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Did Livni mean what she said?
By Jawad Boulous
Tags: Israel, Annapolis summit 

One morning recently, I went to a grocery store in the north Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina, where I bought a few items, which I paid for with a Jordanian coin. When I glanced at the change I received, in Israeli currency, I saw I had been shortchanged by three shekels. I looked at the grocer, who, without my saying a word, seemed to understand, as he shouted angrily: We still remember you as tramps. Now you all drive around in Mercedes, but you still squabble with us over a few pennies.

That was the opinion of a simple Palestinian about his Palestinian brothers who live inside Israel - if you will, the "Israeli Arabs" or "the Arabs of '48." Of course this was just one man's opinion, but there is little doubt that it is representative of a widespread feeling among our Palestinian brethren, who expresses an objective reality.

I recalled the episode when I heard Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni declare last week that the Palestinian state would provide a national solution for all the Palestinians, including those who live inside Israel. The minister in effect was offering her understanding of the real significance of Israel's insistence on conditioning its participation in the Annapolis conference on Palestinian recognition of Israel as the state of the Jewish people. The connection Livni made between the Palestinian refugees and the Palestinian citizens of the State of Israel - by saying that both of them could find their solution in a future Palestinian state - did not leave much to the imagination, for this time the remarks were made by the foreign minister and in the name of the Israeli government, and herein lies the danger.
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Since the state's establishment, its leaders have refused to internalize the fact that an Arab Palestinian minority remained here. Their decision to stay and live on their lands constituted a painful reminder to the leaders of the Zionist movement about the way in which reality failed to conform to Israel Zangwill's well-known slogan that saw this as "a land without a people for a people without a land."

Over the years, Israeli leaders competed with one another in coining racist slogans that would bear evidence of their desire to rid themselves of that national minority - expressions such as "drugged cockroaches in a bottle," "a cancer in the body of the state" and "fifth column" - lines that became engraved deeply upon the consciousness of the Arab minority. These sentiments served as a reminder that at least some Israeli policy-makers believe, as part of their conceptual understanding and basic worldview, that Israel should not become reconciled to the existence of the Arab-Palestinian minority in its midst. Against this backdrop, it is possible to understand the policy of discrimination that is wielded against the Arab minority - a policy that is in fact a symptom of a sick body that refuses to accept the minority as one of its own natural organs.

Livni's declaration is seen in the eyes of many as a significant step toward the implementation of the transfer plan that in days gone by was the declared dream of marginal political figures and bodies. Now apparently we are no longer talking about a contingency plan, but rather about a fact that all the Arab population in Israel must regard with utmost seriousness and place at the head of its concerns. If this understanding is mistaken, Foreign Minister Livni and the government of Israel are obligated to declare in no uncertain terms that the state is not planning any kind of transfer.

And for their part, the leaders and institutions of the Arab minority must hold a thorough and responsible discussion, and perhaps must also rethink, the way in which they will conduct the long and ongoing struggle for survival inside this country. At the end of the road, it is not sufficient to shout and to act like a victim, since even a victim has to find ways to protect himself if he is to survive.

Nonetheless, one cannot help but be shocked at how the foreign minister dared to say what she did without the very foundations of the state being rocked. If she does not correct her statements or apologize in the near future, her direct superior, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will be obliged to clarify the government's standpoint in a clear and unequivocal manner, and instruct her to apologize. If she refuses to do so, he must show her the way out.

The author is an attorney who represents, among others, Marwan Barghouti.
