[ministe van agitatie]

Israeli Arabs torn by Gaza violence

Despite the appalling history of bloodshed between Jews and Palestinians in this part of the world, very few Israeli Arabs have ever taken up arms against the state, or openly supported those who do.

Israeli Arabs have tended to work within the law here, to fight for their rights, and to improve their lives.

But conservative Israeli politicians are warning that Israeli Arabs now represent a "fifth column" that threatens the country's security.


Danny Ayalon from the party Israel Beiteinu is particularly alarmed at the stridency of opposition among Israeli Arabs to the war in Gaza.

He accuses some of lacking sufficient loyalty to the Israeli state.

"Israel is a very small country, six million Jews, surrounded by 250 million Arabs. If they connect with Palestinians on the other side of the border, then we have a problem."

The Israeli Beiteinu Party was behind recent moves to ban some Arab politicians from standing for re-election to the country's parliament, the Knesset, on the grounds that they were not loyal citizens.

The move has been passed provisionally, though may yet be struck down by the country's Supreme Court.

Police questioning

Meanwhile, Israeli police say they have brought "a number" of Israeli Arabs into police stations who have not committed any crimes, but just to warn them to stay within the law - a move one told me amounted to blatant intimidation.

"They are scared, that's my reading," says Ameer Makhoul, who was taken for questioning by a senior officer last week after organising a series of anti-war protests.

"He told me: 'you are terrorist, you are supporting the enemy'.

"But they cannot tell me how to behave. I am not an immigrant. I didn't come to Israel - Israel came to me."

Incidents like this have alarmed some Israeli lawyers, who fear that basic civil rights are being infringed.

Leah Tselman sees it as part of an ongoing erosion of liberties, one that is corroding the very fabric of her country.

"I cannot promise to my children that they will grow up in a liberal democratic society," she says.

"Every Arab is seen as the enemy. There is no trust. I can see only a very dark horizon ahead, and we don't know where it goes."