6—THE BULLETIN—Friday, November 9, 1973
Israeli Arabs assert: We enjoy full rights and we must help defend our country
One of the most striking feotures of the war on the home front during these past weeks has been the firm identification of the minority communities, some 400,000 strong, with Israel's cause. A recent two-day tour of Arab centres of settlement in Galilee, on Mt. Carmel and in the "Little Triangle," gave Gideon Weigert an interesting sampling of this.
IN NAZARETH, beyond the tall green road sign indicating the Haifa-Nazareth-Afula crossroads, a poster in Hebrew reads: "Soldiers! the women of Nazareth and Upper Nazareth welcome you to their free buffet!"
On the opposite sideof the road, a row of folding tables, put up in the shade of the "Nazareth Hotel," are laden with cold drinks, fruit, sandwiches and cigarettes.
Fuma Tawail, an employee of the local post office, relates how Arab and Jewish women in the capital of Galilee organized the first-ever operation of this kind.
"Our buffet was open 12 hours a day and each woman volunteered for a four-hour shift. There are about 12 of us Arab women here and the bulk of the food, drinks and cigarettes were donations from local merchants and Arab families. The rest was provided by the Nazareth Municipality.
In addition to the buffet, we provided the soldiers who stopped for a snack and a rest with a free telephone message service to their families at home."
Her shift partner was Mrs. Georgette Amuri, a Nazareth housewife, who says that between 350 and 400 soldiers stopped at the buffet every day. When they realized that Arab women were serving them, they often remark-ed» "All honor to the women of Nazareth."
Mrs. Amuri was very sad about this new war.
"As a woman and a mother I feel with every woman and mother, Arab or Jewish, who has lost her son. What we are doing here is the least one can expect us to do to help our country, Israel, through these critical days and ease the suffering of its soldiers. .
At the town hall, Nadim Batish, secretary of the emergency committee, tells me that a special delegation headed by Deputy Mayor Mussa K'teili visited 200 well-to-do citizens to urge them to subscribe to the voluntary war loan.
"Within the first three hours, they collected over $7,000," says Mt. Batish.
At the local branch of the Discount Bank, the manager, Jamal Sa'ad, reported that his 13 employees contributed $5,000 to the loan. Bank activities are normal, both on the deposit and the withdrawal side.
Waiting for Mr. Sa'ad's attention was a local building techni-
cian, Yousef Danial, who wanted to make a contribution of $500 to the loan.
"You see," he told me, "for us Israel is our State, we don't want any other. I pity the youth from both sides. We must do everything we can to help and perhaps our contributions will bring peace sooner."
Another donor was B'shara Sa'id, a tire repair man from nearby Yafia village. He had come to pay a first instalment of $175, but promised to be back soon with a second payment.
"You know," he says, "we independent craftsmen are not capitalists and have no reserves. I bought war loans in 1967; now I feel it my duty to contribute again. I enjoy full rights in Israel, so I must also fulfill my obligations."
At the volunteer registration centre, some 50 qualified workers and craftsmen registered, according to Sa'id Khalil, director of the local labor exchange.
Riahd Sakhnini, a concrete blockmaker, was in the line.
"My boss in Natanya has been called up," he says.
"I am ready to do any job, go to work in the fields of a kibbutz, anything. El Hamdu li'llah, I don't need the money, I'll give my pay to the war effort."
Behind him was an electric welder, Jamil Ihbeis, who used to work in the settlements on the Golan Heights.
"1 felt ljust couldn't stay behind, Israel needs support, so just let us give her this."
Doesn't he feel a contradiction between this step and being an Arab?
"A contradiction?" he replies with surprise, "No, why? Israeli soldiers defend me as well.
The Syrian rocket which hit Yafiah village and caused destruction recently didn't distinguish between Arabs and Jews, did it?"
Ailabun on the road to Safad is a village of some 1,600 inhabitants. Shortly after the outbreak of the war, the villagers set up their own emergency committee.
First task: opening a first-aid post. Second task, says Suleiman Rizik, a member of the committee: "We urged our workers to resume their normal jobs from which they stayed away at the beginning of the war for three reasons: the closing down of many enterprises; the lack of transport; and the fear that Jewish work colleagues or passers-by in
the streets would seek revenge on Israeli Arabs for what the Syrians and Egyptians did."
As a result of the committee's efforts, 60 percent of the workers went back; the fear of maltreatment from Jews had proved to be unfounded, and with the aid of the Nazareth labor exchange, transport was secured.
At Fadl Matar's greengrocer's shop, I heard him telling two of his customers:
"We here lack nothing, all our needs are supplied amply. It is therefore our duty to the State to make sacrifices in order to help in the defense of our country."
The largest of Israel's 18 Druze villages is Daliyat al-Carmel.
In the first 48 hours of the war, these singular people paid their blood tax once again with several of their sons who lost their lives in the front lines.
