by Sharon Silverman | Jewish leaders are enabling their homeland’s destruction.
Today, the threats that Jews in Israel face are apparent: homicide bombers blowing themselves up in public places, cinderblocks thrown on civilians’ heads from above, snipers shooting people at will. Yet, there is a threat potentially greater than that of the unrelenting terrorists. A danger that lies within the very boundaries of Israel is in fact demographic. Israel’s total population is 6.8 million, with 5.5 million Jews and 1.3 million Arabs. The population growth rate of the Arab Israelis is three percent annually, in contrast to that of the Jewish Israelis, which is 1.4 percent. This does not bode well for the future of Israel as a civilized and modern Jewish state. If the current trends continue, it is almost certain that within the next century, if not sooner, Arabs will become the overwhelming majority in the country, and the Jews risk becoming homeless once again. The world can hope for peace by the time this problem sets in, but Israel cannot afford such blind idealism.
Sadly enough, many Jews fail to recognize this peril, and even go to lengths to give the Arabs the tools necessary to rid Israel of the Jewish presence once and for all. Israel’s Proclamation of Independence reads, “[The State of Israel] 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.” Although these are the sentiments which make the US a great nation, when followed through to conclusion in Israel, the results are much different—and frightening. Simply put, outright democracy would herald the end of the successful, thriving, and Jewish state of Israel the world now knows. The function of Israel is to be the Jewish homeland, but with this philosophy, their homeland is jeopardized. When the Arab Israeli population outnumbers the Jewish Israeli population, it will be able to easily outvote the Jews on any number of issues, ranging from citizenship to the military.
Currently, Arabs comprise nearly ten percent of Israel’s Knesset (and oddly enough, not a single Jew sits in any of the 22 Arab governments). In time, when the Arabs achieve the majority within Israel, they will have complete control of the Knesset, and will have the means to legally end the Jewish state. Another alarming possibility to consider is a situation in which the “Palestinians” abandon their pursuit of a temporary two-state solution, and instead call for integration within Israel. This would give them equal voting rights, ultimately destroying Israel. Israel will be a homeland for the Jews no more, instead, a 23rd haven for the Arabs of the Middle East.
Among other factors that contribute to the unfortunate and imminent demise of Israel as a Jewish state is the military service requirement for every Israeli Jew. Upon reaching the age of 18, Israeli Jewish men are required to serve in the military for three years, followed by one month of reserve duty each year until they reach the age of 40. When the men are finished with their first three years of service, they re-enter civilian life and are finally allowed to begin a career and start a family. Arab Israelis, however, are exempt from all military service, an injustice because Israeli Arabs enjoy the same liberties as all other citizens. Consequently, the Israeli Arabs have a head start on the young Jewish men when it comes to starting a career, marrying, and having children—further contributing to the outnumbering of Jews. The Israeli Arab citizen should be required to serve in the military, for if he is truly grateful to live in the only democracy in the Middle East, a place where he is entitled to free speech, fair trials, and fair elections, he should have no qualms in defending it. Even though it is understandable that the Israeli government may fear that the Israeli Arabs’ loyalties lie elsewhere, it could, at the very least, require them to help defend Israel in other ways, such as through volunteer or office work. This is just another factor contributing to Israel’s internal destruction.
To fix these problems, the Israelis must take a firm stance and ignore their fears of being called “racist.” This is not a matter of racism; it is a matter of the survival of the Jewish people—life or death. “Hurting the feelings” of or inconveniencing a foreign group is of no consequence when the fate of a population depends on it. A victim should not be punished for defending himself against his aggressor. Beyond creating a separate “Palestinian” state, which is tantamount to theft, it seems that there are very few politically correct permanent solutions to the internal problems that threaten Israel. Hopefully, in time, Israeli leaders will come to acknowledge and correct their overly liberal governance of Israel on this issue by considering radical solutions. For now, doing otherwise portends only one thing: suicide.
Miss Silverman is a freshman majoring in Electrical Engineering.
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