by Daniel Siryoti
In my job as a reporter
for Israel Hayom, I travel to Arab communities in Israel and meet with
public officials and local residents. Time and time again, I learn that
most of them do not identify with Balad MK Hanin Zoabi's provocative
statements. But there is more than just anger over Zoabi's words. The
other Arab MKs are also not very popular among their public. It is not
that Israeli Arabs have become Zionists, but the feeling among them is
that those who are supposed to represent them are doing too much for the
Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and too little for them.
However, the Arab
public has shown almost no public signs of disaffection with Zoabi. The
harsh feelings the Arab public has toward its elected representatives in
the Knesset can be gleaned primarily through private conversations and
small talk between Arabs and their Jewish neighbors in mixed cities.
More than once, an Arab
official has told me that there is a silent majority in the Arab
public. This majority considers itself loyal to the State of Israel, but
also identifies with the Palestinians. It does not see a contradiction
between identifying with Palestinian nationalism while also remaining
law-abiding citizens of Israel.
"These people are
afraid to express their opinions against Zoabi's provocations," I was
told. "Those who have spoken out against the provocative behavior of
Arab MKs have 'won' a harsh reaction, including death threats, from the
Arab public in Israel."
There are plenty of
examples of this. Recently, an Arab teen -- in fact, a relative of Zoabi
-- had to move abroad due to threats on his life after he published a
video online in which he appeared in front of an Israeli flag and
condemned the kidnapping and murder of the three yeshiva students in
Gush Etzion as well as Zoabi's assertion that the perpetrators were not
terrorists.
A well-known Arab
journalist was recently forced to shut down her Facebook page, due to
the many insults and even death threats she received after she dared to
criticize the lack of action by Arab MKs on behalf of their
constituents. "All told, I published a post on my Facebook page in which
I asked the Arab public to renounce hypocrisy, look in the mirror and
to say in public what we all say quietly and softly -- that most Arab
MKs, led by Zoabi, only cause damage to the Arab public in Israel,
arouse tensions between peoples who want to live here in peace and do
not lift a finger to eliminate the problems of poverty, discrimination,
neglect, violence and rising crime," the journalist said. She explained
that she decided to close her Facebook page after some of the angry
reactions came from acquaintances who, in private conversations,
actually agreed with her view. "At this point, I broke down completely,
and I realized I was fighting against windmills and people who prefer to
live a lie."
By the way, the Palestinian
Authority is not enthusiastic, either, about Arab MKs meddling in
internal Palestinian politics. For some time now, Zoabi has been a
persona non grata at the PA headquarters in Ramallah. Tensions only
increased after Zoabi called PA President Mahmoud Abbas a "traitor" due
to the ongoing security coordination between Palestinian security forces
in the West Bank and the IDF.
Daniel Siryoti
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=10293
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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