Yousef Fakhr e-Din, manager of the local Bank Hapo'alim branch, told the story of a peasant woman who came to his counter in tears. She had seen a TV scene showing Israeli casualties. Her husband is a simple day laborer.
She brought all her savings, 875, to contribute to the war effort.
At the Gibor factory, which makes women's underwear, Amunah Nasser e-Din, a member 3f the local workers' committee, representing the more than 70 Druse girls employed here, says: "We recently collected $550 to buy presents for the soldiers at the front. Now we are trying to collect another $500 for the war loan."
MY LAST SPOT was Tayiba, the biggest of the Moslem villages in the southern part of the "Little Triangle."
After three days of absenteeism, concentrated efforts by the local Histadrut branch yielded results: the first of Tayiba's 2,000-strong labor force, the village women, returned to work.
Lutfi J'barah, the Histadrut secretary, says that 300 women and girls returned to the agricultural sector and 150 to industry.
"A number of Israeli factories, such as Dubek, could only resume production thanks to our girls returning to their jobs," Lutfi tells me.
Hassan Kamel Ubeid, secretary of the local emergency committee, related how that body watched shopkeepers, looked after the enforcement of the blackout and
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AMUNAH NASSER E-DIN and HASSAN UBEID
did everything it could to get life back to normal as quickly as possible.
"Scores of Tayiba's fleet of tenders and trucks were mobilized for the war effort, some with, others without their owners drivers," says Hassan.
At the labor exchange I met Sharif e-Tibi, a self-employed electrician, who had come to register for voluntary work.
"If we don't volunteer to help, who will? Who will replace our soldiers at the front?" he asked me.
He was ready to do any joj even if he earned less thi in his own field. Speaking m\ emotion, Sharif reminded me:
"After all, don't forget th| in 1967, Tayiba itself was in the Arab attack against Israf
"Any attack against Israel is | attack against every single Israd Arab. Bombs and rockets dot make any distinction.
"Our duty is to give our St everything . it requires to defe its citizens, Jews and An alike."
Jerusalem Post Magazine
ISRAEL PRODUCES MOST OF ITS BASIC ARMS
ANTI-AIRCRAFT SILE SHIPS.
GUNNER ABOARD ONE OF ISRAEL'S
ByMAIERASHER
GEORGETTE AMURI SERVING AT THE FREE BUFFET
STARTING with rude Sten guns and mortar tubes in the pre-state era, Israel's own military industries have emerged as the main source of supply of many of Israel's basic arms.
Not only did home production save millions in foreign currency, but it delivered the goods to the front in time without Israel having to beg foreign sources for some essential weapons.
Israel's arms industry was given a strong push after the Six-Day War in 1967 when it became clear that the Soviet Union was supplying the Arabs with an abundance of sophisticated hardware while the reliability of Israel's sources in the West were uncertain.
Israeli military technicians placed their entire effort on, first, securing the country's isupplies of ammunition.
Today Israel produces the varieties of ammunition she needs with very few exceptions. She also produces spare parts for many imported weapons.
But her greatest pride lies in the "complete" weapon systems made for the use of the various forces. One of the most sucess-ful in this 1973 war has been the Gabriel sea-to-sea guided missile.
Packing the punch of a destroyer, it has given the Israeli missile boats a considerable edge over the Egyptian and Syrian Navies with their more numerous and larger vessels and has sunk Russian-made vessels in Arab service in what are considered the first sea battles between missile boats.
The Gabriel has a warhead of about 300 lbs. and can be fired over a distance of some 20 miles guided by precision electronic gear manufactured in Israel.
At present, Israel is producing not only the missiles but also the missile boats. The Haifa shipyard has built the first two of an im-
inl
proved type of boat twice the of the 150-ton "Cherbourg" bi which were whisked out of French port to Israel in def of the French embargo.
Besides improvements duced to British Centurion and older models of Amerj Patton tanks, producing wh locally known as the'Tanturi with a bigger 105mm. gun a more powerful engine capab! using all kinds of fuel, fo sources report that Israel's tary industries are now tu out the "Sabra" all-Israel A similarly secret Is weapon, according to the A ican magazine, Aviation Weej the Barak jet fighter produc Israel, and based on the Fr Mirage but able to carry t times the load of bombs higher speed, thanks to its A can Phantom engine.
According to the Ameri source, about 25 Barak jets in action in this 1973 war.
In the missile field there is the Shafrir air-to-air mi which is said to be regu used in air combat. It is equij with an infra-red homing de which searches out the heat an enemy aircraft's e: exhaust.
Israel has also produced own infantry weapon, the automatic rifle which repl the Belgian FN gun in general General Israel Tal, om Israel's most competent weap| e}q)erts, and at present Dej Chief-of-Staff, said; "Israe capable of producing any needs in the field of weapon all depends on the cost."
It is this latter element w has proved a handicap" and the enormous wastage of a and ammunition imposed by Soviet way of waging war. Is has still had to depend on West—primarily the United S —for many of its arms.