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Photo: Doron Golan
This is not racism
Haim Misgav says decision to ban Arabs from some railway jobs a proper move
Israel Railway’s management was right to rule that Arabs cannot serve in security positions. This is not racism. It is yet another genuine and just attempt to let the Arab residents of the State of Israel know that not everything is open to them.
Their civil rights were indeed entrenched in the Declaration of Independence and in our Basic Laws, yet the rights of the Jewish people were also entrenched in international documents. Hence, if the Arabs (not all of them maybe) think they are allowed to fight for changing the Jewish state’s character, and claim that we need to have a “state of all its citizens” here (a code-word for every anti-Zionist,) then the Jewish State’s authorities are also allowed to restrict the access of Arabs to certain jobs.
By their very nature, these jobs are not designed for those who view themselves parties to the fight for eliminating the Jewish State. Generalizations sometimes hurt those who do not deserve it, but this is the character of a legitimate fight.
The State of Israel is not like other states. This is what we again reminded ourselves in recent days. It was established in order to serve as a national home for the Jewish people; a haven and shelter for times of trouble. In the past, the Arabs did not wish to see a Jewish State established in the heart of areas they viewed s “their land.” Today they are also unwilling, after a 100-year struggle, to recognize the right of Jews to maintain their national home at the site where their forefathers settled thousands of years ago, before being forced out of their country.
The conflict presented before the Labor Court is not like any other conflict then. Ahmed Tibi and his colleagues wish to conveniently interpret the dismissals of Arab security personnel at Israel Railways, yet the truth is that any attempt to paint this as a legitimate struggle for fundamental civil rights must be rejected out of hand.
Stop apologizing
The Arabs do not wish to be part of the Jewish State. They repeat it at every opportunity, including at the Knesset podium. They want all the rights of those who bear the burden, but are not thrilled about paying taxes, either municipal or national.
They really want to get generous allowances from the National Insurance Institute, enjoy health services at some of the world’s finest hospitals, study at universities on subsidized tuition fees, and build as much as their want in their communities. They also wish to reside, without any limits, in Jewish communities. At the same time, they seek to ban Jews from living in Judea and Samaria in the framework of the so-called “two-state solution.”
If so, we Jews are also allowed to say “no more.” Every young person who serves in the army for three years, during the best time of his life, while Arabs study and build their future, is entitled to preferential treatment. This is not discrimination. Rather, it’s permissible and legitimate affirmative action. No state in the world would act differently. There aren’t too many states, if at all, that would allow part of the population to shirk civilian duties but demand equal rights.
The time has come for us to stop apologizing to all the bleeding hearts. This discrimination is proper. If they spit on us, there is no point in telling ourselves these are raindrops. Only those who know how to stand up for their personal and national honor can elicit respect. It is important to let everyone know: In the Land of Israel Jews will not go like sheep to the slaughter. It would be worthwhile for the Arabs, who seek rights without duties, to review this lesson.
Dr. Haim Misgav is an attorney and criminal law lecturer at the Netanya Academic College
