With the on-going murderous attacks by some
Arabs on Jews, you may be surprised to discover that there are still many recent
examples of co-existence and cooperation between Jews and Arabs both inside and
outside of Israel.
Israel continually demonstrates that it
values the lives of Arabs. Israel’s
emergency services Magen David Adom recently completed its first training
course for 15 young medics who will provide emergency response to Jews
and Arabs in Eastern Jerusalem.
The medics are bilingual in Hebrew and Arabic. Next, the Jerusalem Foundation has opened a
home in Abu Tor, for Jewish
and Arab children with hearing
impairments. It contains four
pre-school classes and an audiology institute with clinics and advanced
technology. And Israel has been showing
its “Education
Without Borders” photo exhibition to the United Nations in Geneva to
highlight that it is the only Middle East country to provide education
for all hospitalized children, including
Arabs and minorities.
Despite the incitement from the Palestinian
Arab leadership, Israel continues to provide medical assistance to PA
residents. Israel’s Civil Administration
took Palestinian
Arab doctors from the PA city of Jenin to Israel’s Emeq Afula hospital
where they learnt the workings of the surgery, trauma, internal medicine and pediatric
care departments. And Israeli
humanitarian organization “Save a Child’s Heart” (SACH) is performing life-saving
surgery on PA and Gaza children at its Wolfson Medical Center in Holon.
There is plenty of recent evidence that the
quality of life for Arabs in Israel is improving. The number of university-level
degrees awarded to Israelis has increased substantially over the years
but the increase is largest amongst Israeli-Arabs. One of the most popular professions for
Israeli-Arabs is pharmacy. 35%
of Israeli pharmacists are Arab - up from 20% in 2000.
And things should only get better, with the
Israeli Government pumping a one-time budgetary supplement of 900 million
shekels ($230 million) to
Israeli-Arab councils. It is designed to “integrate Israel's Arab
citizens into Israeli society as equals among equals”, said Prime Minister
Netanyahu. Meanwhile, Israel’s Economy
Ministry and the Joint Distribution Committee-Israel (JDC) continue to open Arab-run
employment centers. They now serve 63 municipalities in Northern and
Southern Israel and since 2012 have placed 9,100 Arabs, including many Bedouin
women, in local jobs.
Staying with Bedouin Arabs, young Bedouin
siblings Karin, Samar and Shadi al-Touri are among the top Israeli
tennis players in their age groups.
And the portable “anaerobic digester” from Israeli start-up HomeBioGas turns
kitchen waste and livestock manure into cooking-gas. It has become popular
with Negev Arab Bedouins and rural Palestinian Arabs who previously
damaged their health by burning wood or goat manure for cooking.
One of the most promising signs of
co-existence is just 45 minutes north of Tel Aviv, where Israel is expanding
the 1000-residents town of Harish into a city with up to 100,000
inhabitants. The plans have been praised
by its orthodox Jews, secular Israelis, former Soviet and Ethiopian immigrants and
Arabs. Meanwhile, 40 mayors from
cities around the world have converged on Jerusalem for the 30th annual Mayors
Conference. The delegation will get a
taste of the "Start-Up Nation" when they meet with Jewish and
Arab leaders of successful Israeli tech hubs.
Even Arabs outside of Israel are getting to
see the benefits of co-operating with Israelis.
Egypt’s Ahmed El Hady - fellow at Princeton University’s Neuroscience
Institute - is co-chair of the NeuroBridges 2015 Conference - a scientific meeting
of the minds between Arabs and Israelis. And UK TV station Sky News reports that the
Gulf Cooperation Council, made up of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab
Emirates, Bahrain, and Oman, wants
to buy Israel’s Iron Dome system for its six members.
The international media doesn’t mention
that the first contact many Arab migrants have on reaching European shores is with
Israelis. On the Greek island of Lesbos they first meet
IsraAID Doctor Tali Shaltiel from Jerusalem and Nurse Majeda Kardosh from
Nazareth who treat them for hypothermia, dehydration, wounds, illnesses and
trauma. And we must publicize the
rescue by Israelis aboard an Israeli training yacht of 11 Syrian and
Iraqi migrants whose boat capsized overnight near the Greek island of
Kastellorizo.
Here are three more Arab-Israeli stories
that you may have missed. Firstly, Israel's
new ambassador to Jordan, Einat Shlain, presented her credentials to Jordan's
King Abdullah II at a ceremony at the Basman Palace in Amman. Einat is Israel’s first female
ambassador to an Arab country.
Next, despite sporadic rocket fire from Palestinian Arabs in Gaza, farmers
in Israel’s Nahal Oz have been giving agricultural advice to
Gaza farmers in Khan Younis. The
Gazans are seeking new varieties of potato suitable for food such as
chips. Israeli farmer Yankale Cohen
said, “Maybe they’ll stop shooting at us because of the potatoes?” Lastly, Amir, Sunny and Muhammad Riad Hamed
from the Arab-Israeli village of Muqeible contacted the Society for the
Protection of Nature in Israel when they found
a pelican with a broken wing in their yard. The bird is now receiving treatment at SPNI’s
wildlife hospital.
Finally, I just love this article by Lebanese-born, Canadian Arab Fred
Maroun. He writes “Why do the
overwhelming majority of Israelis respond to hate with love? I believe that Judaism teaches love because love
is effective while hate is not.”
Let’s
get that message broadcast loud and clear.
Michael Ordman writes a free weekly
newsletter containing positive news stories about Israel.
www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com
and a searchable archive www.IsraelActive.com
For a free subscription, email a request to
michael.goodnewsisrael@gmail.com
