Lurch & the rest of the “Middle East” experts are talking to the wrong group.
It is much easier for Palestinians to accuse Israel of racism than to admit they do not want to be part of a Palestinian state.
“This is an imaginary proposal that relates to the Arabs as if they were chess pieces that could be moved around according to the wish of the players.” — Ahmed Tibi, Member of Knesset.
If the Arab Knesset members are so worried about becoming citizens of a Palestinian state, they should be working toward integration into, and not separation from, Israel, and listening more to their constituents rather than the voices of Fatah and Hamas.
Renewed talk of land swaps between Israel and a future Palestinian state has left many Israeli Arabs worried about losing their status as citizens of Israel.
According to the Israeli daily Ma’ariv, Israel has proposed to the Americans transferring Israeli Arab communities to the Palestinian Authority as part of a land swap that would place Jewish settlements in the West Bank under Israeli sovereignty.
The proposal means that some 300,000 Israeli Arabs would be allowed to stay in their villages in the “triangle” area along the border with the West Bank. However, these citizens would find themselves living under the jurisdiction of a Palestinian state
HT Theo Spark
.