6~-THE BULLETIN—Thursday, July 17, 1975
WEST GERMAN FUNDS AGAIN AID ISRAEL
as in previous years, will be used to finance mainly housing and telephone projects and the Israel Industrial Development
BONN — West Germany will provide Israel with DM 140 million in capital aid for 1975 under an agreement signed in Bonn. The assistance, at the same level
Bank.
SIXTH LETTER FROM JERUSALEM
Israeli Arab has dual loyalties
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BY JEAN GERBER
JERUSALEM — On the road from Jerusalem to Jaffa (Tel Aviv) travellers have for centuries been subjected to two kinds of trials: the first, from robber bands who preyed on those pilgrims making their way throue^ the narrow passes of the Judean hills from the coast to Zion; and the second from die toll-masters of the roads, whose villages sit on the heights overlooking the roads. Siwposedly the latter villages were to protect the traveller - but they, too, exacted payment for their protectimi.
One of these villages, sitting nearest to Jerusalem, is Abu Gosh, site of the border between the tribes of Benjamin and Judah, settled since neolithic times because of its springs and strati^c location on the mountain road.
The Ark (Aron Hakodesh) remained here for 20 years before King David brought it up to Jerusalem, his new capital. In the village a Crusader church stands over the spring, and on the hill-
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A Sabbatical year in Israel has almost passed for Vancou-verites Jean and Harvey Gerber and their children. Their infonnative letters from Jerusalem continue as Jean reports further during the next few weeks on more of their impressions and activities. Dr. Harvey Gerber, SFU professor in mathematics, has already returned to Vancouver while Jfean and the children are expected back early in August.
top a Catholic church guards the resting place of the Ark.
The village today is totally Moslem. It has a unique place, not only in ancient history, but also in the history of the revived State of Israel.
In early years of settlement the Sheikh of Abu Gosh formed deep personal friendships with Zionist leaders like Yellin and Weizmann. In defiance of Turkish regulations against the sale of land to Jews, he sold tribal lands around his villages to early Jewish olim (immigrants).
Today the Moshavim and kibbutzim of Kiryat Tearim, Neve Ilan, Kiryat Ana vim and others, encircle his village. His lands were divided by the 1948 borders between Israel and Jordan, but the village of Abu Gosh, remained friendly to Israel, offering protection toHaganah convoys running the Arab blockade of Jerusalem, and choosing to side with and remain in die State of Israel.
We had a unique opportunity to meet one of the family of Abu Gosh and to have a private interview with him. His views and ideas are worth sharing since it is seldom one hears from the Israeli Arab.
Dr. Subhi Abu Gosh is a taU, fair and blue-eyed graduate of Brandeis and Princeton. His English and Hebrew are flawless. He has taught in Israeli universities and done research in the politics of Arab villages in Israel, as well as the effects of modernization on traditional Arab society.
Our first meeting took place in the village cafe-restaurant overlooking the famous road to Jerusalem. The second interview was in his office in Jerusalem where he is now the Director of the Moslem Sharia Courts, the supreme Moslem courts in Israel. At the villagemeetinghetoldus: "The origins of the Abu Gosh family are shrouded in the distant past. Saladin, after conquering the Crusader kingdom of Jerusalem, settled various Moslem families along the road to Jaffa to protect it."
Dr. Abu Gosh believes his family was one of those early settlers.
We talked first about the Abu Gosh family and he told me the story of Saladin. "When I was at Princeton," he said, "I found no trace of the early village. But our name, Abu Gosh does appear on the list of Ottoman tax collectors."
Why, I asked, did some Arabs remain in Israel even though they must have realized they would be a minority in a Jewish majority?
"I don't think it was a question of ideology, but one of present circumstances. When it was a choice between exile and the land where so many generations of their families had lived, they chose their land. Even those who left, thought they were leaving temporarily.
"You must remeber that Arab society has deep, traditional roots which go into the land where his family comes from. The Arab cannot move his place of belonging.
"Palestinians who left, even those in Arabia or Yemen, still say they are from Ramallah or Haifa. They cannot take root in a new place.
"This is different from the Jews, whose place of origin through the centuries had to be flexible. The two pe(q>les base their heredities and identities on two conflicting assumptions."
(This may account for some of the tension, I reflected.)
If so, .what about those Arabs outside Israel, even outside the
West Bank, who may want to return?
Dr. Abu Gosh nodded. "If they want to come back, they should. Some would, others would not. Time is a factor. Also the Arabs on the West Bank have had ejqier-iences with Israelis, and do not fear and distrust them as ttiose in the Arab countries still do."
What does he see as the major problem for Israeli Arabs?
"Full, real integration into Is- , raeli society. They want a greater say in decision-making, in the nation's economic and political life, in proportion to theirpercent-, age of the populatimi (about 15 percent countinJK bofli Moslem and Christian Arabs).
"Also tiie modem Western, democratic ways (tf Israel are chuKging the traditional structure of Arab society, and this is a strain.
'^But die future is alsoaproblem for the Jews - nAat kind of a state do yoa want > Israeli or Jeivish? Multi-ethnic or a totally Jewish state?
"This is a problon for Jews all over the world. The Jews have had practice as a minority. Now tiiey have a place where tfaey are' a majority. DiasptHra Jews should take a greater interest in the Arab minority in Israel. They should want to pride themselves op the achievements of a minority within a Jewish n^jority. Really I siqipose you would want to show the majority in lAich a Jewish minority lives, fliat your Arab minority is well treated."
And the future?
"Without peace - mutiialtension and mistrust. In practice the Israeli Arab will conthiue to be regarded as a second-class citizen. But there .pust be peace. The other Arab states must recognize Israel. The situation is unnatural."
(For which peace, sir, let both sides daily pray.)
What about the political parties, we asked. There are Arab lists associated with the imrties - but these lists are controUed by Jewish party members, and the Arabs are not allowed to join the major Israefi uewdsh imrties.; (Tnis is not true.of Jsmall, left-wing parties like Rakah.) There is also a probUaooiViOf. traditional Moslem aufliOitiaifiaii social structure on the^^lagie level, where most of die^^JSceibpapulatio^ lives. ■ •
It was hard tb IkiiBgine, isittiiig in diat small 'shidcid cafe, die hard batties that, haid been foiiight on die terraced:faiUsides of Abu
Gosh. ' . ■;\:v;-v;■■•^v-
We discussed tire school cur> ' riculum which title (Jewish) Ministry of Education prepdri^; for die Arab schools - toged^ei* . widi, of course, vArabMirtisfity officials. .^ '. ,
The overwhelming feeling :i!rfiis ' one of frustration tinged widt res- : entment, not on die part of Dr. . Abu Gosh, but on behalf of his people.
Because I wanted to know more, I arranged to meet him in Jerusalem in his office at die Ministry of Religion.
Now no {dace in Jerusalem is widiout its history in the present century Arab-Jewish conflict. So it is with tiie office of Dr. Abu Gosh. It is situated in an old building a stone's throw (or rifleshot) away from the western corner of die Old City walls, for twenty years flie yards-wide
(Contihued on Page 16) See: ISRAELI ARAB SPEAKS