Opinion  Ben-Dror Yemini
Israel's Jews should meet Arab outreach with an open hand
Ben-Dror Yemini
Published: 29.08.19, 23:25
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54 Talkbacks for this article
1. Excellent article by a great Israeli patriot. Become the PM!
Michael ,   California, USA   (08.30.19)
An intention ought to be shown for a united Israeli Center, irrespective of ethnicity. Blue and White for all of the citizens, for all of the patriots, should be the goal. Let the Jews in Israel think like Israelis; after all, we are in the 21st century.
2. BEGIN-SADAT TREATY OF PEACE STARTED THIS NEW ERA OF PEACE
(08.29.19)
3. My Thoughts As An Israeli From Muslim Background
Israeli   (08.30.19)
I love Israel and I consider myself Zionist as well. This land has been the home of the Jewish people. Although I come from a Muslim background, I have Jewish ancestors. My DNA test even shows 60% Jewish Dna consisting of Mizrahi, Sephardic, and Ashkenazi ancestry. This means we have the same ancestors and my great great grandparents were persecuted and suffered throughout the world for being Jewish. They eventually were forced into Islam 300 years ago approximately.
Nevertheless, I am sure many share my story and coming from a Muslim background yet have a Jewish soul and Jewish ancestry. Don't think that if you haven't heard from us that we don't exist. I support the Arab party to become part of a coalition since 20% of Arabs live here. Also I know israeli Arabs who are more Zionist than some jews. And most don't even have Jewish ancestry like myself. So why shun then away when they want to be part of us? We welcome everyone who supports Israel.
4. Ayman, many Israeli jews support the Joint List
TheWall   (08.30.19)
We all need to get closer to each other, we need lo exist in Israel as one nation
We all are ONE nation = Arabs Samaritans Jews Druze
5. Three prerequisites for you, Arabs:
N.K. Shlomzion ,   Qatzrin, Israel   (08.30.19)
1. Accept the existence of the Jewish people as a people, rather than negating it

2. Accept this people's historic, moral and legal right to national self-determination and independence in its homeland of 4,000 years

3. Denounce all who call for and/or act towards the obliteration of the liberal democratic and sovereign nation-state of the Jewish people, along with the millions of Jews in it - men, women, children, the elderly - through all means and in stages if necessary

The above is a bare minimum to move toward an accommodation of peaceful coexistence between Arab and Jew, between the Muslim-Arab world, local and regional alike, and the liberal democratic and sovereign nation-state of the Jewish people!!
6. With "Einsteins" like Yemini we DO need to have extra pas-
(08.30.19)
sports , just "in case" his idiotic notions come to fruition and we'll have to vacate our homeland once again....
7. Pretending Palestinians are a race, or religion is nonsense
(08.30.19)
The questions asked sum up the lack of objectivity.

If they asked if Jews and Arabs exist,
If Jews and Muslims exist it would be a objective question

This is just antisemitic. No surprise since you have a link from 972.

What a propaganda source ynet has become posting from known anti Jewish and anti Israeli sites.

Is this an Israeli or Iranian newspaper? Maybe ask this is a poll.
8. The inevitable.
steve ,   beer sheva   (08.30.19)
If Israeli Arabs accept that Jews have no horns and it's better here than in the Arab world this must happen. Only moderation is sustainable in history.
9. ...and the end of Israel as a Jewish state
DSM ,   USA   (08.30.19)
Good intentions, more often than not, lead to bad outcomes.
10. Ben-dror ?!
yosef ,   Jerusalem   (08.30.19)
You may be Ben: but not of "dror". More likely "pachdan smolani..."
11. if they want their party to be part of coalition
(08.30.19)
they should vote for a party that is compatible with a coalition.
12. Estrangement of Israeli Arabs is not in Israel's interests
kms ,   Jerusalem   (08.30.19)
13. Israel must be government by Jews
Bar Star ,   Haifa   (08.30.19)
It is a Torah commandment. We should not put our destiny in the hand of people who are opposed to the existence of Israel.
14. arabs in politics is the end of the jewish state
zionist forever   (08.30.19)
We should not be encouraging arabs to become more politically active because if they do the zionist partiess will become less zionist in an attempt to appeal to the arab voters.
We may one day find ourselves in a position where Israel goes from being Jewish state to a state of the citizens, maybe even an Arab PM leadng a government passing laws to undo Israel's Jewish character.

