Last Monday in vaadat chukah in the Knesset, the cat came out of the bag. The discussion involved minority rights in the constitution. The offer put on the table was full equality for all citizens, collective rights for minorities (Arabs) in exchange for recognition that Israel is a Jewish State. All the Arabs -- including MKs and reps of groups funded by American Jews through the New Israel Fund -- declined the offer. It's time liberal Jews who think they're funding the Arab equivalents of Martin Luther King wake up to reality.I don't mean to sound like Al Jazeera here, but maybe the Arab MK's turned down this offer because they are sohphisticated enough to see the inherent contradiction between the notions of equality and the Jewishness of the state (not to mention the fact that that the conservative and religious parties, and certainly not the Arab MKs, will have the ultimate say in producing a solid and immutable definition of what it means to be a Jewish state.)
Israel can't have it's cake and eat it, too. If it wants to be a better democracy, this means becoming less of a Jewish state. And vice versa. (*)
I don't know if the Arab MKs are "the Arab equivalents of Martin Luther King" (probably not, but I don't know) but I do know that MLK would never have taken the back-of-the-bus deal the Arab MK's were offered.
Ben Chorin needs to think this through a bit more carefully.
Correction December 7, 2004: The original sentance said "If it's a democracy, it isn't a Jewish state. And if it's a Jewish state, it can't, with a straight-face, offer full-equality to non-Jews. " Sarah (in the comments) pointed out the innacuracy. (Return to the original sentance)
