Speaker of Israeli Parliament, Reuven Rivlin, Says Creation of Israel Caused Suffering and Trauma to Palestinians, Acknowledges Jewish Racism and Arrogance

Rivlin: Creation of Israel caused suffering and trauma to the Palestinians

Monday August 03, 2009 23:01 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Speaker of the Israeli Knesset, member of the Likud Party, Reuven Rivlin, stated that there should be a fundamental change in relations between Jews and Arabs in Israel, and called for what he described as partnership between the two sectors of the population based on mutual respect.

Rivlin added that the creation of Israel caused trauma among the Palestinians in the country but also said that the trauma and suffering of the Palestinians were in a large part caused by what he called the ‘shortsightedness of the Palestinian leadership’.

He stated that many Arabs in Israel consider themselves Palestinians, and feel the pain and suffering of their Palestinian brothers.

Rivlin further said that many Palestinians encounter arrogance and racism from Jews in Israel and that the state allocates state funds in an unequal manner.

He added that the Arabs in Israel are an inseparable part of the state, and that they are a group that has a shared national identity that will be collective and an important part of the society in Israel.

The Knesset speaker acknowledged that some leaders of the Arab population in the country refuse to recognize Israel as the home of the Jewish people, and claimed that some Arab leaders even allocate themselves ‘with the worst enemies of the state’.

Furthermore Rivlin stated that the Jews must send a message to the Arab population in Israel that the homeland of the Jews is also the homeland of the Arabs, and that Israel rejects all calls of forced expulsion or immigration.

“We cannot hope that our neighbors will go away, we cannot pretend they aren’t there, even if we close our windows”, he said, “we should not do that, and we must accept them and seek a real partnership with them’.

Yet, the Knesset speaker did not mention the Palestinians in the occupied territories, and their legitimate aspirations for independence and statehood. He also failed to recognize the internationally guaranteed Right of Return of the Palestinian refugees.

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