Lieberman: Peace talks must reassess Israeli-Arabs' right to citizenship

[azurnoir]

With the Palestinians refusing to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, negotiations must tackle issue of Israeli-Arab 'loyalty', foreign minister says - prompting accusations of 'apartheid and ethnic cleansing' from Arab MK.

Israeli Arab politicians responded furiously Sunday to Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's suggestion suggesting that "disloyal" members of that sector should take Palestinian citizenship.

The question of Israel's citizens needs to be one of the central issues on the negotiating table, in light of the Palestinian refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state," Lieberman said ahead of Sunday's weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.

Recognizing Israel as uniquely Jewish is one of the key demands by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the latest peace talks with the Palestinians, which began earlier this month.

"We can't continue to ignore issues like that of Hanin Zuabi, who identifies completely with the other side," Lieberman said, , referring to an Israeli Arab member of Knesset was stripped of her parliamentary privileges after sailing aboard a pro-Palestinian aid convoy attacked by Israel en route to the Gaza Strip.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/lieberman-peace-talks-must-reassess-israeli-arabs-right-to-citizenship-1.314596

[Djinn]

1. Arabs who's families have lived in the area for countless generations

Must swear loyalty to a state imposed on top of them says man who emigrated in the late 1970's. If Lieberman wasn't FM it'd be funny, instead it's damn scary.
Can't wait for the calls for indigenous Australian and Americans to be asked to swear loyalty to an Anglo Saxon Christian state. Silly me, I'm forgetting that Israel is 'special'

[azurnoir]

2. it would seem that Lieberman is promoting extracting a

"price tag" from Israeli-Arabs

[Djinn]

3. As if disproportionately low spending on their education & health

and rampant discrimination wasn't a high enough price. Was on the phone to a friend who lives near Al Quds, a few days ago and while speaking to me (in Arabic - trying to learn and I'm very bad at it) he was harassed by cops who overheard him, he was in an exclusively Jewish area so of course the cops had a problem with him existing while Arab and started the 'where are you going, why are you going there' routine. I was furious when he translated the Hebrew for me but to him it was just business as usual. Adalah and Kav LaOved have both done a lot of work on detailing the systematic discrimination faced by Palestinian citizens of Israel for anyone wanting to argue with apologists who claim Palestinians get equal rights inside Israel.

[LeftishBrit]

6. I agree with your main point, but Israel is hardly 'special'

America and Australia may not have explicitly demanded loyalty oaths from their native peoples, but they have certainly treated them as aliens within their own countries, and often denied them rights. It's improved in recent years in both places, but still isn't good.

[whosinpower]

4. I was not aware

That Abbas was so mighty and so powerful - any peace discussions with him - ALTER THE FUNDAMENTAL DEMOCRACY THAT ISREAL WAS FOUNDED ON.

Wow....he must be a god or something......

[LeftishBrit]

5. Oh good grief...

even as a very pro-immigrant person, I find it outrageous that someone like Lieberman should be able to immigrate to a country as an adult, and then tell people who were born there to get out.

He is poison.