Israel is the only country in the world where Arabs are free and at home. Everywhere else, Arab people have to choose: home and tyranny or exile and freedom. Not in Israel. Here, they get both. Here, they can be themselves with pride. That is Zionism. And that is something to celebrate.
Israel is the ONLY country in the Middle East that treats Arabs with dignity, fairness and equality. The only... one that grants them their basic, democratic rights. The Arab Spring has still not changed that reality.
Israel is the only country in the Middle East where Palestinian Arabs were made full citizens -- and have risen to become ministers in government, ambassadors, justices of the supreme court, leading scientists, businessmen, members of parliament, celebrities and military officers.
Surrounded by an ocean of Arab states, Israel is nonetheless the only country in the Middle East where Arab people are allowed to freely speak their mind and conscience. We didn't need an Arab Spring in Israel... Freedom of expression, religion, commerce, conscience... these are a given in Israel. That is why it thrives.
Israel is also the only country in the Middle East where minorities are protected -- both by law and the general attitude. It is the only place where it is OK to be different. And that is something for ALL Israelis -- Jews, Arabs, Christians, Druze, Bahais, Vietnamese, Circassians, everyone who together built the country up from nothing in 65 years -- to be very, very proud of.
You don't need perfection to be proud of something good. You don't need perfection to defend what is just and right.
It is no surprise that the haters of Israel accuse us of the crimes that THEY commit. It is no surprise that they choose their libels to obscur the real values of Israel: freedom, tolerance, equality, diversity. They think that by accusing Israel of Apartheid they can hide Israel's democracy and their own Apartheid. They think that by accusing us of racism they can hide Israel's immense diversity (by choice) and their own prejudices.
Well, they can't. Major Ala Wahib is just one proud reason why.
In the words of the prophet:
"You can fool some people sometime, but you can't fool all the people all of the time... and now you see the light, we're gonna stand up for our rights" -- Bob Marley, citing King Solomon.
www.philassie.blogspot.co.il
http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=5727
