If co-existence is what you seek

There is absolutely no comaprison between Jews and Arabs,

I hope this article will inspire masses of Arabs to vote. Active participation in this most democratic practice is the clearest message of adherence to its principles.

yes you are. if you cant stay with the mean of your name ! please dont talk. talk ! talk when you feel yourself with the mean. talk talk when you feel free. even you are pozitive that dont make you right. just dont. YOU SHAMED ME, SIR. YOU DID.

And your brothers won't listen to you anyway. Had you chosen, like the Druze, to support our state, we would have welcomed you. And I say this as a right-winger. But you didn't. Maybe the few of you who do feel as you do will be able to turn your people back from the edge, but I'm not optimistic.

event to witness an Palestinian Israeli actually articulate why we Israeli Jews are so fed up with the Arab population of Israel. And I thank the writer for publishing his refreshing and honest socio-political perspective. As a Lieberman (Yisrael Beiteinu) supporter, I would caution the writer about his opinion that Lieberman is, in any way, a racist or that he means to degrade the Arab population of Israel. A huge number of members of the party are non-Russians; these members include both Druse and Bedouin as well as poor Sephardim and fed-up Europeans and North Americans (like me). In fact, well meaning Palestinian Moslems with Israeli citizenship would be welcomed into the party. We would just like to reiterate (this is the caveat) that we will no longer permit treasonous or treacherous activity (I know you would agree) against the state of Israel. Furthermore, we believe that Palestinian Arabs as well as the Haredi population and the elite youth from Tel Aviv will do national service in return for the privileges of Israeli citizenship. Is this in any way racist? I think not. We simply want each citizen to do his/her share, Jewish, Arab, wealthy or poor. Can you find fault with that?

Ali Zahalka, I think you're right.

It's a shame thugh that your call won't resonate within the Arab public. Oh and Lieberman isn't racist in any shape or form.

I hit submit too fast - anyway, my friend who was Meretz-left at one time is voting Lieberman this time and cited as one of the reasons the Arab population's behaviour regarding operation cast lead. So that kind of proves your point. I wish you luck in changing things for the better of both sides.

All of you Arab moderates give me a pain in my butt. You saw this coming - this has been building up for years & years already. Where were you? I'll tell you where you where. Hiding, not speaking out, silent. I know this phenomenon all too well. Do you know how many times I've heard voices like yours? Hundreds of times. But as soon as anyone else joined our conversation, your voices became silent or full of excuses & rationalizations. But you Israeli Arabs have less excuse than others for your usual silence. In the country I came from, the social ostracism was real, the intimidation a real threat. In Gaza or the West Bank, you risk your life speaking out. But here you always had freedom of speech, here you always had the right to speak out. But you didn't. Now you're afraid. And you should be. Your political leaders, your religious leaders, your intellectuals are leading you to a dead end. And because you were silent all these years, you are no longer a voice that anyone listens to in your community. Your voices have been drowned out by inciters, haters, bigots, ideologues, & others of ill intent. Did you honestly think there would be no reaction? Too little, too late.

Only the other day on one of the Israel TV channels we heard an "Israeli Arab" declare he is a "Palestinian" and his intension to boycott the election. If so go and live in Palestine. Leave Israel and give up on the social benefits, civil liberties and freedoms that Israel affords you. For years Arab and Jew have lived in harmony here in the Galilee but this cooperation is now doomed to failure by the hatred against Israel and Zionists by the Arabs in th town and villages here in the north. Even now many of us here no longer buy from Arabs, use their professional services and eat in their restaurants. What can follow is refusal to buy from stores employing Arabs and refusing treatment at hospitals by Arab doctors and nurses. This would be disastrous for both sides but Israel will survive it. I don't know about the Arab population though. It is not too late for the Arab community to nip this in the bud. Tomorrow they will show how they really feel and if they want to further the radicalism of Lieberman and Israel Beiteinu. No one says they must support the "right" but there are a number of middle of the road options. The ball is in the Arab court.

