Left-wing?

Racial profiling is essential for security in Israel. Walking the streets of Jerusalem, it’s a common sight to see IDF (Israel Defense Force) soldiers checking Arab identity cards. Suspicious-looking people, usually with darker skin and slicked-back hair, are routinely searched. I’ve also seen many Palestinian drivers, often-times people my own age, pulled over at military checkpoints for the simple fact that they are Arab and therefore suspicious.

There is a great disparity in Israel between the amount of government money given to Arab and Jewish communities. While Jewish neighborhoods are generally well-funded and taken care of, Arab areas tend to be neglected by the state and their welfare viewed as a second-class concern (Israel is, after all, a Jewish state).

I’ve come to be bothered by both these aspects of Israeli life. I can’t say that I’ve become an Arab nationalist, because I certainly haven’t, but Israel has a lot of problems. It seems to me that racial profiling and the unequal distribution of government resources are incredibly unfair and undemocratic. It’s interesting, though, because I never saw racial profiling or economic/social disparities as a problem in the States. I was quite certain that singling out an Arab fellow for further questioning at the airport was right and that searching a black man’s car for drugs was acceptable because, in both cases, the individuals being profiled were more-likely to be guilty than others. I saw the ghettos in Washington DC as a result not of social injustice or inequality in government concern, but as a result of the inhabitants’ laziness and disregard for normal standards of living. I probably sound like a liberal, but seeing the way many Arabs are treated here has changed the way I think about a lot of social issues back in the States.

I don’t want to simplify the situation here in Israel to make it appear that powerful Jews are trampling on the rights of oppressed Palestinians, because that certainly is not the case. There are many good reasons why Arabs are profiled, and I’m certain the practice is a necessary evil. Many Arabs, even Israeli citizens, do not believe Israel is a legitimate state. Many Palestinians have committed acts of terror against Israel and many more will undoubtedly try. The racial profiling makes good sense, but it still bothers me. The economic disparities can also be explained. Why should Israel support communities of Arabs who do not believe the Jewish state ought to exist? Why should a nation help neighborhoods where the inhabitants may seek to bite off the hands that feed them? The political situation and countless points of view here are very difficult to comprehend. I miss the days when I saw the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the social inequalities back in the U.S., from an easy and one-sided perspective.