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Politics : Israel to U.S. : Now Deal with Syria and Iran -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Emile Vidrine who wrote (2285)	10/15/2003 2:46:07 PM
From: Machaon	Respond to of 22250

MYTH : "Israel discriminates against its Arab citizens." FACT : "Israel is one of the most open societies in the world. Out of a population of 6.3 million, about 1.1 million — 18 percent of the population — are non-Jews (945,000 Muslims, 130,000 Christians and 100,000 Druze). Arabs in Israel have equal voting rights; in fact, it is one of the few places in the Middle East where Arab women may vote. Arabs currently hold 8 seats in the 120-seat Knesset. Israeli Arabs have also held various government posts, including one who served as Israel's ambassador to Finland and the current deputy mayor of Tel Aviv. Ariel Sharon's original cabinet included the first Arab minister, Salah Tarif, a Druze who served as a minister without portfolio. An Arab is also a Supreme Court justice. Arabic, like Hebrew, is an official language in Israel. More than 300,000 Arab children attend Israeli schools. At the time of Israel's founding, there was one Arab high school in the country. Today, there are hundreds of Arab schools. The sole legal distinction between Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel is that the latter are not required to serve in the Israeli army. This is to spare Arab citizens the need to take up arms against their brethren. Nevertheless, Bedouins have served in paratroop units and other Arabs have volunteered for military duty. Compulsory military service is applied to the Druze and Circassian communities at their own request. Some economic and social gaps between Israeli Jews and Arabs result from the latter not serving in the military. Veterans qualify for many benefits not available to non-veterans. Moreover, the army aids in the socialization process. On the other hand, Arabs do have an advantage in obtaining some jobs during the years Israelis are in the military. In addition, industries like construction and trucking have come to be dominated by Israeli Arabs. Although Israeli Arabs have occasionally been involved in terrorist activities, they have generally behaved as loyal citizens. During the 1967, 1973 and 1982 wars, none engaged in any acts of sabotage or disloyalty. Sometimes, in fact, Arabs volunteered to take over civilian functions for reservists. During the outbreak of violence in the territories that began in September 2000, Israeli Arabs for the first time engaged in widespread protests with some violence. The United States has been independent for 226 years and still has not integrated all of its diverse communities. Even today, nearly 40 years after civil rights legislation was adopted, discrimination has not been eradicated. It should not be surprising that Israel has not solved all of its social problems in only 54 years. us-israel.org

To: Emile Vidrine who wrote (2285)	10/15/2003 2:48:21 PM
From: Machaon	Respond to of 22250

Throughout the history of mankind, minorities who were put under the power of majorities were often persecuted, and in some cases, were subjected to mass murder, like the Armenians from 1914 to 1918, and the Jews during the Holocaust. Most minorities prefer to be in control over their own destiny, in order to avoid persecution and genocide. Over six million Jews were murdered throughout Europe and the Middle East during the Holocaust. Many survivors of the Holocaust, desiring safety and freedom, made their way to Israel, where Jews wouldn’t be subjected, ever again, to brutal persecution by the majority. Jewish families were also forced from Arab countries, losing all of their possessions and property, and many were murdered. Although Jewish families in Israel, have been subjected to constant terrorism, from the Arabs for many decades, they have been able to build the only civilized country and democracy in the Middle East. The following is a list showing the results of the horrible treatment of Jews by the Arab nations, which would continue today if the Arabs were able to victimize Jewish families again. Number for 2001 represents the Jewish people who were still in the Arab country as of 2001. In many cases Jews are not allowed to leave. Algeria 1948 Jewish population: 140,000 2001: Less than 100 Egypt 1948 Jewish population: 75,000 2001: 100 Iran 1948 Jewish population: 100,000 2001: 11,500 Iraq 1948 Jewish population: 150,000 2001: Approximately 100 Lebanon 1948 Jewish population: 20,000 2001: Fewer than 100 Libya 1948 Jewish population: 38,000 2002: 0 Morocco 1948 Jewish population: 265,000 2001: 5,700 Syria 1948 Jewish population: 30,000 2001: Fewer than 100 Tunisia 1948 Jewish population: 105,000 2001: 1,500 Yemen 1948 Jewish population: 55,000 (in Aden: another 8,000) 2001: Fewer than 200 Jewish Holocaust Deaths for each country. Austria 50,000 Italy 7,680 Belgium 28,900 Latvia 71,500 Bohemia/Moravia 78,150 Lithuania 143,000 Bulgaria 0 Luxembourg 1,950 Denmark 60 Netherlands 100,000 Estonia 2,000 Norway 762 Finland 7 Poland 3,000,000 France 77,320 Romania 287,000 Germany 141,500 Slovakia 71,000 Greece 67,000 Soviet Union 1,100,000 Hungary 569,000 Yugoslavia 63,300