Also unlike the Jews the arabs for the most part vote for a tiny handfull of parties who are now also under the banner of a Joint List whilst every election there seems to be a new party for Jewish voters and so its not hard to imagine that it will not te long before we have a goverment led by an arab majority with an arab PM.
When Joint List was founded for the first time in 2015 they came out thrid largest party so how is it going to be before they win an election especially if arab voters are inspired to vote because they see arab parties in the coalition pushing the givernment pass pro arab legislation.

We need to be doing everything possible to discourage the arabs from takng part in politics because if we will be a state of the citizens within the next 20 -30 years and the Jewish state concept will be dead.
15. Now Yemini has cemented his position as a leading chump!
(08.30.19)
16. LET THEM KEEP THEIR FRIENDSHIP. WE DON'T NEED THEM!!!
OLEG ,   FL   (08.30.19)
I SEEN ARAB ISRAELIS FROM HAIFA DEMONSTRATING IN GERMAN TOWN AGAINST ISRAEL WHEN ISRAEL WAS DEFENDING THEMSELVES FROM HAMAS ROCKETS.THEY ARE NO FRIENDS OF JEWS AND ISRAEL AS A WHOLE.
17. above
moishe   (08.30.19)
count your fingers after.
18. two people must become one people to survive
Dan Ehrlich ,   london   (08.30.19)
A House Divided can not stand...this applies to Jews on other Jews as well as Jews on Israeli Arabs

There is no such thing as a Palestinan Israeli...kids must be taught the derivation of the term Palestine. And if they wish to remain citizens of Israel they have to accept the fact they are Israelis who happen to be Arabs.

Tribalism is the curse of the wider Arab world...that must not happen in Israel. Yet, the separation of frum, super frum and liberal Jews is more worrying than relations with Israeli Arabs...this has become tribal.

Bibi, while not very frum, maintains his power base by pandering to the schmendricks on the extreme religious right. In this he accelerates the growing tribal nature of Israeli society. something loved by Israel's enemies.
19. 20% of the population
Mark ,   London   (08.30.19)
I don't understand how the 20% of the population is Arab yet they only have 10% of the seats in the Knesset.
The explanations I can think of are:
1. The population is skewed towards young people so they are considerably less than 20% of the electorate, or
2. The Joint List represents only 50% of the Arab sector.
20. israel is the state of the Jewish people so keep it that way
zionist forever   (09.02.19)
It we want to keep it that way instead of trying to empower arabs by encouraging them to go out and vote we need to be encouraging them to sit at home and watch tv.
In a democracy if you elect the wrong people you can do alot of damage and if an arab government were to ever be elected it would be a national disaster and possibly be the begining of the end for the concept of a state of the Jewish people and see it replaced by a religion neutral state of the citizens where religion is something that takes place behind closed doors and the national sysmbols will no lnger be Jewish ones etc.

Do we really want to risk destroying everything we got by creating a movement where arabs vote which can only grow in future just to get rid of Netanyahu because this is about Netanyahu not reaching out to arabs.
21. Arab List is not a party, it's a coalition of parties!
Scott ,   USA   (09.02.19)
Why was an idiot allowed to write this junk? The Arab List is not a "party" but a coalition of extremists of varying stripes.

No responsible Israeli party could ever align itself to a bloc consisting of communists, a Muslim Brotherhood front, and a Syrian Baathist front (plus an eccentric idiot), all of them utterly totalitarian and racist.

The idea is simply idiotic.
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