Jews overseas don't scream death to U.S.A(for example) dont burn the flag of the country they live...They pay taxes and loyal to their countries they even recruit to the army when needed.

Suddenly all the right-sucking minorities(incl. orthodox Jews) awaked. Till now nobody told them what to do and they lived on the backs of others.Don't serve the counrty..don't pay taxes and yet claim for equal rights!!! Not to mention some of these minorities ask for the destruction and help the enemy... So what did he ask for? Just being loyal to the country that protects you and provides you with your needs!!

this man is a traitor to his own people , that is if he is an arab , i dont know he might be a druze , and if he is a druze then i dont blame him because druze are not arabs . but if he is an arab muslim , them please mr who ever you are please shut up and stop lieng on behalf of all of us living here in the occupied lands under the worst occupation ever known to humens . iam sure you are just another one of those traitors who where bought by the zionists to put down his own people , well enjoy it now because you are going to pay heavely in the after world , that is if you beleive in the after world ....

One reason for the silence of moderate Arab Israelis in the face of their extreme leaders was the Oslo process which brought Arafat into the territories. The desire of Israel's government was to turn the extremist Fatah leadership into a moderate governing authority. But the actual signal received by the Arab Israeli community (with good reason given Arafat's unchanging methods and goals) was the most extreme in the end are rewarded. So Tibi was Arafat's advisor and who could complain? How could the average Arab Israeli criticize the advisor to a dictator that the Jewish led government supported and proclaimed had an interest in peace?

#15. It is exactly because of Palestinians like you that you have no State and you will never have one. And if you do you will destroy it yourselves. The authour has a brain.

Israel has welcomed moderate Arabs and has been willing to make concessions, but no more. Territories for TERROR will no longer be accepted!

He just says "BE LOYAL CITIZENS OR GET OUT." You are right about one thing though, the fact that it is the Israeli Arab leaderships fault. But don't call Lieberman a "racist" for demanding loyalty to the state. The Liberal leftist Media is so shallow that they don't know anything about Liberman, just like other "rightest" parties, all they do is slander. The media just says "racist" "racist" nah, nah, nah, nah. First listen to what they say. Lieberman never said: "kill 'em all", no. Those who are loyal can live peacefully as citizens here in Israel. Those who side with Israel's enemies and have a hand in actions against the state do not have a right to be here. If some one commits treason in the US, UK or Russia what happens to them? they get an award? they get a promotion? no, don't think so.

It is very simple. The Great Democracy, the United States of America, deals very harshly with those who actively and even passively undermine its security and "place its people in harms way" Their solution to sedition and other anti US niceties is the Patriot Act and Guantanamo Bay! They even defy some of the US Supreme Court Rulings on "torture". So why is Israel so wrong in the way it treats those who plot the destruction of this country and the annihilation of the Jewish people? As for "Occupied Palestine" please show us a map prior to June '67 where there is a state called Palestine. Palestine was a British Mandate until 1948, previously conquered by the Ottomans and the Romans had a province called Palestine where they drove the Jews out of the Temple, burned it like the Greeks did some while before. There were no mosques or Arabs in "Palestine" those days. They were all in "Arabia". So who occupied what? Prior to June '67 the West Bank belonged to Jordan and Gaza belonged to Egypt so where does Palestine come from? It is a figment of the imagination of Yaser Arafat and many would be quite thankful if His Majesty King Abdullah took the damn West Bank back and the Egyptians took back Gaza. Then you terrorists can fight with them, kill their children, blow up their buses and have you butts kicked to kingdom come in a way that makes what Israel has done to Gaza and did to Lebanon look like Disneyland!

If israel moves to a Presidential system as Lieberman proposes then the center- left in Israel will have a strong edge... Do the math. Arab vote 15-20% secular center left zionist vote 35-40% + hence btw Liberman's loyalty oath - disenfrancising Arabs would undermine one person-one vote and leave election to a Jews only referendum but, electoral reform without kicking the Arabs out of the electorate would give the center left a strong head start in any direct presidential election

we need equality, we need to see each other as part of this country and not enemies. we need to work together to make both our communities stronger and safer.

