Well I have finally gotten out from under the crush of work that always awaits you when you get back from two + weeks on the road. While I was in Israel I had meant to pass along some of my observations of the country and the things I saw on this last trip. In no particular order here they are.
First and foremost-while Israel is a beautiful country and much more modern than its neighbors, one should not be fooled into think it’s the same level of modernity, as say –Singapore. I had a chance to prowl Tel Aviv quite a bit this trip, and part so the city are quite spectacular-an interesting mix of the historical with the modern. Other parts, however-especially as you get closer to Yafo- are to put it mildly, really dumpy. Right there on par with some of the lesser neighborhoods I have seen in Bucharest, or for that matter Turkey. Most Israelis would take umbrage at that statement but its true.
Now when you get away from Tel Aviv to some of the cities up North, the modernity factor actually rises-most particularly in Haifa ( which I got to this trip).
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When talking with my American counterparts back in the states, I remain astounded at the naivete that so many Americans exhibit about Israel. Let me make this clear again: Israel is not America or Europe transplanted to the Levant. It is a unique culture, very much influenced by its history, its language ( which effects how Israelis communicate in other languages) and its underlying ethos as a unique country founded not on secular nationalism, but a religious identity. If Israel were just a secular state there would be peace tomorrow-but you must never forget that its not; even if individual Israelis are quite secular.
In particular, I am finding myself less and less able to continue to stomach the “ Israelis are industrious-Palestinians are lazy freeloaders” meme that seems to have taken hold in a certain segment of the American population. To be sure, I am no fan of Arabs and their culture-but to just cling to this straw is to really misunderstand the nature of the current state of play between the Palestinians and Israelis in Israel. Especially since the wall was constructed and the movements of Palestinians severely restricted. ( Which has the additional benefit of making the streets of the major cities in Israel much, much safer to walk on and visit night life in-which, from my perspective, is a great thing). And it is true the Palestinians have squandered several opportunities to work out a settlement. But at the same time, it’s also necessary to recognize the restrictions on their ability to advance under the current status quo. As I noted in a post last year, instead of Israel being “surrounded”-the reality is that Israel surrounds a hell of a lot of pissed off people.
Most American audiences look at the situation as I once did-the Arabs can just move. Closer examination and study-as well as two opportunities now to see the “barrier” up close and personal have convinced me that the idea of the Palestinans moving is just wishful thinking. The road to Eretz Yisrael is going to be long and bumpy:
What makes the two-state solution unachievable is the fact that since 1967 Israel has settled close to three quarters of a million Jews in the territories it captured from Jordan (emphasis mine)in 1967. About one-third of those are in the area Israel defined as Jerusalem and annexed in 1967, declaring it to be non-negotiable. Of the remaining five hundred thousand, the lowest estimate of the number that would have to be removed in order for a viable, territorially contiguous Palestinian state to be set up in the West Bank is one hundred thousand. This is a task that no Israeli government, committed as it may be to the two-state solution, would be able to carry out, politically. To this day no Israeli government has removed even one of the West Bank “outposts” that are illegal by Israeli law (all Jewish settlements in the occupied territories are illegal by international law), despite promises to the US and several decisions by Israel’s own High Court of Justice.
The declared purpose of the settlement drive in the West Bank (as in the other occupied territories) was to change demographic realities in order to make Israel’s withdrawal from those territories impossible. This purpose has been achieved. Not only are the settlers, their family members and their supporters an electoral power block that cannot be ignored, settlers and their supporters now make up a significant proportion of the command structure of Israel’s security forces, the same forces that would have to carry out a decision to remove the settlers.
To counter this argument, critics may point to the withdrawal of Jewish settlements from Gaza in 2005. That example, however, actually supports our argument. In order to remove 8,000 Jewish settlers from Gaza, an easily isolated region of no religious significance to Jews, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, a military hero idolized by both the settlers and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) had to deploy the entire man and woman power of all of Israel’s security forces. Moreover, the Gaza withdrawal was not done in agreement with the Palestinians, or in order to facilitate peace with them. It was done unilaterally, in order to make Israel’s control of Gaza more efficient. Judging by this example, removing 100,000 settlers from the West Bank, in order to enable the establishment of a Palestinian state, would be an impossible task.
Instead of pursuing the mirage of a two-state solution, would-be peace makers should recognize the fact that Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories in fact constitute one state that has been in existence for nearly forty-five years, the longest lasting political formation in these territories since the Ottoman Empire. (The British Mandate for Palestine lasted thirty years; Israel in its pre-1967 borders lasted only nineteen years). The problem with that state, from a democratic, humanistic perspective, is that forty percent of its residents, the Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza, are non-citizens deprived of all civil and political rights. The solution to this problem is simple, although deeply controversial: establishing one secular, non-ethnic, democratic state with equal citizenship rights to all in the entire area between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River.
A one state solution is a recipe for either apartheid or the loss of Israel’s identity as a Jewish State-either of which is a disaster for Israel. The Arabs are not going anywhere-so what are they to do? It would appear for the immediate future anyway, the answer is to simply muddle through.
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One of the most annoying things in dealing with Israeli’s is their continuing trend to answer a question with a question. I suspect it’s not really intentional-but rather an uptick of a culture that assumes everything is a negotiation. As an American-who just wants to know the bottom line up front, its more than a little disconcerting. Also too, equally annoying is-after having told them in no uncertain terms: “No”-they ask the same question in a different way. Repeat.
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I am also amazed at the numbers of Filipinos working in Israel. It’s a lot. I went to a nightclub one night and I almost thought I was back in Hong Kong. ( sigh). I looked up from the bar and felt my senses quickening in the same manner I would in Wanchai. Fortunately-I recalled my status in life and went back to sulking over my Goldstar. Interesting that, in at least one way-Israelis now have something in common with the Gulf State Arabs ( and the Chinese). They only give them one day off a week-if they’re lucky.
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The Hebrew language really fascinates me. Every time I make a trip I try to decipher more and more of the alphabet. I’ve gotten to where I can read the letters ( after a fashion). And when in Israel I have learned to condition myself to the right to left reading scheme. Like in Japan, its really not so hard once you get used to it-once you understand the rules of the road. However, I think I would love to learn the spoken language-not that it would prove of any use to me. But it has to be easier to learn than Japanese was.
It would probably consistent with my overall language learning experience to date. I know German and Japanese-languages that are limited in the areas where they are useful. So Hebrew would only add to the list. 🙂
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And finally-don’t try to leave Tel Aviv on the same day as: the Tel Aviv marathon and the day Israel goes to daylight savings time. ( Because Friday evening begins Shabbat-they do it on Friday morning at 2AM.) Suffice it to say it makes getting a taxi to Ben Gurion a challenge to say the least.