerve gas on Kurds, Iranians, and Iraqi prisoners is well documented. Without dealing with the problem of whether Sharon was, or was not, guilty in Sabra and Shatila of the crimes for which the Belgians wish to try him, the choice of whom to prosecute is surely the most egregious case of public, government supported antisemitism in Europe, a continent which has never lacked for antisemitism.
Meanwhile, the French and the Germans are playing Chamberlin to the Islamic world. Perhaps it is a naked grab for power in challenging the United States. Perhaps it is an attempt to appease very large and increasingly violent Muslim minorities. Perhaps it is just violent anti-Americanism, the very last gasp of the old order of European colonial empires. And perhaps it is just antisemitism: it has become fashionable to hate the Jews for wanting to protect themselves. It is not often that one finds one's thoughts reflected in the press but it happened to me this morning. If you can, click onto this article for an analysis of the crisis in Europe and the end of the Cold War http://www.debka.com/article.php?aid=258. Why Jews keep living in Europe is beyond me.
Meanwhile, the Americans are calling up reserves and the Israelis have given immediate full mobilization orders to units that operate the Patriot antimissle systems. The terror alerts in the US and Britain are making life there similar to the kind of life Israelis live all the time.
Shabbat Shalom, David
(2/16/03) P.S.: It seems that the Americans have put off the invasion for two weeks. I have heard several reasons: sensitivity to world and local opinion that opposes the war, instability on the Turkish front, an opportunity to question a high-ranking Iraqi who just defected, and a need to respond to an Iraqi feeler on peace terms. All this seems to me to be consummate manipulation by Saddam Hussein. He is bribing the French, threatening the Turks, sending out a "defector" with juicy false information, and playing on anti-Americanism everywhere. You learn as awful lot of tricks if your term of office is not limited to 4-8 years. Still, from here, it seems that war is more dangerous than peace -- certainly in the short term. .