SECTION FOUR
sm
COLUMN
EIGHTY-FOUR, FEBRUARY 1, 2003
(Copyright © 2003 The Blacklisted Journalist)
JEWISH-ARAB CENTER FAULTS ACTS AGAINST ISRAEL'S ARAB CITIZENS
The Jewish-Arab Center for
Peace at Givat Haviva expresses deep concern at the campaign to push the Arab
population of Israel to the sidelines and to delegitimize its political
representatives. Closure of a newspaper, recommendation to disqualify a party,
disqualification of Arab candidates for the Knesset, limitations on movement and
travel abroad and additional steps being taken against Arab citizens, deepen the
gap and the alienation between the two communities.
Especially at such a
sensitive period of an election campaign, every such action is seen as
signifying gross interference by the state and its legal authorities in the
considerations of Arab voters, and as an attempt to thereby distort the election
results.
Recent surveys indicate the
distancing of the Arab public from the political arena and a rising lack of
confidence in government authorities and in Israeli democracy. Some one-third of
the Arab respondents to the polls have already said that they do not intend to
vote in the elections–a stance which also attests to the continuing
disappointment with Israeli citizenship and with their ability to have an
influence. This, in addition to the worsening economic situation and the
position of the Arabs at the top of the list of the poor and unemployed,
constitute a real danger to the social and political stability of the country.
As an educational institute
working to bring the two communities closer and to achieve full civic equality
for all citizens, and without expressing any political-party opinion:
● We call upon the
state authorities to cease the campaign against Arab citizens and their leaders.
● We call upon the
Arab public to take massive advantage of its democratic right and to participate
in the elections, in order to strengthen its legitimate civic partnership in the
country and in order to bring about the renewal of the political process to
achieve peace in our region.
● We recommend
renewal of the dialogue between Jews and Arabs in Israel by means of encounters,
joint activity and penetrating deliberations on the substance of citizenship,
ways of partnership and means of defining the good commonalty of the two
nations.
● We call upon all those for whom the subject is important to join us in demanding that the Government of Israel change its method of dealing with the Arab population, and that the Arab leadership clearly present its positions to the Jewish public, in order to encourage partnership and dialogue between the sides. ##
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