Israel’s Arab citizens started a new movement inside Israel which might be the core of future developments in the region.
Israel‘s attempts to normalize the Palestinians expulsion of their homelands seems to have failed during the past seven decades. David Ben- Gurion, the first Israeli Prime Minister, started his work vowing the Jewish travelers that “the old would die and the young will forget.”
73 years later, slightly over fifty percent of Palestinians still live in their ancient homeland keeping on their fight against the occupiers. This accomplishment occurred despite the fact that more than 700,000 people were displaced when Israel was established in 1948. Those allowed to remain in Israel hold Israeli citizenship, while others took refuge to areas inside and outside Palestine ranging from West Bank and Gaza to Jordan and elsewhere.
There has always been a way for Palestinians to defeat Israeli attempts to normalize the occupation, like illegal peace offers or violent military hostilities to force total submission. They are mostly hopeful about the outcome of resistance and persevere their battle. Israel’s current change of strategic conduct makes the condition more relevant now.
As a result, Israel continuing drop of bombs and missiles down on the Strip makes the feeling that the brutality of occupation is spiking to the pinnacle. Tel Aviv’s immunity in the world community, in the wake of shift in attitudes, seems to be coming to an end.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is about to begin a war crimes investigation, which will continue to maintain whatever credibility the existing international order retains by showing that no government is above the rules.
Israel’s Arab Citizens
A variety of reasons expose us to the belief that there will be a final chapter to Israel’s history sooner than expected. Palestinian Israeli civilians, whom the state refers to as “Arab Israelis” — are making steps never registered since 1948. Cities and regions like Umm Al-Fahm, Tiberias, Lydda, Jaffa, Haifa, Acre, Beersheba, Nazareth, Ramleh witnessed the solidarity of Arab citizens with those under fire in Gaza and East Jerusalem.
As Tamer Nafer, a Palestinian rapper from Lod, referring to the recent protest in Israeli cities, puts it, “it is… a kind of reawakening born of 70… years of oppression. In this country, equality is a technicality; this is a Jewish country, and its national anthem itself ignores two million [Muslims] and Christians.”
The developments in Israel and the occupied lands has sparked a resurgence in Jordan and Lebanon, to which millions of Palestinians took refuge by Israeli military operations when the state was founded. Their grandsons and granddaughters now live in these countries.
Thousands of exiled Palestinians in Lebanon raided boundary walls and trespassed the borders to northern Israel for a short while. Thousands others in Jordan tried similar moves on the eastern border of Palestine.
Many people have been alarmed by the events in Israel. Over the weekend, “pogrom” and “apartheid” were circulating on social media after Israeli mobs pulled a Palestinian out of his car and beat him black and blue.
Retailers were demolished in Palestinian districts, and crowds burst into houses, frightening residents. During the intercommunal conflict, questioning the claims of peaceful coexistence of Arabs and Jews inside Israel, synagogues have also been set to fire. The new round of tensions put unprecedented realities before the eyes of international community.
In the wake of an era described as “foundational moment” by various activists and observers, the new wave of solidarity among Palestinians living Inside Israel, in occupied lands, or other countries may signal the fundamental shift in future developments. The future developments are certainly led by Arab citizens living inside Israel.
