An inclusive vision

Haaretz
January 11, 2008
By AMI NAHSHON

We stood in the fields of a kibbutz in the Triangle region east of Hadera, a delegation of 60 American, British and Canadian Jewish philanthropists, who had traveled to Israel this week in order to study the challenges of building an inclusive and just society for Jewish and Arab Israelis, and to determine how we can help.

A member described to us how his kibbutz was established in the state's early days to create a "security wedge" between clusters of Arab villages to the north and south. As we learned how the kibbutz had been constructed on both purchased and confiscated Arab lands, it became clear to all of us that the clock could not be turned back, and we understood why our host had a sense of obligation to work toward forward-looking solutions that benefit both the Jewish and Arab communities of the region.

As recently as 10 years ago, few Diaspora Jews - focused as we were on the survival and building-up of the Jewish state - understood the importance of strengthening Jewish-Arab cooperation, of narrowing the socioeconomic chasm that divides these communities and of building a sustainable framework for majority-minority relations in Israel.

While American and world Jewry have been deeply engaged for decades in building a national home for the Jewish people, we have failed to take into account that both our ideological focus and our philanthropic investments have left 20 percent of Israel's citizens - its indigenous Palestinian-Arab minority - far behind.

Just as developing the Negev and the Galilee, building hospitals and universities, and absorbing waves of Jewish immigrants were Jewish priorities for Israel during the past half-century, so, too, must be the creation of a just and inclusive society for the era ahead.

This is the conclusion already reached by more than 200 Israeli NGOs now working in the field of coexistence and equality, and it is finally beginning to take root as well among growing numbers of Jewish Diaspora leaders and donors. The change was symbolized by the presence of these 60 individuals this week, and by the 70 major American Jewish nonprofit organizations, from across the political and religious spectrum, that have formed a powerful new coalition to tackle these issues and form a movement for action.

Joining with a growing number of Israeli philanthropists and opinion leaders, Jewish and Arab, we are determined to advance our vision of an inclusive, cooperative, respectful Israeli society, all of whose citizens enjoy equal opportunity and feel equally at home. Some of us were therefore surprised to learn that a few outspoken members of the Arab community had, out of political considerations, called for a boycott of meetings with this diaspora delegation, as reported in Haaretz ("Israeli Arab Leaders Slam Community's Boycott of Visiting Jewish Donors," Jan. 8, 2008).

While the call to boycott fell on deaf ears among the vast majority of Arab public and civil society leaders, it taught all of us an important lesson: that the lines of conflict in Israel are not between the Arab and Jewish communities, but rather between those Jews and Arabs who embrace a vision of an inclusive and just society, and those who seem intent on pursuing an agenda of separatism and alienation. Our visit convinced us that it is our duty, as diaspora leaders, to embrace and support those who share this inclusive vision, and not to allow ourselves to be distracted by the separatist voices at the political fringes of both communities.

During our three intense days in Israel, we conferred with more than 100 Arab and Jewish leaders who are committed to partnership and change. From Sakhnin in the Galilee to the unrecognized Bedouin villages in the Negev, we met people ranging from grass-roots community organizers to government ministers and members of Knesset.

We learned about a faltering educational system reflected in declining academic achievement, seen most acutely within the Arab schools; widening socioeconomic gaps, shortages of social services, and few programs for Arab youth at risk; and employment practices that limit opportunities for Arab college graduates to participate in the knowledge economy. We heard as well about crushing pressure on Arab municipalities to provide for the basic infrastructure needs of their communities; festering and unaddressed issues of land allocation and planning, most acutely felt within the Negev Bedouin communities; and long-standing exclusion of Israeli Arabs from meaningful participation in the state's political processes.

We also learned that, while government is a critical part of both the problem and the solutions, civil society and philanthropists have a meaningful role to play in advancing the vision of an inclusive society of coexistence. By drawing on international experience in majority-minority relations, by demonstrating viable models for addressing critical issues, by using our influence to advocate for government action, and by providing support and resources to Arab and Jewish NGOs alike, we believe that we can make a difference, and be a stimulus for lasting change.

From a deep and fundamental commitment to a Jewish democratic Israel and its welfare, we have embarked on an irrevocable path to address what we believe is the central domestic challenge facing the State of Israel for the foreseeable future. We were gratified to find that senior leaders within the government, the Jewish Agency and other central institutions are increasingly responsive to the inclusion and equality agenda, and are beginning to translate words into deeds.

We invite Israelis - Jewish and Arab - and friends of Israel abroad to join us in this critical undertaking.

Ami Nahshon is the New York-based president of The Abraham Fund Initiatives, an Israeli NGO working for a shared and inclusive society for all of Israel's citizens.