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Opinion | Life in the Hand of the Tongue Israel today

2021-10-11T20:44:45.087Z


If the subjects of history and citizenship are compulsory subjects, then knowledge of the Arabic language will only complete the array.


Exactly 21 years ago today, I sat down at the end of the work day at "Sabih Shel Oved" in Givatayim, watching TV.

General reports had been running since noon, and just as I was sitting down to eat the best dish in the universe - they started broadcasting the videos.

In a black moment of coincidence an employee kept his promise, and indeed that damn afternoon my life changed forever.

Like all of us, I too went through at that time an experience of a frontal collision with reality.

A lot of things were broken there, in Ramallah, on the television sets, in the hearts.

One of the most painful and meaningless fractures since then is the realization that we had no idea who we went to bed with.

I allow myself to guess what happened in the hearts of the Israelis in October 2000. A man and his interpretation, each with his own political taste, but that status will forever be all-Israeli. It seems to me that what we all had in common at the time was the unmediated, initial encounter with a fear of authentic life-size Middle Eastern hatred, before she tightened the tie on her neck and sat down to talk. We realized we had made a big, terrible mistake. And even before we recruit its consequences, each to his own political position, I think we can at least agree on the initial error - we did not understand who we are dealing with.

The consequences of misunderstanding may be more severe than those of a material conflict of interest.

To create understanding there must be communication between two groups of people, and communication is language.

Two groups that do not understand the words will walk away from each other, to alienation and alienation.

These, in turn, will not allow for any neighborliness, bitter and suspicious as it may be.

This is the idea that led Yariv Levin to submit his bill last week, which was intended to oblige learning Arabic as a compulsory profession in the education system.

I, who do not speak the language, can only testify about myself.

When I hear two young men talking to each other in Arabic, I tense up.

Feeling threatened, preparing myself for violence.

If I had understood that these two in total were talking about their weekend plans, the long road to a reasonable neighborhood would have been shortened by half a meter. That's a lot.

True, Yariv Levin's bill was also a brilliant parliamentary exercise designed to embarrass the coalition, but it is much more than that;

Is an essence.

This is not an exercise in international public relations.

This is not a tribute to our Arab neighbors, and there is not a single crumb or flattery in this proposal.

On the contrary.

The foolish use of Jabotinsky's name makes me run away from references to his words, but this time I must - it's Jabotinsky.

This is national conservatism at its best.

If the subjects history and citizenship are compulsory subjects, then knowledge of the Arabic language will only complete the array.

This is a long-term intra-Israeli step, and I hope that our grandchildren will thank us for it.

For the ascension of the souls of Yossi Avrahami and Vadim Norzic who died for all of us, in terrible loneliness, in a dark room, in one of the back sections of hell.

may them rest in peace.

Source: israelhayom

All news articles on 2021-10-11

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