So much with so little

Editorial

Democracy, religious freedom, freedom of expression, economic opportunity and quality of life. Breathtaking desert landscapes, relaxing beaches, lush forests and mountains reaching for the heavens. Music, literature, performing arts, high-tech discoveries, scientific breakthroughs and world-altering intellectual pursuits. There are so many reasons to be proud of Israel on her 60th anniversary.

Before it even began, the cards were stacked against Israel's success. As Golda Meir relates in her autobiography, two days before the declaration of statehood, she and David Ben-Gurion were assured of only two things by their military advisors: "The British would pull out, and the Arabs would invade." The prediction of winning a war was only 50-50, with the potential for another Jewish tragedy far too real. But win it Israel did, and decisively.

From its inception, though, in its very declaration of statehood, Israel's leaders promised, "in the very midst of the onslaught launched against us now for months – to the Arab inhabitants of the state of Israel to preserve peace and participate in the upbuilding of the state on the basis of full and equal citizenship and due representation in all its provisional and permanent institutions." And they extended their "hand to all neighboring states and their peoples in an offer of peace and good neighborliness" and appealed to them "to establish bonds of cooperation and mutual help with the sovereign Jewish people settled in its own land."

Had Israel's neighbors greeted that open and generous Israeli hand, the region and the world would be far more peaceful, prosperous and happy. Sadly, under constant existential threat, even as it emerged as a world leader in progressive scientific, cultural and social advancements, literally causing the desert to bloom, peace has been the one thing Israel has been unable to achieve.

There is plenty of blame to go around but, as Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel said, "Because I remember, I despair. Because I remember, I have the duty to reject despair."

We truly cannot afford to despair. We must believe that it is possible to live in harmony and coexistence in Israel – and that many do just that.

Israel is home to businesses where Arab, Jewish, Druze and Christian employees work together. Jews, Arabs and Druze live in peaceful communities together. Cooperative ventures in universities see Israelis of all backgrounds sharing ideas. Coexistence, empathy and understanding are promoted in Israeli schools. A thriving nongovernmental sector promotes social justice for all of Israel's citizenry.

And, while the Arab-Jewish relations index for 2007, compiled by 2008 Israel Prize winner Prof. Sami Smooha of the University of Haifa, showed that a majority of Jewish and Arab Israelis believe that relations between their communities will worsen, the study also found that 86 per cent of the Jewish population and 75 per cent of the Arab population believe that Israel is a good place to live. The index indicated that 85 per cent of Jews and 71 per cent of Arab Israelis prefer Israel over any other nation in the world. And 58 per cent of Arab Israelis believe that Israel is democratic for them, too.

This is a strong basis from which to work for peace and prosperity – at least within Israel. Meanwhile, Israel continues to struggle valiantly for a just peace with its neighbors and a fair resolution to the catastrophic situation faced by Palestinians.

Through it all, the founding ideals of Israel and those of the United Nations, from which Israel, in some senses, originated, must remain standards to which Israel aspires.

As Israel's declaration of establishment reads, "The state of Israel will be open for Jewish immigration and for the Ingathering of the Exiles; it will foster the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel; it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture; it will safeguard the holy places of all religions; and it will be faithful to the principles of the charter of the United Nations."

Despite the fact that the United Nations has tragically and repeatedly failed Israel, the UN charter, signed on June 26, 1945, in San Francisco, is a noble document, among whose aims are "to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war," "to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person" and "to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom."

Incredibly enough, despite the hostilities it has faced and the few resources with which it began, Israel has progressed admirably toward these magnificent ideals. There is reason to hope that – maybe not next year in Jerusalem, but soon – the people of Israel and those of its neighboring states will be living together in peace, happiness and prosperity.

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