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From: steinber@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU (Louis Steinberg)
Newsgroups: net.politics,net.religion.jewish
Subject: Re: Middle East, Oil and the costs of Militarism
Message-ID: <4188@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU>
Date: Sun, 10-Nov-85 23:49:52 EST
Article-I.D.: topaz.4188
Posted: Sun Nov 10 23:49:52 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 15-Nov-85 21:06:21 EST
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Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
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Xref: lsuc net.politics:1959 net.religion.jewish:1528

>  Hisham Sweillam:
> 
> According to Israeli statistics, the number of arabs in Israel including
> (the west bank and Gaza) are 45-50% of the population in Israel.
   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Arabs in these areas (the areas that came under Israeli control in
1967) are NOT citizens of Israel, nor do they want to be.  Indeed,
this has been one of the standard arguments made BY ISRAELI'S against
simply annexing these areas - if the residents were citizens (as Arabs
in Israel proper are - see below), they will soon be a majority, but
if the residents do not become full voting citizens they would then
indeed be second class citizens, and few Israelis are willing to
contemplate that.  It's a lot simpler to let them have their own
government or be part of Jordan, IF it can be done without putting
Israel in mortal danger.

> I agree that the Israeli society has more freedom than other middle-eastern
> countries. But it's the same freedom that white people in South africa
> enjoy. Arabs are not even considered citizens

No, Arabs who live in Israel proper ARE INDEED CITIZENS, with civil
rights, the right to vote, etc.  The Knesset (Israeli parliament) has
a number of Arab members.  Arab citizens of Israel have more freedom
than WHITE South Africans (e.g. of speech and of the press).

**** side note for those who care about fighting apartheid:  notice the
danger TO THE ANTI-APARTHEID FIGHT of the Zionism-is-racism lie.  To
link Israel and South Africa is to radically minimize the oppression and 
suffering of the Blacks, and waters down the term "apartheid" from a specific
and real evil into meaning, essentially, "something I don't like".

		Lou Steinberg