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  1.   The author reprsents the killer Barghouti 10:11  |  Hastaroth 26/11/07
  2.   Poulous, you must have just arrived from Mars since Arabs do not 10:31  |  Genuine Tosefta 26/11/07
  3.   Boulous you didn`t say what she meant 10:43  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 26/11/07
  4.   Ester is Home Prison 10:49  |  Atilla 26/11/07
  5.   Show Her the Way Out? 10:50  |  Yaakov Sullivan 26/11/07
  6.   Livni was angry 10:51  |  Decent or liberal 26/11/07
  7.   Why reinvent the wheel. Some things cannot be improved upon 11:02  |  Natallie Durson 26/11/07
  8.   To Genuine Tosefta 11:09  |  Indiginous 26/11/07
  9.   boulos speaks multitudes and confirms arab will not be loyal citi 11:11  |  victor hardman 26/11/07
  10.   Margie in Tel Aviv on Livni`s comments 11:16  |  Yaakov Sullivan 26/11/07
  11.   Sullivan 11:26  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 26/11/07
  12.   Have they forgotten? 11:27  |  Anne 26/11/07
  13.   Twisting Livni`s words 11:28  |  tikva 26/11/07
  14.   take it easy, you know nobody is being "transfered" 11:31  |  don 26/11/07
  15.   genuine racism and proud of it 11:33  |  thinks he`s smart 26/11/07
  16.   NDURSON.The Hamas charter says it perfectly 11:37  |  PETER S.M. 26/11/07
  17.   To Indiginous 11:49  |  tikva 26/11/07
  18.   Population transfer is not on the books 12:09  |  farid 26/11/07
  19.   to #10 Yacoub Sooliman What a LARF!! 12:19  |  Ari ben Yisrael 26/11/07
  20.   The author defends Hamas in court 12:20  |  Trembling Palestine 26/11/07
  21.   Margie in TA, Of course I read the headline 12:22  |  Yaakov Sullivan 26/11/07
  22.   Spending Jordanian Coinage in Palestinian Stores 12:23  |  Efox 26/11/07
  23.   re: Yaakov Sullivan 12:27  |  Efox 26/11/07
  24.   re: Natallie Durson 12:30  |  Efox 26/11/07
  25.   Rightly Tzipi Livni stated that a future Palestinian Arab state 12:34  |  Avihu 26/11/07
  26.   re: Indiginous 12:35  |  Efox 26/11/07
  27.   To tikva 12:42  |  Indiginous 26/11/07
  28.   Ari ben Yisrael, not the case #19 12:45  |  Yaakov Sullivan 26/11/07
  29.   Jawad`s faulty logic 12:45  |  NB 26/11/07
  30.   To ignorant Efox 12:52  |  Merchant 26/11/07
  31.   ONE Palestinian state, not TWO 12:55  |  Eyal 26/11/07
  32.   Efox - Clueless in NM 13:08  |  Indiginous 26/11/07
  33.   Sullivan you don`t speak for Israelis. 13:09  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 26/11/07
  34.   To Hastaroth 13:14  |  Advocate 26/11/07
  35.   Palestine as A Dumping Ground 13:17  |  Yaakov Sullivan 26/11/07
  36.   Clearly misreading Livni 13:22  |  Avi 26/11/07
  37.   Avihu. Why don`t you post more often? 13:30  |  Eliyahu 26/11/07
  38.   To Avi of Jerusalem 13:36  |  Historian 26/11/07
  39.   Very not thoughtrough at all 13:51  |  Ofer 26/11/07
  40.   No, Margie that is not true #33 14:04  |  Yaakov Sullivan 26/11/07
  41.   Sullivan which Islamic state would you judge by the same rules 14:17  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 26/11/07
  42.   Make-up your mind Margie! 14:26  |  Debator 26/11/07
  43.   I`m not making comparisons, you are #41 14:26  |  Yaakov Sullivan 26/11/07
  44.   stupid "yaacov" 14:27  |  goldenberg 26/11/07
  45.   To Indiginous, they were Baghdadi Jews 14:29  |  tikva 26/11/07
  46.   stupid "yaacov" 14:32  |  goldenberg 26/11/07
  47.   margie in tel aviv 14:36  |  realism 26/11/07
