Arab pride
צילום: AFP
Money can't buy pride
Op-ed: Improved standard of living will not magically cause Arab hostility to evaporate
About a year ago I had the privilege of participating in a group trip to the Negev. In addition to visiting an absorption center in Beersheva and chatting with some of the young new immigrants, we also visited a few Bedouin villages. However, the most interesting part of the trip was the ongoing lively discussion on the bus, and especially a specific comment by someone on the bus.
As we toured through the sprawling Bedouin areas, we discussed such issues as the problem of Bedouin thefts, the creation of a near autonomous Bedouin region and the growing fear of many Israelis to drive through certain areas in the Negev. Then, this person suggested that the problem is an economic one and therefore the solution is to pour more money into the region for improved infrastructure and better education.
This approach, which of course is not new, is applied not only towards the Bedouins but to the entire Israeli Arab population as well. It assumes that an improved standard of living will decrease the level of crime and also foster a more positive connection amongst the Arabs to the State of Israel. Nevertheless, despite the widespread belief in this approach it misses the crux of the issue, as the problem is not a financial one but rather a cultural/religious one.
For hundreds of years Muslims, whether Ottoman, Arab, Persian or Turkish, have been ruling the Middle East. There have been other people in the region, including Jews, but they were always subordinate to the Islamic rulers. Thus, every incursion into the region, be it British, French, or Israeli, has always been viewed as a foreign threat against this historical hegemony.
No room for political correctness
Furthermore the Arabs, whether Muslim or Christian, justifiably have a sense of pride in their culture, their history and their people, and this is something that cannot be bought. Thus, to seriously think that an Arab will exchange his pride for some niceties of Western living is a patronizing attitude that displays utter contempt for the Arabs. It also shows a clear lack of understanding of human nature. Moreover, to believe that an improved standard of living and all the amenities of modernization will magically cause the Arabs to happily integrate into Israel, to emotionally feel attached to the 2000-year-old Jewish dream, to relinquish any animosity they hold against us, is purely wishful thinking.Like anyone, especially someone who is part of a civilization that has had dominance in a region for hundreds of years, it is always preferable to have less as long as it is one’s own. In other words, the Arabs would prefer having a simpler, less developed Palestine as long as it is theirs and they are in control, rather than being a minority in a modern, advanced Israel that isn’t controlled by them and therefore doesn’t belong to them.
The point is that the Arabs want this land, the one we call the Jewish homeland, and for reasons stated above this is perfectly natural. In fact, for an Arab to think otherwise would be strange. The question is whether or not we as a nation truly understand this and all the ramifications. If so, is it wise to continually get sidetracked and waste precious time avoiding the real issue? Similarly, should we continue to fool ourselves by thinking that if only we improve the material aspects of their lives the Arabs will somehow relinquish their national aspirations and happily join with us in fulfilling the Jewish dream?
Whether we continue down the dangerous path of the two-state solution or one day we embark on the preferred path of declaring sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, this is an issue that eventually must be addressed in an honest and rational way. Avoiding the topic due to its sensitive nature or because of political correctness will not help anyone, Arab or Jew.
