MK Zahalka
Photo: Hagai Aharon
Resisting Arab integration
Political leaders who object to civilian service for Arabs undermine equality
Knesset Member Jamal Zahalka characterized young Arab men and women who volunteer to perform civilian service (instead of military service) as “pariahs” and threatened to cut them off. No Arab Knesset member or public figure saw fit to express their disagreement, and some even supported this message.
Such response is irritating and puzzling. Irritating - in light of the baseless claim that the real intention behind the civilian service program is to obligate the Arabs to perform military service. Puzzling - because of the plan’s rejection based on its aim to “Israelize” young Arabs.
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Civilian service volunteer opportunities, which in the past have been open only to Jewish girls exempted from IDF service, have been opened to all those exempt from military service, including Arab citizens of Israel. Volunteering for civilian service grants the volunteer, following two years of service, the full benefits given to discharged soldiers.
Therefore, opening civilian service to young Arabs would make their chances equal to discharged soldiers in terms of academic studies and employment. Referring to people who do volunteer service as “pariahs” and presenting their Israeliness in a negative light aims to deter young Arabs from making a move that can first and foremost work in their favor.
It is worthwhile mentioning that the call to allow Arabs to volunteer for civilian service, which has been raised several times in the past, was explained by the State’s duty to make it easy for young Arabs to integrate equally into Israeli society. A recommendation to comply with this call was included in a report submitted to the government in 2004 by a ministerial committee headed by then-Justice Minister Yosef Lapid.
Another committee recently looked into the matter as well. In its report, it proposed that civilian service, which at first will be on a voluntary basis, will turn into mandatory service after some time and constitute an equal alternative to IDF service.
Encouraging segregation
Recently it was reported that ever since the volunteer program has been expanded, the number of Arab volunteers for civilian service is constantly rising. Young Arabs who experienced the service have been praising the opportunity given to them. However, at this point it is hard to know how this trend will be affected by the position articulated by Arab leaders, who reject such service.We should not accept calls that Arab civilian rights should be conditioned on their willingness to bear all the obligations assumed by Jewish citizens. In addition, we should not condition the acceptance of an Arab to school or work at a public body on performing civilian service. Equality requires us to treat a young Arab who did not volunteer just as we treat a young Jew who did not volunteer.
However, equality is not undermined if the right for special benefits, granted only to soldiers who completed their IDF service, will be granted to all those exempt from service only if they volunteered for civilian service.
Those who care about promoting the equally of Arab Israelis should be concerned about the line led by Arab leaders. Integrating the Arabs into equal frameworks is conditioned, among other things, on the Arab willingness to integrate, yet Arab leaders are not encouraging integration – rather, they are encouraging segregation.
The burden of advancing the equality of Israeli Arabs is first and foremost the Israeli government’s job. Yet it would be very beneficial if Arab institutes and public figures, who attach importance to the integration of young Arabs into their country, would publicly express their disagreement over the positions articulated by their political leaders.
