My new theme is the cleavage between the American Jewish community and the Israel lobby over political values in Egypt. Howard Berman is the ranking Democrat on House Foreign Affairs. He says, "If a stable democracy is to emerge, there must be wide participation by all secular forces in the country."
But Israel has a couple/few religious parties. Some are included in the governing coalition; Arab parties are not included in those coalitions. What would Berman's standard mean for Israel?
For Arab parties to be part of coalitions in Israel.
Two conditions:
1. Liberal parties win pluralities in elections and need a sympathetic partner in government to comprise a majority coalition.
2. The Arab party, or civil party with large Arab participation, needs to not be a revolutionary party, with any agenda that includes dissolution of the state.
Electoral.
Much in the same way the Israeli government portrayed itself as the good guy in the so-called peace process, despite the fact the Palestinian Authority was making all the concessions, the same has taken place regarding the Palestinian citizens of Israel.
The Palestinians in Israel have been loyal citizens for decades and all they aspire for is equality. They’re not asking for much.
But, due to the anti-Arab sentiment that runs deep in Israel, the bigotry runs deep, no Arab party will ever be included in any government coalition under the status quo, no matter how servile or loyal such a party happens to be.
You can go back now to pontificating on topics you know nothing about.
“…Arab party will ever be included in any government coalition under the status quo…”
This is simply amazing isn’t it. It boggles the mind. Palestinian Israelis represent 20% of Israeli population and they have never been able to participate it the power structure of their state (they’re citizens of that state after all) other than in token positions. What about a Palestinian Israeli as minister of defence, or as minister of finance, or as Prime Minister (Obama anyone!!!).
But silly me I forgot, just like Tzipi Livni was reported as saying in the Palestine Papers : “Israel is for the Jewish people”, not for these uppity Arabs.
The only way that that the Arab 20% of the population would be included in a government is if there were Jewish parties, accounting for 31% of the total state population, which were not institutionally bigoted against the Arabs. Are there that many Jews in Israel who aren’t bigots??
Was this a “must” condition on the part of Berman or did Israel decide on this independant of American lawmakers?
Dissolution of the state? No, heaven forfend! BUT how about return of the refugees (legitimate citizens, land-owners, and, self-evidently to me, VOTERS)?
Now, as all know, the result of such a return would be to make Israel a bi-national state with, likely, a non-Jewish (as they say) majority.
So dissolution? No. Reformation? Yes.
And maybe a change in boundaries, say to announce boundaries in the first place — something the not-dissolved Israel has never, never done — embracing all of Mandatory Palestine (aka Palestine) (aka greater Israel).
So, democracy? Not so scary is it? (Not to me, who as an American, even with the lousy government we have, does not feel a need to “escape” anywhere and certainly not to Israel, even if reconstituted as Palestine.)