However, I dont believe Lieberman is a racist. His rules would apply to all equally. There are plenty of religious Jews who arent performing military or national service and there are plently of Druze and Beduins, and other Arabs that do, so I dont see this as being against one ethnic group. I can see issues with making someone serve or committ to Israel in a Democracy. While I think its the right thing to do, in a democracy you can say no. In Israel, I dont think you can say no with very few exceptions though, not the millions of exceptions currently. I hope the Arab population votes, but vote for a non Arab racist party. Much of the Arab party leadership is racist. Dont vote for them. Vote for parties thar represent you in the Knesset, not those who represent the enemies of Israel.

David, I wish I could be as optimistic as you seemingly are. But, experience has made me quite pessimistic re: coexistence with Arabs. Let me tell you about Arab moderates. With very, very few exceptions, the moderation was in one-on-one conversations. And, it was always in vague terms - you know, the superficial, ''everyone should get along'' variety. I usually left it at that. But, if we were joined by a few other Arab friends or acquaintences, inevitably the conversation would drift in a more ''radical'' direction. First would come the ''you Jews changed your Torah to eliminate the parts admitting that Mohamed was the prophet.'' Then would come the ''Jews are only a religion, why should you have a country?'' And it would go on from there. On the Holocaust, it would be '' The Jews were taking over Germany, so naturally ......." And, my ''moderate'' friend would either sit silent or join in, going along with the others. The most radical position always won the day. As the lone Jew present & not being one to let things slide by, these conversations always ended in bad feelings & everyone would leave quite angry, including my ''moderate'' friend. Moderation does not sell well among Arabs. There is no objectivity, no self-examination, & everything imaginable is someone elses fault. And generally, there is little courage to stand up against the opinion of others. This, coupled with little or no knowledge of history, religious brain-washing, & unrelenting propaganda, made it impossible to find any common ground. Now, I'm talking about happenings in a country thousands of kilometers away - not directly concerned. I just don't see any grounds for optimism.

Sadly, you're 100% correct. In fact, one of the things that has always caused me to be pessimistic, and certainly doesn't bode well for any sort of peaceful coexistence, is that in Arab countries, it's the students and intellectuals who are among the most ardent supporters of extremism...sometimes even more so than their corrupt leaders. And whereas in most other countries, it would be this group (think Tiananmen Square) who'd be at the forefront of a movement for democracy and human rights for all citizens, they're instead supporting the most extreme and irredentist elements.

Kol hakavod anyway for your courage to speak so openly !

What is occupied? I am thoroughly confused by what Arabs call Occupied. I dont hear it about Jordan, when clearly it was part of the land called Palestine. I only hear it for Jewish land. I dont hear it about Arabs who occupy Jewish home in the middle east for centuries. I dont hear it about Muslims who occupy th Temple Mount, which is Judaisms holiest site. I didnt hear it when Jordan and Egypt were in charge of Gaza or Judea and Samaria. All I hear is the whining of people ignorant of the law, of history, or anything, just wanting to steal from Jews. What is occupied? It would also seem those Arabs who dont want peace are traitors to other Arabs since they keep their brethren in camps, prevent them from getting jobs, educating their kids, kill their own. I think that is a traitor. Those who keep there own people down. This guy is a principal of a school, which in Israel has the purpose of education children and prepare them for the future. Not a Hamas school that prepares them to murder others. Who is the traitor? You need to do alot of reading and self reflection.

I agree with Zahalka, I hope the israeli-Arab majority would WAKE UP and stop voting for the arab parties who instead of advancing our best interest, they give more reasons for jews to hate us and makeour lifes more mesirable. Arabic parties are garbage and that is the message the arab public should send...

here. I googled "people who regret voting for Obama". I haven't searched all the websites that came up yet. I'm just curious to know how many people feel that way now. What we can do is vote for Republicans in the Senate elections in 2010 to keep him in check.