Do ALL Arabs and Jews Really Hate Each Other?

(Group of Arab women console each other over their destroyed homes)

Among the many years of conflict between Arabs and Israelis, there has been speculation as to whether all Arabs and Jews hate each other. My answer to this notion is emphatically no, not all Jews and Arabs hate each other, it is simply that the views of the peaceful minority are being overshadowed by hate. One recent topic of controversy between the Arabs and Jews is the destruction of Arab homes by the Israeli government. In an article from Haaretz titled “Hundreds of Arab and Jewish Architects Call for End toArab Home Demolitions”, author Naama Riba talks about the unity of both Arabs and Jews in the hopes to stop the destruction of homes by the Israeli government. This conflict arose when the Israeli government traveled to the Bedouin cities of Kalansua and Umm al-Hiran to oversee the demolition of “unrecognized” villages. These villages according to the Israeli government were set up illegally and due to that fact alone have been denied all basic rights including water, sanitation, and electricity. Due to the destruction of these cities, there has been a large outcry of both Arabs and Jews in protest of the Israeli government, claiming that its actions are defying basic human rights. In Riba’s article, she quotes Professor Oren Yiftachel who says that “after too many years of ongoing failure to which planners, architects and geographers were party, there is progress here”.

In a chapter from The Israelis by author Donna Rosenthal titled The Bedouin, there is a narrative of a young girl by the name of Amal el-Sanna. The story of Amal follows her trials and tribulations through her oppression as a woman in a Bedouin society. In the chapter, Amal mentions how “[she] learned to take things from Jewish culture, to be open to other ideas. And how to nudge” (Rosenthal 294). In my opinion this quote shows that Amal does not hate Jews, as she is willing to learn from their ideals. In relation to the destruction of Arab homes, there is a clear divide amongst Jews as to whether they feel Arabs should be able to remain in Israel. In a statistic from the Pew Forum, it is revealed that out of all Jews, 46% agree that Arabs should be allowed to remain in Israel (Majorities of Haredim, Datiim agree Arabs should be expelled graph). To answer the overarching question, this statistic alone supports my hypothesis that not all Jews and Arabs hate one another.

In terms of the point of view of Riba’s article, it is clear that she supports the unity of Jews and Arabs against the destruction of Arab homes. Of all perspectives on the issue, Riba provides harsh criticism of the Israeli government by including quotes such as one from a letter sent to the 120 Knesset members which states that the issue stems from “criminal negligence of Israeli governments.” These hand selected quotes that Riba includes, clearly indicate that she is opposed to overly oppressive government agencies. Upon researching some of her previous articles, Riba seems to take a similar tone against the Israeli government as she advocates for a lack of censorship and Israeli citizens freedoms. Although it is nearly impossible to interview every Israeli citizen on the issue of the destruction of Arab homes by the Israeli government, it is clear that there are many Jews and Arabs alike that are opposed to the governments decision. It is also clear that despite hostilities between Arabs and Jews, sources such as the Pew Forum and the narrative of Amal el-Sanna prove that Jews and Arabs do not all hate each other. In the large scope of the conflict, these peaceful groups are simply not loud enough to speak above the media, which focuses on the hate between the two groups.