New Israeli Arab declaration: Israel must own up to Nakba

By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent

A group of Israeli Arab intellectuals are calling on Israel to recognize
its responsibility for the Nakba ("The Catastrophe," the Palestinians'
term for what happened to them after 1948) and to act to implement the
Palestinian refugees' right of return and establishment of a Palestinian
state.

These moves will pave the way to a historic reconciliation between the
Jewish nation in Israel and the Palestinian people, says a position
paper entitled "The Haifa Declaration" published in Haaretz for the
first time on Tuesday. The composers urge Israel to become a democratic
state that upholds "national equality" between Jews and Arabs.

The demands in the Haifa Declaration are similar to those made in
previous position papers and consist first and foremost of abolishing
the Jewish state.

"A democratic state based on equality between the Israeli Jews and the
Palestinian Arabs in Israel will ensure both groups' rights in a just
and egalitarian way," it posits.

This is the fourth position paper released by leading organizations of
the Arab community in Israel in recent months. It follows the Ten Points
of the Mossawa Center, The Advocacy Center for Arab Citizens in Israel,
The Future Vision of the Palestinian Arabs in Israel of the Higher Arab
Monitoring Committee and the Democratic Constitution of the Adalah Legal
Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel.

The declaration distinguishes between Jews who live in Israel and those
who are not Israelis. The Arab minority is defined as a "homeland
minority," which is entitled to many rights according to the
international law. Israel is accused in the paper of trying over the
years to "distort" the identity of the Arabs in Israel.

The declaration demands canceling the laws of immigration (Law of
Return) and citizenship (that prevent Israeli Arabs from marrying
Palestinians). It demands a veto right for Arabs in all matters
pertaining to their status and to ensure them cultural autonomy. The
resources must be distributed on "principles of justice and affirmative
action."

The paper was written by figures identified with various parties,
including Balad and Hadash, but not with the Islamic movement. Professor
Nadim Rouhana, director of Mada al-Carmel Arab Center for Applied Social
Research, who spearheaded the initiative to write the document, said on
Monday that the project was sparked by the prevalent feeling that the
Israeli bodies working on a constitution were overlooking Israeli Arabs.

"We are not immigrants. We see ourselves as owners of this place, even
if we recognize the Jewish nation in Israel, and we have reached the
conclusion that we must think of our place in our homeland," he said.

The writers decided to publish the paper on May 15, Nakba Day. It
describes the event as a seminal one that established the negative
relationship between the Arab citizens and the state.

"Following the event we, the remainder of the original homeland
residents, became bereft of real citizenship and especially of
equality," it says. The paper castigates tribalism in Arab society,
which it says facilitated Israel's "divide and rule" strategy, which
"strengthened the discourse based on tribal, parochial zealotry."

***************************************

Originally published May 15, 2007 by Haaretz.

Fair Use Notice: The above newspaper article is copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.