Balancing the equation
(In response to Max Feldhake’s Oct. 14 letter to the editor.) I wonder what Mr. Feldhake would think of a truly egalitarian, single-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict? A state that would afford equal rights to all citizens and would simply be called a democracy without requiring a racial prefix.
Israel's previous prime minister has called such a solution an “end of Israel.” He is referring to the so-called “demographic threat” to Israel, a fancy term that reflects a simple underlying principle — the principle that Israel defines itself as a Jewish state first and a democracy afterward.
This order of definition manifests itself in a number of discriminatory laws such as the “Law of Return” that allows Jews anywhere to immigrate to Israel, while Palestinians who fled massacres in the 1940s are prevented from returning to their homes.
Other discriminatory laws and policies extend into the realms of property, political advocacy, education and marriage.
Human Rights Watch has issued a report less than a week ago about the village of Dahmash that is denied basic services and is under threat of demolition due to these discriminatory policies.
These kinds of laws are a natural consequence of a mindset that is rooted in elevating one race above others. I personally don’t advocate a particular solution to the conflict, but I think a just solution can only be reached if it is based first and foremost on the equality of all people.
Foruhar Shiva Graduate student