  48.   Notice Jawad Biluous doesn`t mention 14:43  |  David Teich 26/11/07
  49.   reasonable aspirations 14:46  |  Murray 26/11/07
  50.   To Indiginous Idiot: "Jesus, the King of Palestinians" 14:49  |  Boris 26/11/07
  51.   For all to witness the type that is this goldenberg #46 14:58  |  Yaakov Sullivan 26/11/07
  52.   smile to me or I`ll kill you too 15:03  |  tulli 26/11/07
  53.   David Teich on "judenrein"nation 15:03  |  Yaakov Sullivan 26/11/07
  54.   debator 15:06  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 26/11/07
  55.   Exaggerated nonsense `Blaming the other` as always 15:21  |  Shalom Freedman 26/11/07
  56.   To tikva 15:44  |  Indiginous 26/11/07
  57.   who "Yaakov" really IS ? 15:46  |  goldenberg 26/11/07
  58.   who "Yaakov" really IS ? 2nd try 15:48  |  goldenberg 26/11/07
  59.   who "Yaakov" really IS ? 3rd try 15:49  |  goldenberg 26/11/07
  60.   To Boris 15:53  |  Indiginous 26/11/07
  61.   To Yaacov Sullivan/Have you noticed? 16:13  |  Anne 26/11/07
  62.   mr.jawad you shoudn`t be worry 16:15  |  scanadu 26/11/07
  63.   Livni should apologise for her reckless words... 16:19  |  Dutch Dirk 26/11/07
  64.   to ignorant Tosefta 16:22  |  Rami 26/11/07
  65.   ISRAELI GOVT. PLOTS MASS TRANSFER OF ARAB CITIZENS 16:30  |  Klaudia 26/11/07
  66.   As an Israeli-Arab, I agree with Livni 16:35  |  Rami 26/11/07
  67.   Haaretz please put up my messages to various people 16:39  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 26/11/07
  68.   It is interesting that their "slogans" are taken from Germany 16:39  |  Weird Really 26/11/07
  69.   # 36 Avi, I agree with you 100% 16:39  |  Rami 26/11/07
  70.   Self-serving distortion, as usual 16:40  |  MarkC 26/11/07
  71.   To Rami of Nazareth 16:45  |  Local 26/11/07
  72.   Anne, what is even more interesting is.... 16:48  |  Yaakov Sullivan 26/11/07
  73.   Population exchange 16:52  |  Carlotta 26/11/07
  74.   empathy 16:57  |  Tess 26/11/07
  75.   Weir Really, that is precisely what sharon was doingg 17:04  |  Yaakov Sullivan 26/11/07
  76.   To Rami 17:06  |  Non-Jew 26/11/07
  77.   Rami of Nazereth, thank you for your post, but... 17:17  |  Ravit Regev 26/11/07
  78.   Livni must go. 17:23  |  Deborah 26/11/07
  79.   To Ravit Regev 17:36  |  IsraeliArab 26/11/07
  80.   Ravit on the Arabs of Israel 17:37  |  Yaakov Sullivan 26/11/07
  81.   Klaudia #65 Splendid! 17:40  |  S 26/11/07
  82.   Dutch dreck 17:41  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 26/11/07
  83.   Israel should copy the Brits.Establish the Abbas dynasty on ..... 17:47  |  Toronto`s Finest 26/11/07
  84.   #44 goldenbeg 17:51  |  Boycott 26/11/07
  85.   Deborah #78 Your reading comprehension is lousy 18:05  |  Free Gilad Shalit 26/11/07
  86.   In the meantime, the demand has been dropped? 18:07  |  newageblues 26/11/07
  87.   Indeed, Boycott, just a difference of color 18:08  |  Yaakov Sullivan 26/11/07
  88.   # 71 local missing the point.. 18:08  |  Rami 26/11/07
  89.   So far only Jews have been transferred 18:09  |  Free Gilad Shalit 26/11/07
  90.   Goldenbeg - Jews too are guest, in the western world 18:33  |  German Worker 26/11/07
  91.   Sullivan - I am not sure how much arrogance it 18:52  |  Hisham 26/11/07
  92.   To Yaakov Sullivan. Democracy is the rule of the majority 18:55  |  Altalena 26/11/07
