Jews Show That All Jews Don't Support Persecution Of Palestinians
Main
Points:
1. Rabbis, Jewish authors and human rights
activists want peaceful co-existence with Arab Muslims of Israel.
2. Jews form human chain with Arab Muslims.
3. Jews criticise Benjamin Netanyahu for
inciting hatred and violence.
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New Age Islam Special Correspondent
24 May 2021
The 11-day
Israel-Palestine War that ended on Friday 21 May witnessed death and
destruction on both sides apart from a rise in hatred and acrimony between the
Arab Muslims and Jews of Israel. As the hostilities between Hamas and Israeli
army intensified, communal tension between Arab Muslims who constitute about 20
per cent of Israel's population and the majority Jews also escalated within
Israel that culminated in a civil war in Israel. Riots between Jews and Arab
Muslims took place in mixed populations in Jaffa, Acres, Nazareth, Bat Yam, Lod
and Jerusalem. Many Jews and Arab Muslims were killed in these riots and
properties were destroyed. This created an internal threat for Israel. The
government of Israel had to clamp emergency in these areas.
But a large
section of the Jews of Israel was not happy over Israel's aggression against
the Palestinians of Gaza and were pained at the death and destruction in Gaza
Strip. At the same time, a large section of Arab Muslims also felt that Hamas'
rocket attacks were also not going to produce any solutions.
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Therefore,
as the war began and the Arabs and Jews fought in the streets, peace and human
rights activists from both the communities, Rabbis, writers and journalists
along with thousands of peace-loving people came on the streets calling for an
end to violence and war. They stressed the need for a peaceful co-existence and
end to war and violence. Peace rallies were organised in towns across Israel
and Jews and Muslims hugged each other and formed a human chain. They held
signs like "Love thy neighbour as thyself" and "All
together".
Two groups
Standing Together and Breaking the Silence had mostly organised the rallies
that were participated by both the Muslim and Jew intellectuals and common
people. Apart from them organisations like Rabbis for Human Rights, Women Wage
Peace and Tag Meir took part in the peace rallies. On 19 May these
organisations formed a long human peace chain in Jerusalem.
Booker
Prize winning author of Israel David Grossman who lost his son during Israel
Lebanon war in 2006 was one of the prominent figures in these anti-war
protests. In the pro-peace rally organised in Tel Aviv on 22 May he criticised
the policies of the Benjamin Netanyahu's government.
He said,
"We Israelis still refuse to realise the time is over in which our power
can force a reality that's convenient for us and only for us, for our needs and
interests."
Sally Abed
of Standing Together said,
"I
refuse to go back to the routine of institutionalised discrimination, of police
violence, of political arrests and limited citizenship."
The riots
were the result of the long suppressed frustration of Arab Muslims of Israel
due to the Zionist government's discrimination against them in all spheres of
life. During the last few years of Benjamin Netanyahu's government, some laws
were introduced that treated Arab Muslims as second class citizens. They had limited
citizenship and living in Israel was getting increasingly difficult for them.
Their houses were demolished by the local government for incomplete documents.
The attacks on Palestinians in Jerusalem and their planned eviction from Sheikh
Jarrah broke their patience and they came out on the streets in solidarity with
them.
The riots
became a huge embarrassment for Benjamin Netanyahu as peaceful section of Jews
came out in support of Palestinians and condemned and criticised atrocities of
Israeli government on them. Avi Dabush, the director general of Rabbis for
Human Rights said that the 'silent majority' of Arabs and Jews wanted peaceful
co-existence. "We're at war and I live in a town that's been badly hit but
what's even more dangerous at this moment to a certain extent is what's
happening within Israeli society between Jews and Arabs", he told France
24.
Similarly
Dubi Moran, a representative of an NGO Windows-Channels for Communication that
has both Muslim and Jews as members also echoed the same views. He feels the
frustration, fear and hate that the Arab Muslims of Israel have been going
through.
The medical
staff of hospitals across the country also called for calm and shared photos of
communal harmony and solidarity.
An
important aspect of the pro-peace initiatives of the Israeli people was that
some responsible members of the media also played an important part in
de-escalating communal tensions in the country. The widely circulated daily of
Israel Haaretz carried its editorial on May 18 titled, "Arabs and Jewish
citizens of Israel, let's live together." This is something from which the
media in India should learn as they promoted communal hatred during the
Covid-19 and during riots.
It can
therefore be said that while diplomatic pressure created by the international
community was instrumental in the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the
social pressure created by the peace-loving Jewish community also made a big
difference.
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-politics/israel-palestine-peace-loving-arab-jews-co-existence/d/124869