We need to prevent a civil war in Israel between Arabs, Jews - opinion

In recent years, we have seen many cities in Israel becoming mixed, and the interaction between Jews and Arabs is no longer limited to cities where we have been familiar with it (Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Haifa, Acre, Nof HaGalil, Ramle, Lod and Ma’alot Tarshiha). In fact, with the increase in the trend of Arab migration to cities, driven by both the housing crisis in Arab municipalities and the growth of a middle class that is more integrated into Israeli society as a whole, these cities are a telescope to our future. The manner in which these relations and arrangements between Jews and Arabs will be designed will determine how our lives will eventually look in every city and region of Israel.

In order that the mixed cities become a model leading toward peace and not war, first of all clear policies for mixed local authorities must be formed.

First and foremost, there is currently no formal definition of what a mixed city is, and therefore this must be determined by law. The recommendation for defining what constitutes a mixed city: every jurisdiction (city, local council, regional council, and the like) in which more than 20,000 Arabs live or in which they constitute at least 10% of its residents shall be considered mixed, and the relevant laws and regulations will apply therein.

Following this formal definition, the next step will be to write into law that the management of a mixed city will involve the Arab minority there – reserving seats for Arabs in the city council; appointing an Arab salaried deputy mayor; adequate representation of Arabs in municipal departments, including in senior positions. For every department where the manager is not Arab, an Arab deputy will be appointed, and vice versa.

Next, municipalities need to establish a department for equality and coexistence in every city. The directors of this department should be one Arab and one Jew. The state should allocate a budget toward these departments, such that they will be required to develop agendas and submit annual reports.

Municipalities must be obliged to establish equitable institutions and services for Arab residents: kindergartens and schools affiliated with the Arab education system; electives and activities in Arabic, libraries, mosques, Muslim and Christian cemeteries, and the like.

The municipality will be required to conduct an honest mapping of the gaps between Jews and Arabs in the cities, with the aim to rectify, not to cover up. Budgets, infrastructure, housing, education, crime, and every other matter – the gaps are endless, and they must be measured and quantified.

Another important step is to promote Arabic language study among municipal employees and service providers (from community center employees to firefighters), as well as familiarity with the Arab community of the city. Today – it is hard to believe – there is virtually no familiarity and knowledge, even among welfare and health care workers.

THE PRESENCE of the Arabic language and culture in the city must be increased as well, through names of streets and squares, Arabic signage, bilingual advertising and activities, and preservation and renovation of Arab heritage in the town.

The mixed municipality must also advance major development of Arab neighborhoods: in some cities, particularly the historically-mixed cities, the gap between Arab and Jewish neighborhoods is incomprehensible. The train station neighborhood in Lod, a mere six-minute drive from Ben-Gurion Airport and 15 minutes from Azrieli Mall in Tel Aviv, looks like the slums of Mumbai on a bad day. I recommend that you go and see this exotic landscape for yourselves. The next civil war could start there, for anyone who was wondering. The most important part of this development plan would be legal recognition of unrecognized structures, followed by a systematic connection to infrastructure and urban development.

Tempering gentrification is yet another responsibility of mixed municipalities. In Jaffa and Acre, the acquisition of originally Palestinian-owned property by wealthy Jews has been a major source of tension. There were Arabs living in Jaffa who in 1948 both fled and were expelled. Ownership over their homes was seized from them and transferred to the state, which handed the properties over as public housing to other Palestinian refugees and Jewish immigrants. Today, as the second generation ages and dies, the assets return to the state, which is now selling them at a high price.

This is nothing short of an atrocity and historical injustice. In Israel, when there is a “national need,” the government knows how to deploy “market forces” and manage land issues. It is essential to allow Arab residents to remain in their historic neighborhoods of Jaffa and Acre (without ceasing to invest in those places in a manner that cultivates their beauty and dignity).

In the field of education, the municipality will need to implement a targeted educational concept for mixed cities that will include: a bilingual school in each city (the majority still prefer the separate option, but the demand for bilingualism is steadily increasing); introducing “shared learning” to all of the non-mixed schools: one day a week, students would study together, switching off week by week whether it is held in the Arab or the Jewish school. This model worked in Belfast’s separate education system and the Abraham Initiative’s pilot has proven to be successful in the Israeli context.

Now this model must be implemented in every school in mixed cities. The municipality must also implement spoken Arabic studies in Jewish schools and increased Hebrew studies in Arab schools, both starting in kindergarten. There must also be an effort to integrate Arab teachers into Jewish schools, not only as Arabic language teachers, and the same goes for integrating Jewish teachers in Arab schools.

Another key issue is fighting crime. Levels of personal security among Arab citizens in mixed cities is actually worse than in Arab towns. This is clear from our research data at The Abraham Initiatives. Whoever thinks that it’s no big deal that Arabs harm other Arabs, and this opinion is prevalent in Israeli society, will find that criminals also have an appetite for targeting Jews. The severe and widespread phenomenon of disconnected and inactive youth has catastrophic consequences in the mixed cities, the likes of which we witnessed in the violent episodes of May.

Last but not least, the Gar’inim Torani’im must be weakened. If the mixed cities are a ticking time bomb, the Gar’inim – groups of religious Jews brought into the mixed cities – are the fuse that must be neutralized. This is not a debate about housing rights, but about motivations. Jews and Arabs have the legal right to live anywhere in the country (in practice, a little less so for Arabs). While Arabs who move to Jewish cities do so in order to enjoy a better quality of life, the Gar’in Torani folks come to mixed cities as an expression of Jewish presence and superiority. There may be a lot of sweet-talk, a discourse of urban and social renewal, and sayings like, “we came to raise the social periphery.” (I heard this with my own ears.) But their actions say, “we came to settle here because the land is ours.” The Hebronization of the mixed cities is encouraged by the state and other actors, some of who are do-gooders who do not understand the bigger picture.

These recommendations must be adopted immediately, with an understanding that this would prevent perennial conflict between Jews and Arabs. This is especially true in the existing and emerging mixed cities, but also in the countless interactions and points of contact that will only continue to proliferate in our dense, mixed country.