  93.   Indiginous 18:56  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 26/11/07
  94.   Ravit Regev about Israeli Arabs 18:56  |  Hisham 26/11/07
  95.   One man meat may be another man`s poison 18:56  |  tikva 26/11/07
  96.   Boycott 18:58  |  markinlondon 26/11/07
  97.   "transfer" is straight out of the time of Aushwitz 19:01  |  igco 26/11/07
  98.   stupid Goldenberg#44 19:01  |  David 26/11/07
  99.   Who is this Y. Sullivan? 19:09  |  Fatma 26/11/07
  100.   Not a dumping ground 19:34  |  Jackie 26/11/07
  101.   Transfer should be on the table 19:39  |  Ron 26/11/07
  102.   Hey Israelis, look at this, more anti-Israel hate from Haaretz 19:43  |  Steve Randolph 26/11/07
  103.   Arabs are not the problem... its the religious 19:44  |  Jewboy 26/11/07
  104.   Jews: Haaretz, by publishing this type of content, is our enemy 19:46  |  Steve Randolph 26/11/07
  105.   #99 Fatma 19:57  |  tbora 26/11/07
  106.   To 90 German worker: Germany as home 20:09  |  Altalena 26/11/07
  107.   I would agree with this article if... 20:11  |  Franco 26/11/07
  108.   #104 Randolph 20:21  |  Dutch Dirk 26/11/07
  109.   To Yaacov Sullivan - Israel racist? 20:35  |  Lee 26/11/07
  110.   Livni of course did not mean to see Arabs 20:38  |  Yoram Ivri 26/11/07
  111.   104 Steve Randolph You are correct. A "Jewish democracy" needs 20:50  |  Apartheid 26/11/07
  112.   #60 Indiginous... and ignorant 20:51  |  Franco 26/11/07
  113.   Arab conscription 20:54  |  joki 26/11/07
  114.   To 108. Dutch Dirk. Pogroms again 20:57  |  Altalena 26/11/07
  115.   100 Dear Jackie: where would you be today if the US had become a 20:59  |  Apartheid 26/11/07
  116.   Anyway... 21:00  |  Colin Wright 26/11/07
  117.   tp # 77 Ravit 21:04  |  Rami 26/11/07
  118.   This is the most important talkback you will ever read. Where 21:05  |  Apartheid 26/11/07
  119.   Transfer Arab land to Palestinian State 21:15  |  B 26/11/07
  120.   Tulli 52 None said better than you 21:15  |  Nahl Albarid 26/11/07
  121.   The Jews exploited the tolerance of other peoples for 21:18  |  Apartheid 26/11/07
  122.   miserable hate-monger... 21:24  |  felix 26/11/07
  123.   The defender of a multiple murderer writes at Haaretz 21:36  |  Fortuna Benmayor 26/11/07
  124.   Shocked ? Yeah, right - coming from Bargjouti`s Attorney ! 21:56  |  Tod Zuckerman 26/11/07
  125.   I beg to differ with this interpretation. 21:59  |  Esther 26/11/07
  126.   123 Fortuna Benmayor, you must be refering to Alan Dershowitz 22:00  |  Apartheid 26/11/07
  127.   Message #116 of Apartheid 22:04  |  Yitzhak 26/11/07
  128.   Advertisement 22:25  |  Edith 26/11/07
  129.   Dutch Dirk, do you visit a café in Amsterdam? 23:01  |  Mark B. 26/11/07
  130.   No2 - P`s B`s and V`s 23:12  |  Palestinian Brit 26/11/07
  131.   Altalena -Strange because many are coming 23:43  |  German Worker 26/11/07
  132.   Mr.Boulous..YOUR ARTICLE REEKED OF SELF PTIY AND WHINING,SORRY.. 23:52  |  JOSH 26/11/07
  133.   Apartheid - "The Jews exploited the tolerance of other peoples" 23:53  |  Lee 26/11/07
  134.   Wrong, Dutch Dirk 23:54  |  Ricardo 26/11/07
  135.   Equality for all 23:55  |  david 26/11/07
  136.   # 125 Esther...THANK GOODNESS FOR A CORRECT REPLY. 23:57  |  JOSH 26/11/07
  137.   Message # 131 of German Worker 23:58  |  Yitzhak 26/11/07
  138.   # 123 Fortuna Benmayor...I AM DISGUSTED WITH THIS PERSON+HAARETZ. 00:01  |  JOSH 27/11/07
  139.   atila 00:03  |  michel 27/11/07
