A Message from Larry Garber

NIF Newsletter
June 27, 2006
By LARRY GARBER

Our mini-bus sought to make a tight right-hand turn on the narrow streets of the Arab town of Um El Fahm , but the angle seemed impossible. Cars were both in front and behind the bus, precluding an easy withdrawal from the scene. We watched as various pedestrians offered their suggestions. <

Finally, a parked car moved from the side of the street, providing slightly more room for the driver to maneuver. Notwithstanding a slight grazing of the wall on the right side of the bus, we safely reached the art gallery where we were to meet with representatives of various organizations and to eat lunch.

On the mini-bus were half of the participants in a study mission organized by the year-old Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arabs. Overall, our group comprised 45 representatives of Jewish foundations, federations and other organizations, including groups that had focused on Israel 's Arab minority for some time and other groups for whom this trip represented an intense three-day initiation course. Peter Edelman and I represented NIF on the Mission , the NIF office in Israel helped arrange the visit and NIF grantees and SHATIL were well-represented among the various individuals with whom we met.

In addition to experiencing gridlock in Um El Fahm, the group visited several other Arab cities, towns and unrecognized villages in the Negev and Galilee , and met with an array of Arab local officials, leaders of nongovernmental organizations, Jewish and Arab academics and activists, three Arab Knesset members and three Israeli government ministers. The trip was designed to educate the participants about the political, social and economic realities confronting Israel 's Arab citizens, and also to demonstrate that the organized Jewish community viewed the current situation with concern.

Amidst the overload of information provided to the group, several basic themes emerged. While there has been progress recently in improving the infrastructure and services for at least two of the Bedouin villages in Abu Basma, a great deal more government investment is required and the problem of the 35,000 Bedouin who continue to live in unrecognized villages remains unsolved (see the excellent story entitled "Don Quixote in the Negev" in the July 10 edition of the Jerusalem Report ).

While we were impressed with several positive examples of cooperation between Jews and Arab, including notably between the Mayor of Um El Fahm and the head of the Menashe Regional Council, the significant disparity in health, education and employment services provided to Arab and Jewish communities in the Galilee is appalling and, ultimately, self-defeating. And, while there have been constructive government pronouncements and far-reaching High Court decisions that articulate principles of equality for all Israeli citizens, translating these principles into action suffers from bureaucratic delays, political in-fighting and an unwillingness to acknowledge the seriousness of the situation – gridlock at all levels. Reflecting the diversity of the organizations involved, the participants did not necessarily agree on all matters. Some members of the group, disturbed by what they observed and by the years of government inaction, prefer a pro-active advocacy approach directed at Israel 's political leadership. Others, while acknowledging the need to redress the socio-economic inequalities, were troubled by the language used by some Arab interlocutors in describing the problems. And, the question of how this Task Force can help ameliorate the situation was discussed throughout the trip.

Despite these differences among the group, I came away moderately hopeful. The message to both the government and the Arab community projected by a diverse group of Jewish organizational leaders committing three days to focus singularly on the plight of Israel's Arab citizens is significant in and of itself, and, there are more such visits to follow. The commitment and professionalism of a multitude of empowered Arab grassroots and national organizations addressing the problems facing the Arab sector is impressive and consequential. The seriousness and dedication of any number of projects operating in Israel that link Arab and Jewish individuals, leaders and communities is laying the basis for the requisite attitudinal transformation. And, serious research is underway that documents the underlying inequalities and provides a factual basis for promoting a reform agenda.

Indeed, as I write, changes are occurring within the organized Jewish community. For example, the World Zionist Congress last week adopted a historic resolution obligating the Jewish Agency to include Israel 's Arab communities in its development plans for the country. As with government commitments, implementation of the resolution will require determined political leadership and constant monitoring.

For 27 years, NIF has sought to advocate within the American Jewish community for the importance of treating Israel 's Arab citizens fairly and equally. At least part of the community is now listening.

Lastly, I note that from an NIF organizational perspective the trip was extremely gratifying. The Arab organizations that NIF supports in Israel remain on the cutting edge of defining the agenda and advocating for fair and practical solutions. The wisdom of opening SHATIL offices in Beersheva, Haifa and now Lod and Baqa Al Gharbiya was evident to all the mission participants. And our strategic partnership with the Joint Distribution Committee in Abu Basma is beginning to bear fruit. There is much work to be done and the situation remains quite tenuous, but the potential involvement of a new generation of participants represents an important step forward.