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July 23, 2008

Israel Office

SHATIL

Weekly Message

I returned Friday from a month in Israel. In conversations with several journalists covering the region, they describe a sense of malaise and déjà vu in reporting on developments. Without a war or expectation of an immediate break-through in the peace negotiations, the “story-line” is similar to what they have written about in previous years. Yet from my vantage point, much of interest is happening, some of particular note for the NIF family.

The corruption investigations involving Prime Minister Olmert grow in number. As I have written previously, whether or not Olmert is guilty of criminal conduct seems less relevant than his unquestionably sleazy behavior throughout his extended political career. Yet, in a highly unusual arrangement, his coalition partner, the Labor Party, agreed to vote against a no-confidence motion in exchange for a commitment by Olmert’s Kadima Party to schedule internal primaries by mid-September; consequently, the Olmert Government is now expected to survive until at least early November.

Olmert is trying not to act as a traditional lame duck. He continues to pursue negotiations with the Palestinians and Syrians, despite considerable skepticism regarding their prospects. He also is lending the authority of the prime minister’s office to the articulation of a bold rhetorical position regarding minority rights in Israel – to the intense interest of NIF both in Israel and the Diaspora.

On July 10, Olmert spoke at the Prime Minister’s Conference on the Minority Sector. He reported on several initiatives that the government has undertaken in the spheres of education, economic opportunity and land ownership. He also offered the following philosophical comments:

[E]very social group in Israel, Jewish and Arab alike, wants to preserve its character and its identity. Every group wants its sons and daughters to be educated in accordance with its heritage, culture and language. There exists both a need and an obligation to preserve this social order. At the same time, there is a genuine need to discuss integration, certainly as a means of advancing equality. There is a need for shared building. Government policy must strive for integration and equality, and it must be done in full partnership. A constitutional arrangement, such as that being formulated in the Knesset - however it becomes realized - will have to include in its obligations the right of any individual or group to preserve their heritage, religion and language.

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I recognize that the supreme responsibility belongs to the Government - the Government must lead; the Government must define; the Government must determine an order of priorities; the Government must allocate resources; the Government must formulate practical plans; and the Government must be responsible for their implementation. We need your active partnership, and we very much need your willingness to take responsibility on yourselves not as observers and not as those who criticize from a distance, but rather as partners to the State of Israel - as an inseparable part of this country because you are an inseparable part of this country and you always will be. [Emphasis added]

The English translation of the Prime Minister’s speech can be found here.

Admittedly, more than words are needed to translate these sentiments into action. In this vein, I was impressed to hear several Bedouin in the Negev describe recent actions undertaken by the government that they say reflect more constructive policies and attitudes.

Mohammed Elbarri, the Mayor of the Bedouin town of Hura, for example, told of the government decision to allocate land for the construction of a sustainable desert community. The precise details for what is required to initiate a thriving economic enterprise is now being developed by a project team of Bedouin and other regional experts. However, what truly impressed me is the determination and vision expressed by the “initiators” of this idea as we stood on barren land – they are convinced that with both government and philanthropic backing the stars are now aligned for this type of model initiative, which could have far-reaching implications for the equitable development of the Negev. The passion of a developer is a sight to behold!

This week’s NIF News describes another important development in Israeli society: the establishment of a new educational stream, which will allow secular and observant Jews to be educated under the same roof. We also report on a Supreme Court order to an ultra-Orthodox school, following a campaign by NIF grantees, to explain why Ashkenazi and Mizrahi girls are educated separately. SHATIL features a campaign that successfully convinced the Knesset to tackle health care equality in the North and the launch of a youth-at-risk virtual library.

Finally, I draw your attention to the video-clip from the June 22 NIF event in Jerusalem, where we saluted Peter Edelman's six years as NIF President and welcomed Naomi Chazan into the presidency. The clip presents the chain of activists who spoke from the podium, followed by the moving speeches of Peter and Naomi.