Palestinians Lack Right to Vote
By The Rev. Dr. L. H. Chamberlain, Jr.
Pastor, First Lutheran Church, Lorain, OH

The right to vote for every citizen is a pillar of American thought; not so with the nations of the Middle East. In the Six-Day War of 1967, Israel took control of the Sinai, the Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Jericho and many other biblical cities. These became known as "the occupied territories" and were assumed into the land of Israel. Neither Palestinian Muslims nor Palestinian Christians, now residents of Israel, were ever given the right to vote.

Tour guide outside the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial: "There were 1.6 million Jewish children killed in the Holocaust. Whole communities in Europe no longer exist that once flourished before."

During World War II many nations refused the Jews sanctuary for safety from Hitler's "final solution." Asher Susser, director at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies: "Israel's aim in life is to be the State of the Jewish people."

During the years of the Holocaust, Hitler ordered Jews to wear a yellow Star of David. Rabbi Benjamin J. Segal, president of the Centers for Jewish and Zionist Education: "When I see the Israeli flag (with the Star of David) it makes my eyes tear that it is in blue and not yellow."

Asher Susser, Moshe Dayan Center: "The number of Palestinians in Israel is growing in relation to the Jewish population and that undermines, through the democratic process, the aim of Israel [to be the state and protector of the Jewish people]."

Director of the Immigrant Absorption Center in Ra'anana: "All Jews (immigrating into Israel) have the immediate right to vote. Our definition of a Jew is the same as the Nazis used, that is at least one grandparent is Jewish. If you were good enough for the ovens you're good enough to vote."

Mohammad M. Darawshe, director of development at the Abraham Fund and former director of the Chairman's Office of the Democratic Arab Party, after stating that most Arabs, both Muslim and Christian, living in Israel do not have the right to vote: "Israel defines itself as a state of the Jewish people and not a state of all its citizens...We simply want equal co-existence in status, as well as benefits and responsibility."

Einat Wilf, foreign policy adviser to Shimon Peres and candidate in the March 28 Knesset elections: "Some Palestinians say, 'Let's just have one state and everybody's vote is equal.' There are now in Israel as many Palestinians as Jews and soon will be more. It would put an end to a designated state for Jews since there is no history of Jews living under an Arab government that is safe for them."

American rabbi questioning Hanna Abu-El-Assal, director general of the Bishop Riah Educational Campus in Nazareth: "I saw textbooks in Palestine where math was taught using Israeli victims for counting: 2 dead Israelis + 3 dead Israelis = 5 dead Israelis." Hanna: "We were going to write new curriculum but the freeze on money has stopped the development of the peace process."

Moshe Negbi, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, speaking on the Ministry of Justice: "Israel is 57 years old as a state and it does not have constitutional guarantees of civil rights; it does not have a Bill of Rights; it does not even have a complete constitution. ... When you deal with terrorism, human rights are the last thing you think about as a government."

Moshe Negbi, when asked about discrimination: "Israeli law does not discriminated against Israeli Arabs. They have every right of every citizen but discriminatory laws almost always are used against Israeli Arabs and not Israelis. ... Israeli Arabs are viewed by most Jews as disloyal and suspect. This opinion is totally unfounded but it is a fact of life."

Daniel Taub, director of the General Law Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: "Iran's goal, their aim, their intention, is to make this an Islamic world. Europe is already becoming an Islamic continent. With the birth rate the way it is, the Muslims will be the majority of the population of Europe in 100 years, France in a decade. An Imam in England said they will not rest until the Islamic flag is flying over Buckingham Palace."

Reuvan Hazan, of the Hebrew University and Adviser to the Speaker of the Knesset on changing the internal structure of the Israeli Parliament: "Israel is debating what is the country about. Our Declaration of Independence says that Israel is a Jewish and democratic state. To have both you need a Jewish majority. Palestinians can have all the rights but, since (right now) they are a minority, they cannot change Israel from being a Jewish state. With demographics changing, Israel will have to choose--will it be a Jewish or a democratic state. Most likely, we will be a Jewish state and not give the Palestinians the right to vote."