Total number of comments: 7 (since 2010-07-22 22:39:30)
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Itamar Sha'altiel is an Israeli blogger and an ex-journalist. While he should been writing about literary theory and cognitive studies, in which he majored, living in Israel compels him to engage mainly with politics and human rights
I have no idea how many Israeli citizens are entitled to a foreign citizenship. I know the issue of foreign citizenship does not come off the agenda, at least since the sixties. Some law firms in Israel are dealing with just that, each specializes in a different country. as an Israeli, you might see some Google ads for those firms, when you open your email. But, as mentioned, I have no numbers.
About me, for all I know I'm not entitled to a foreign citizenship. It does not have to stop me; There are countries where it's relatively easy to obtain citizenship - Canada, for example. But I do not see myself leaving so soon. I write in Hebrew, I write for my living` My parents live here, my friends, all that I know. Living abroad seems more enticing by the minute, but there is a price, and I do not know yet if I want to live as an exile. I'm also not sure that Israel is going straight to hell, as you said. It's easy to become over pessimistic, especially considering the current state of affairs, but states don't collaps just like that, and some manage to get out from even deeper depths. I'm still hoping it would happen in Israel too, somehow.
I'm sorry for the mistakes. The complexities of the English grammar, indeed.
Thanks :)
Most of Israeli-Jews don't speak Arabic, even though they have more then enough opportunities to acquire it. As a child, I was given the chance to learn it at school, but I never did. I did my best to know English, but I never put the same effort in learning Arabic. I don't think that it was due to the a clear thought process, one that was afraid of legitimizing the Palestinian demands. It's never like that. The reason I didn't try to learn the language then, even though it was surely much simpler then grasping with the English grammar, had more to do with a light kind of racism. I thought of Arabic as an "ugly language", and one that I had no interest in knowing. I didn't think of the Arabs as "ugly", not that I recall, but I did associate their language with terror. Arabic was the language of the news, the tongue of weird, emotional speeches I could not, would not, understand.
There was a radio commercial in Israel, in which an inflammatory speech - to judge by the sound of it - was carried in Arabic. After the short speech was done, a new voice, in Hebrew, said: "Are foreign languages frightens you? Go and learn with...". I think this sums it up.
For some reason, my previous comment didn't appear, so here it is again:
Military rule was imposed on the Palestinians way before the violence started. In fact, it was imposed right after the 67′ war.
And there is no language barrier between Israelis and Arabs. Most Palestinians speak hebrew fluently, and it’s even more so regarding the Israeli-Palestinians. It’s the Jews that don’t speak arabic. There should be more then enough chances for such meetings to occure. The reason this is not the case has nothing to do with the PLO (that does not represent Israeli-Arabs nor Palestinians living in Gaza) or the slim chances of getting killed. It’s reason C, in your comment, that tells the truth – most Israelis don’t want it, and it’s probably the same for some of the Arabs too. This, naturally, has something to do with the “Matzav”, the hebrew word for “The State of Affairs”. How does that has anything to do with the argument I was making?
You have no reason to believe a word I say, of course, though it’s a poor way of making an argument.
P.S.
(Itamar Sha'altiel)
Military rule was imposed on the Palestinians way before the violence started. In fact, it was imposed right after the 67' war.
And there is no language barrier between Israelis and Arabs. Most Palestinians speak hebrew fluently, and it's even more so regarding the Israeli-Palestinians. It's the Jews that don't speak arabic. There should be more then enough chances for such meetings to occure. The reason this is not the case has nothing to do with the PLO (that does not represent Israeli-Arabs nor Palestinians living in Gaza) or the slim chances of getting killed. It's reason C, in your comment, that tells the truth - most Israelis don't want it, and it's probably the same for some of the Arabs too. This, naturally, has something to do with the "Matzav", the hebrew word for "The State of Affairs". How does that has anything to do with the argument I was making?
You have no reason to believe a word I say, of course, though it's a poor way of making an argument.