Subscribe to Print Edition | Fri., May 16, 2008 Iyyar 11, 5768 | | Israel Time: 03:09 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Advertising Books Peres Conference Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

A good day for hope By Yair Sheleg Tags: Israeli Arabs, Nakba Until a few years ago, today, May 15, was known in Israel as the parallel to the 5th of Iyar, the day of the establishment of the state. In recent years, as more Israeli Arabs started commemorating their national catastrophe - the Nakba - on this date, it suddenly took on a threatening significance. The Jewish majority was very stressed by the memorial and mourning processions. Ostensibly, just marking the day is enough to prove that those doing so are a "fifth column" planning to attack the Jewish national home. But as difficult as it is, it is important to distinguish between the human significance and the political significance of this day. On the human level, a Jew, as a member of a nation that mourned its destruction for 2,000 years, should have no trouble understanding why Israeli Arabs are mourning. This is the day that marks their national destruction; their defeat in the war; the flight, expulsion and uprooting of many of their forefathers; and, above all, a transition to the status of a national minority. We cannot and should not prevent them from remembering this day with sorrow. On the contrary, attempts to prevent Arab expressions of mourning by force of law or public fury are only liable to operate as a boomerang. In any case, Israeli Arabs are shortchanged when it comes to resources and jobs, and are alienated from the symbols of the state. If the Jewish majority tries to undermine their legitimate memory as well, the sense of alienation will only increase, as will the desire to rebel. On the contrary: Human respect for the pain can lead, at least for some of the Arab population, to a renewed sense of belonging. Advertisement But parallel to legitimization of the mourning there must be an unequivocal rejection of its political conclusion. Just as actual attempts at rebellion must be met by an "iron wall," the same is true of the "demand to return." The justice and morality in whose name this demand is made are totally false, not only because the Palestinians themselves were the ones to begin the war and are therefore responsible for their defeat, but also because all the villages to which people are demanding to return have already been destroyed. In any case, the return is not a human return to a house and a tree, but a political demand whose purpose is to prevent the chances of the State of Israel to survive as the state of the Jewish people. The mourning events should remind the Palestinians of their historic mistake in rejecting the UN Partition Plan, and should strengthen the recognition that a repeat of the opposition to partition and a claim of "it's all mine" is liable to leave them, as it did 60 years ago, with nothing. When they demand to return to Saffuriya (Tzippori), there should be some among them who ask why they lost Saffuriya in the first place, and who is really to blame for that. Meanwhile, we can try to transform the sensitive date of May 15 from a day of tension between the two nations of the land into a day of an effort to heal the wounds. If, for example, this day is defined as the Day of the Israeli Citizen, with an emphasis on the Israeli citizenship common to Jews and Arabs and the need for equal rights and resources, and meetings are held between Jews and Arabs of all ages, perhaps this date, in the spirit of Jewish tradition, can be transformed from "mourning to a holiday"; or at least into a day that signifies hope. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Animated massacre Animated Israeli film at Cannes explores Sabra and Shatila massacre. Kowtowing to funders When papers are sponsored, can their reporting be truly independent?

Read & React Barak: It won't be long before Israel stops rocket fire Responses: 123 Bush: We must be firm in face of those who murder innocents Responses: 116 Israel dismayed over allies' burgeoning trade with Iran Responses: 96 MI Chief: Rockets could reach Be'er Sheva within two years Responses: 72 Abbas: It's time to end the Nakba of the Palestinian people Responses: 95 More Headlines 22:54 Driver: I personally handed Olmert envelopes stuffed with cash 01:27 Israel: Bush means business on Iran nukes 02:39 ANALYSIS: Who wants to stop Iran? 02:57 ANALYSIS: Was Bush's Knesset speech a swipe at Obama? 22:16 Qassam rocket strikes Sderot synagogue; no one hurt 02:35 Israel protests UN chief Ban Ki-Moon's use of term 'nakba' 20:39 Philly Jewish paper accused of kowtowing to its funders 16:53 Israeli film at Cannes explores 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre 20:09 Bush to Knesset: U.S. stands with Israel, Masada will not fall again 16:45 Hezbollah declares crisis over after Lebanon gov't climb-down 18:19 Reuters demands explanation from Israel for death of cameramen 18:57 Obama says Bush politically attacked him in Knesset address Previous Editions Select Day 15 may 14 may 13 may 12 may 11 may 09 may 08 may 07 may 06 may 05 may 04 may 02 may

Special Offers Advertisement Dead Sea Products Buy Dead Sea mineral skin care and beauty products. Coupon code Haaretz for 10% off. The Terraces Your Ultimate Coastal Address On Nitza Boulevard, North Netanya Together Celebrating Israel's 60th The Jewish Agency and You - together making history Pardes Institute Summer Sessions http://www.pardes.org.il/ Free the Palestinians from: Corrupt Kleptocracy, Tyrannical Theocracy, Abysmal Anarchy Fattal Hotel Chain Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel. ISRAEL BONDS Build Israel Israel bonds - a multi-purpose way to celebrate Israel's 60th Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations Junkyard Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt

Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |

Real Estate in Israel

Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.

© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved