What I am going to write is not politically correct. Not just that, but it goes against the opinion of many Jewish leaders. I’ve always been a person who goes against the stream. However this time is different. I risk causing pain to people who are grieving recent losses. This makes what I am going to say so much more difficult.
It is easy to be a peace activist and believer in a shared society when things are calm and stable. When there are recent orphans and widows to mourn, it is so much harder. Cries of vengeance and retaliation are being broadcast in the media and spoken from the pulpit in many congregations. To publicly come out and say that the dream of peaceful coexistence and a shared society with the Palestinians is still something we as a people need to aspire to is not in vogue. At worst, it’s offensive.
But I am still a believer.
READ: THERE’S A LIMIT TO EVERYTHING
There are many questions regarding the current crisis in Israel. Are these latest attacks the result of manipulation for a political agenda? Are they a message from Fatah or Hamas that they can turn on the terror switch at any time? Are those perpetrating these vile acts frustrated with their lives? Do they see no other solution to bring awareness to their plight? Or is it just simply, good old-fashioned anti-Semitism showing its rawest, ugliest face?
Having been an educator for over 25 years in both Israel and North America, there is one thing that I have learned from dealing with disciplinary issues: if you do not address the root cause of misbehaviour, conduct will never change. If you only deal in a punitive manner with the symptoms, you will never change the behaviour.
The same basic logic needs to be applied to the Israeli-Palestinian issue.
Many people tell me: “The Palestinians have it so good, why are they doing this?” The truth is, they do have it good. Compare the life of the average Israeli-Palestinian with the life of the average Arab in the Middle East. They have excellent health care and educational and employment opportunities. So why are they angry? And if they are being manipulated, why don’t they ignore the message from their political leaders?
The answer is no matter how many opportunities they have, they are still second-class citizens. Their point of reference is not Saudi Arabia or Iraq. It’s Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
In Haifa, there is a branch of Hand in Hand, a network of bilingual, mixed Jewish-Arab schools. When I recently visited the campus, I learned that the Arab parents are significantly more affluent than the Jewish parents. I also learned that these Arab families are members of a shared society, living and working next door to their Jewish neighbours. But this does not lead to intermarriage or a polluting of either community’s values or traditions. Rather it creates opportunities to build bridges, friendships and success. The Arabs in Haifa feel like they are part of the city and country.
There have been no attacks to date in Haifa. The same can be said for Acre, where Jews and Arabs live together in a shared society as well.
READ: THE SPEECH THAT COULD CHANGE ISRAELI ARABS’ REALITY
The solution in the short term may be to build more walls, put up more roadblocks and checkpoints, and have a greater military presence in areas that are under attack. However, in the long term, this will never solve the problem.
The only solution is to invest and to commit to creating a more inclusive society. This will allow for equal opportunities and healthy and productive interaction with our closest neighbours. After all, even if there were to be a Palestinian state tomorrow, there would still be more than 1.5 million Palestinians in Israel who are not going anywhere.
A shared society is the only long-term, viable solution.
Rabbi Boruch Perton is spiritual leader of Beth Zion Congregation in Cote St-Luc, Que.