APN's daily news review from Israel
Friday, August 3, 2018
Quotes of the day:
Haaretz journalist Nir Gontarz (Jewish-Israeli) does a phone
call interview with MK Ahmed Tibi (Arab-Israeli).
Excerpts:
...Gontarz: Sir, allow me to keep bragging, please. You were born in this country, right?
Tibi: Absolutely, in Taibeh.
Gontarz: Fine, great. But the law states that the Land of Israel is my homeland, and mine alone. I am the master of the land now, Ahmad.
Tibi: And what about me?
Gontarz: Honorable Member of Knesset, get used to it. This is my homeland only, that’s the law and that’s it.
Tibi: The truth is that no law in the world, Nir, changes historical facts or can shatter beliefs. I believe in equality. I believe that Nir and Ahmad, who are both citizens of the same country, are meant to be equal. But we are not equal. The [nation-state] law comes to enshrine in a Basic Law the fact that you have priority over me. The truth is that since 1985 there’s been a Basic Law on a Jewish and Democratic State, which I take issue with because of the conflict between “Jewish” and “democratic.” When the state defines itself as Jewish, it says that Nir has priority over Ahmad.
Gontarz: I tried to make a bit of fun of the law here, but the truth is that it’s very sad. According to this law, not only do I have privileges that you don’t have, but even a newborn Jewish infant has more rights than you have.
Tibi: It’s truly a twisted situation, and I don’t want to remind the Jews of their history and where laws were promulgated democratically and gave rise to an inferno and hatred. But you should know that the most moving phone calls I’ve had lately are from Jews like you who are angry and hurt, and feel that they have lost something in the face of a wave of racism that denies my existence. A Holocaust survivor told me that she is ashamed and that she feels closer to me than to the sponsors of the law, and she reminded me of my Holocaust speech in the Knesset. No law in the world, even if they demolish my home and even if people are killed, will change the fact that I was born here and my ancestors were born here.
Gontarz: Thank you, Ahmad, and sorry.
Tibi: Thanks, Nir.
...Gontarz: Sir, allow me to keep bragging, please. You were born in this country, right?
Tibi: Absolutely, in Taibeh.
Gontarz: Fine, great. But the law states that the Land of Israel is my homeland, and mine alone. I am the master of the land now, Ahmad.
Tibi: And what about me?
Gontarz: Honorable Member of Knesset, get used to it. This is my homeland only, that’s the law and that’s it.
Tibi: The truth is that no law in the world, Nir, changes historical facts or can shatter beliefs. I believe in equality. I believe that Nir and Ahmad, who are both citizens of the same country, are meant to be equal. But we are not equal. The [nation-state] law comes to enshrine in a Basic Law the fact that you have priority over me. The truth is that since 1985 there’s been a Basic Law on a Jewish and Democratic State, which I take issue with because of the conflict between “Jewish” and “democratic.” When the state defines itself as Jewish, it says that Nir has priority over Ahmad.
Gontarz: I tried to make a bit of fun of the law here, but the truth is that it’s very sad. According to this law, not only do I have privileges that you don’t have, but even a newborn Jewish infant has more rights than you have.
Tibi: It’s truly a twisted situation, and I don’t want to remind the Jews of their history and where laws were promulgated democratically and gave rise to an inferno and hatred. But you should know that the most moving phone calls I’ve had lately are from Jews like you who are angry and hurt, and feel that they have lost something in the face of a wave of racism that denies my existence. A Holocaust survivor told me that she is ashamed and that she feels closer to me than to the sponsors of the law, and she reminded me of my Holocaust speech in the Knesset. No law in the world, even if they demolish my home and even if people are killed, will change the fact that I was born here and my ancestors were born here.
Gontarz: Thank you, Ahmad, and sorry.
Tibi: Thanks, Nir.
