Many of Israel's Arab citizens want no part in the Palestinian state envisioned by the Trump administration.
This Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020, photo, shows the Israeli Arab town of Umm al-Fahm, far back, and the Israeli Moshav of Mei Ami. President Donald Trump's Mideast initiative suggests that the densely populated Arab region of Israel could be added to a future Palestinian state, if both sides agree. The proposal has infuriated many of Israel's Arab citizens, who view it as a form of forced transfer.
Arab citizens make up about 20% of Israel's population. They can vote but face discrimination and higher levels of poverty. They have close family ties to the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, and many identify as Palestinians. But they are also deeply rooted in lands that are now part of Israel, and most are immersed in Israeli society. Their political parties advocate reform, not partition.
Jamal Zahalka, a former member of the Israeli parliament from the staunchly pro-Palestinian Balad party, said the plan is the latest iteration of a decades-old Israeli policy of maximizing territory while preserving its Jewish majority."We will have the bantustan of the triangle here, part of the Palestinian bantustans,” he added, using a term for segregated homelands from apartheid-era South Africa.
Israeli media have cited unnamed officials as saying Netanyahu has no intention of implementing the idea and is focused on other parts of the plan. His office declined to comment on the reports or the idea of transferring the Arab Triangle.Avigdor Lieberman, head of the ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party, has long advocated the transfer of populated Arab areas to a Palestinian state.
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