by MEMRI
Following the recent Israeli elections, 'Imad Al-Falouji, head of the Gaza-based Institute for Intercultural Dialogue, wrote an article titled "Israel's Democracy and Our Anarchy." Falouji is a former Hamas member who left the movement in 1996 and later served as information minister and as an advisor under Yasser Arafat. In his article he praised Israel's way of handling controversy, and also praised the Israeli political parties for concerning themselves with the citizens' wellbeing and with domains such as economy, education and security; this, in contrast to Palestinian parties which, he said, are concerned mostly with political grandstanding and do not seek solutions to the people's everyday problems. He called upon the Palestinians to emulate the Israeli Arabs who united their ranks in order to bring about change. The following are excerpts from his article:[1]
"There is no shame in
seeing reality as it is, and no wisdom in becoming experts [only] at
cursing and disparaging our enemy. I know how difficult it is to compare
the internal Palestinian situation, our shaping of our policy, the
internal relations among us and our ways of resolving our differences
with the domestic situation of the enemy that is occupying our lands,
usurping our holy sites, and denying our most minimal rights. But this
enemy is proving to us and to the international community that, despite
its tyranny and aggression, it surpasses us in many ways that are no
longer hidden from any observer possessing a minimal degree of
objectivity...
"Anyone examining the
Israeli entity is amazed by the extent of internal disagreement on every
issue between the religious and secular [sectors], and [also] by the
disagreements within the sectors. They have a [political] right, center
and left... and every perception has proponents and opponents and every
senior has an [entire] dossier of charges against him. But, despite all
this, they have passed laws that govern [the handling of] these
disagreements and set out a common goal: that of serving the State of
Israel and the people of Israel. They manage to use the internal
disagreements as a source of strength...
"But we, 'the possessors
of truth' look at what is happening to us. We strike out in every
direction without an agreed-upon plan or purpose. Each party or group
has its own plan and goal. We do not believe in a unifying means. We
renounce all the laws and charters, and have destroyed everything that
united us. Each group claims to possess the absolute truth and
[presents] the others' [beliefs] as absolute lies. We do not possess the
ability to listen to the other. Anarchy rules the day: political,
economic, social and even conceptual anarchy.
"Let's look at the
campaign platforms of the Israeli parties, and what they focused on. All
of them agreed on the need to serve the people on the socio-economic
level, promote employment, cultivate the family and solve its problems,
eradicate unemployment, promote education and achieve security for all
citizens. They do not focus so much on political sparring and on empty
grandstanding.
"But in our [political
arena], everyone talks about politics and general foreign-[policy]
affairs, and only rarely does a party concern itself with improving the
lives of the people and resolving the internal crises from which they
suffer. Moreover, nobody proposes solutions to anything.
"I know this comparison
is difficult and may anger those who refuse to face the bleak reality.
But there is no alternative but to say these things. Perhaps some of us
will wake up and take the opportunity to improve our situation. Our
brothers the Palestinians inside [i.e., the Israeli Arabs] have set up a
model of unity [by uniting all their political parties in the Knesset],
and have thereby proved that we [Palestinians] are capable of change
when we realize the danger, and that there is yet hope."
[1] Amad.ps, March 18, 2015.
MEMRI
Source: http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/8483.htm
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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