Arab MK Mohammad Barakeh
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Israeli Arabs' catch 22
Israeli public must realize that Arab citizens living in Israel are facing a complex dilemma, particularly at a time when the country, in which they are citizens, is fighting against its people
Don't expect Israeli Arabs to take to the streets and demonstrate against the Hizbullah and Hassan Nasrallah, and don't expect them to embark on rallies of support for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Amit Peretz. On the other hand, you can expect to see us standing in the front row of those demanding the end of the war and calling for peace between Israel and the Arab world.
Anti-War Rally
Some 2,000 people rally against war. MK Bishara: Jewish and Arab civilians are victims of the same policy
The Israeli public must realize that Arab citizens living in Israel are suffering from a complex dilemma, particularly at a time when the country, in which they are citizens, is fighting against its own people. Sometimes it's the Palestinian people and sometimes it's the Arab Lebanese people.
We feel that all the problems are landing on our heads: on the one hand, when the country in which we are citizens attacks our people, we feel bad, because we do not want to see our people dead, wounded and suffering (we were shocked after the killing in the village of Qana in the south of Lebanon.)
We feel bad when our Jewish neighbors - people we live amongst – suffer, blow up and die. We are human beings after all, we too care about our neighbors, and we too share the fate of this country. This doesn't mean that we don't feel deprived and frustrated by the way we are treated by the majority of Israelis, who do not consider us full partners.
'We love Lebanon dearly'
We do not voice our protests against Nasrallah because the majority of the Arab population in Israel opposes war. We do not oppose a single side, but oppose war itself. Therefore, we demand an immediate ceasefire. We are protesting against the war not against one leader or another.
We the Arabs of Israel are witnessing the death of Israeli citizens and soldiers, we are personally experiencing the missiles, but at the same time we are also seeing how Israel is attacking the country of Lebanon we love so dearly, and we are also witnessing how the Israeli Air Force is destroying Lebanon - this is very painful.
If I were a Jew, I would appreciate the Israeli Arabs' consistent stance against all wars, and we have been through many. Therefore, when the Arab public overwhelmingly states that "it opposes war," it is a commendable statement that should be valued.
We are Arabs - don't expect us to say we are content when fellow Arabs are killed.
The writer is the editor of an Israeli Arab weekly Panorama
