I recently read a rather unsettling column in the Alligator placing significant blame on Israel for a situation that does not lie in its own hands.
The Arab exodus began directly after the announcement of the U.N. Partition Plan, when thousands of wealthy Arabs fled to neighboring Arab countries. During the war, pre-eminent Arab leaders urged Palestinian Arabs to leave their home for “two weeks” until Israel was completely destroyed, at which point they would be able to return. Thousands of Palestinians left under this assurance, reinforced by numerous Arab leaders.
Whereas Arab countries like Syria and Lebanon continue to isolate these refugees and use them as political pawns, Israel has integrated them into society, offering complete citizenship to nearly two million Arabs, who receive full governmental benefits and representation. Arabic, like Hebrew, is even an official language of Israel. With freedom of religion and speech, as well as women’s and LGBTQ+ rights, Israeli Arabs enjoy the highest standard of living of any Arab in the Middle East.
It is important to elucidate the difference between Israeli Arabs — who are Israeli citizens — and Palestinians, who are not (nor do they desire to be). Palestinians are Arabs living in the West Bank and Gaza under the Palestinian Authority and are protected by Palestinian security forces. Unfortunately, Palestinian leadership has failed its citizens by not providing them with the same freedoms offered in Israel. The Palestinian Authority’s totalitarian government limits free speech and expression and violently discourages political opposition, which propels Palestinians to take extreme positions that make it nearly impossible to reach a compromise for peace with Israel.
It is not mentioned in the previous article that more than 850,000 Jewish refugees were expelled from Arab countries in 1948 and after. Thankfully, descendants of these Jewish refugees are normalized today because they have been accepted in Israel and other countries.
Israel is, in fact, the only democracy in the Middle East. Israel’s free press allows anyone to openly criticize the government, which like all countries, is not perfect. Israel consistently has Arab members seated in its parliament, some of whom hold views that oppose Israel’s very existence. Recognizing dissenting opinion is taken very seriously in Israel, as it is a large component to maintaining the democracy.
Undoubtedly, the conflict ensuing between Israelis and Palestinians is complicated and has resulted in tremendous suffering on both sides. As Americans, we value diversity, freedom and democratic rights and values that are scarce in our world. Israel stands by America, and America should continue to reciprocate the support of its key ally.
[Arielle Davis is a UF student. A version of this column ran on page 7 on 6/3/2014 under the headline "'Settler colonialism' column misleading"]