  140.   # 67 to margie in tel aviv re: missing posts 00:29  |  eric 27/11/07
  141.   For Apartheid, 125 an antisemitically correct spinner. 00:30  |  Fortuna Benmayor 27/11/07
  142.   Nobody`s Sending Israeli Arabs Anywhere-Stop the Incitement 01:05  |  Jane 27/11/07
  143.   To 131. German worker. Behaviour of minorities 01:33  |  Altalena 27/11/07
  144.   Livni`s comment: a difference of perception and intent 01:37  |  eric 27/11/07
  145.   Shut the talkbacks down 01:44  |  Ofer 27/11/07
  146.   Indigeneous and Rami 02:07  |  Scharker Yid 27/11/07
  147.   Apartheid, that already happened in 1921 02:19  |  Scharker Yid 27/11/07
  148.   Livni`s words are here 02:21  |  Johnboy 27/11/07
  149.   Population transfer & ethnic cleansing 02:54  |  Serge 27/11/07
  150.   Livni and Ehud speak 03:06  |  Mark Lincoln 27/11/07
  151.   Sullivan 03:24  |  James 27/11/07
  152.   # 65 KlaudiaISRAELI GOVT. PLOTS MASS TRANSFER OF ARAB CITIZENS 03:38  |  Kathy 27/11/07
  153.   I HOPE SHE DID MEAN IT; ARABS IN ISRAEL WANT TO SEE ISRAEL VANISH 04:59  |  Jorge 27/11/07
  154.   #130 Palestinian Brit 04:59  |  Franco 27/11/07
  155.   Jane - the lobbyist 05:14  |  Mark Lincoln 27/11/07
  156.   Stop the incitment - Jane 05:21  |  Mark Lincoln 27/11/07
  157.   The most horrible truth 05:26  |  Mark Lincoln 27/11/07
  158.   population exchanges brought peace 05:34  |  David Israel 27/11/07
  159.   # 152 if haaretz upsets you so much, kathy... 05:42  |  eric 27/11/07
  160.   Apartheid you have the right name 05:42  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 27/11/07
  161.   Margie in Tel Aviv 05:46  |  shosha 27/11/07
  162.   Mark Lincoln busily spreads hate like manure 05:46  |  Israeli 27/11/07
  163.   # 145 to ofer 05:47  |  eric 27/11/07
  164.   kathy, #152 05:52  |  Mona 27/11/07
  165.   TORAH LAW:MOSHIACH WILL TRANSFER ALL GENTILES WHO REFUSE NOAHISM) 06:25  |  VOICE of MOSHIACH))) 27/11/07
  166.   THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE RELIGION IN THE HOLYLAND: JUDAISM))))))))) 06:28  |  VOICE of MOSHIACH))) 27/11/07
  167.   "The author is an attorney who represents,... 06:32  |  Maureen Ann 27/11/07
  168.   MOST OF LEFTIS ARE JEWS LIVING IN CONTRADICTIONS.SOMETIMES THEY R 06:33  |  VOICE of MOSHIACH))) 27/11/07
  169.   Franco - 153 Change of name 07:34  |  Palestinian Brit 27/11/07
  170.   #168 Palestinian Brit 08:17  |  Franco 27/11/07
  171.   #1 -- so what? 08:18  |  davidk 27/11/07
  172.   To Kathy# 152 ... Gosh I hope THIS post makes it thru 08:53  |  Klaudia 27/11/07
  173.   Addendum to #125 08:54  |  Esther 27/11/07
  174.   Jews in Arab Countries Accepted Moslem States 09:56  |  EgyptianJewRefugee 27/11/07
  175.   ASTOUNDING 10:10  |  Mark of Lewiston 27/11/07
  176.   Zionists confounded? 11:37  |  Murray 27/11/07
  177.   national identity 12:29  |  richi 27/11/07
  178.   # 167 Maureen Ann..IF HE IS SO SAINT LIKE.. 15:48  |  Kathy 27/11/07
  179.   # 172 Klaudia..I did Go yesterday.I have More to exploring to do. 15:59  |  Kathy 27/11/07
  180.   # 159 eric..You are being absurd..Why? 16:05  |  Kathy 27/11/07
  181.   # 162 Israeli..Mark Lincoln busily spreads hate like manure.TRUTH 17:31  |  JOSH 27/11/07
  182.   Arab Existence in Israel 22:20  |  George 29/11/07
  183.   Jewish Palestinian minority 23:38  |  mork1from1ork 07/08/09
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