Middle East News
Arab Israelis outraged over Livni remark
Dec 12, 2008, 5:25 GMT
Jerusalem - Arab Israeli lawmakers reacted with outrage Friday to remarks by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, in which she said the 'national solution' for Israel's Arab citizens would be a future Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza.
'These (things) have been said before, but this time it is more severe because they are said by a candidate for the premiership,' Ahmed Tibi, of the United Arab List (UAL) which has four mandates in the 120-seat Knesset, told Israel Radio.
Calling the remarks 'painful,' he accused Livni of pandering to right-wing voters.
Livni told high-school pupils in Tel Aviv Thursday: 'My solution for preserving Israel as a Jewish and a democratic state is to establish two nation states with certain concessions and with clear red lines.'
'So among others I could also come to Israel's Palestinian citizens, those whom we call Arab Israelis, and tell them: 'Your national solution is somewhere else'.'
The idea of moving Israel's Arab citizens or the areas in which they live to a future Palestinian state is regarded as highly controversial in Israel.
So far, such views have been advocated by outspoken right-wing and hardline politicians, most notably Avigdor Lieberman of the ultra-nationalist Israel Our Home party.
Livni is in a neck-and-neck race with Benjamin Netanyahu of the hardline Likud party to win the upcoming February 10 elections. Netanyahu has in recent weeks obtained a lead in opinion polls over Livni's Kadima party.
Over the past few weeks, she has expressed markedly hardline positions, including speaking out against the Gaza truce.
Israel's Arab citizens make up 20 per cent of the country's population of 7.3 million.
COMMENT
blog comments powered by DisqusLatest Headlines in Middle East
- 1. Jerusalem prelate tells Arab Spring youth to have confidence
- 2. More than 100 killed in Syria ahead of ceasefire deadline
- 3. At least 43 killed in Syria, despite UN criticism
- 4. 19 killed in Syria as ceasefire deadline approaches
- 5. Pilgrims flock to Jerusalem for Easter, Passover
Older Talkback
page: 1
It is a disgusting and racist. What a shame to anyone who thinks that it is ok to remove people because of race. Israeli democracy? what a joke.
If this is not ethnic cleansing, then what is it ?
Zionism=Racism
I think you are seriously misunderstanding what is being said in Hebrew. Livini wasn't talking about physically moving anyone. You have to realize in the area called Israel, Palestine, or the territories there are two different national groups with two distinct languages, and cultures.
This isn't about race, most people in the U.S. don't realize this, but a minority of people in Israel are white. This is about drawing a border between two groups of people that have had a very long an painful history. Just as borders in Europe are drawn between people with different languages and cultures, it is not surprising to see that happening in the middle east.
If you look throughout history at what happens at the end of wars between neighboring countries with different languages and cultures, it is fairly common to draw new boundaries based on national grouping. Hopefully with as minimum an amount of physical displacement as possible. And this is a two way street, in the over one hundred years of this conflict, hundreds of thousands people have been displaced.
It is almost guaranteed that in the future, nothing of this size is being contemplated. Livini has previously made statements that she wants to swap areas the Palestinians want with Hebrew speaking populations, with areas Israel doesn't want with Arabic speaking populations. Historically, in Cyprus, in Eastern Europe, redrawing borders and small population transfers seems to have saved many lives by limiting the daily friction that can boil into warfare.
Seriously Misunderstanding
“... there are two different national groups with two distinct languages, and cultures.”
Yeah, one is local, lived there for centuries, and the other came and took their land because a God “gave it to them”.
'This isn't about race, ... a minority of people in Israel are white.” Racism is only black and white, right?
“Hopefully with as minimum an amount of physical displacement as possible.”
I thought “Livini wasn't talking about physically moving anyone”.
“And this is a two way street, ...”
Fully functional two-way street, it’s just that one way is blocked (for safety of the other one).
“she wants to swap areas”, “population transfers”.
As I was saying, “Livini wasn't talking about physically moving anyone”.
“...she wants to swap areas the Palestinians want with Hebrew speaking populations, with areas Israel doesn't want with Arabic speaking populations...
Huh? “Areas Israel doesn't want”? What areas would those be? Sahara? Southern Saudi Arabia?
page: 1
Mark MontgomeryDec 12th, 2008 - 07:36:32
It is only logical that Israeli Arabs be moved to a future Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza, I don't see why they are complaining. We know the history of Arabs living in Israel and it makes no sense to keep a hostile population so close to home. Mark Montgomery boboberg@nyc.rr.com
Report this comment