Israel: A Peaceful People Uneasy Under Threat

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32234, 28 February 1970, Page 5

Israel: A Peaceful People Uneasy Under Threat

(By .MALCOLM J. MASON) The pilot of Cyprus Airways Flight 066. Nicosia-Tel Aviv, was intoning his pre-landing announcements: “We are now crossing the coast, and are flying in Israeli air-space . . he droned, when almost as at a signal half his passengers burst into fervent song. It was singing I was to hear many times dui-ing my fortnight in Israel. It repeats again and again the word “Shalom” (peace), and the title roughly translates as “We are bringing peace to you.” The rendering, however, belies the title: mingled with a little wistfulness is a lot of patriotism and no little pride. Which just about sums up the Israeli of today.

Although it was Jews who broke into song, they had plenty of supporters in the plane. A party of about 30 United Nations soldiers, from a Swedish battalion on duty in Cyprus, beamed approval: some even joined in. Mystified, I sought the reason from the sergeant sitting next to me (I knew he would be able to speak English—most U.N troops do, and all the Scandinavians can). “Ah, we like the Israelis. ’ he said. •That’s why we’re on this flight: we’re taking our leave down this way. We’ve all of us got dozens of friends in these parts.” This battalion had been in Israel for well over 12 months: with Canadians and Indians it had been part of a peace - keeping group deployed on the Northern approaches to the Suez Canal before the six-day war in 1967. “Neutral” Troops They were, in fact, the force that Nasser had persuaded the United Nations to withdraw before the war began: so that, as he explained to his people, the Egyptian Army could get to grips with its enemy and destroy it—unimpeded ’’And were we pleased when the Israelis routed them,” went on my Swede. “But surely, U.N troops were neutral,” I objected. “Officially, yes, of course But not in here,” and he tapped his heart “Nor,” pot ing it back at me. a Britisher, “were your Can adians. They were just as pro-Israel as we were ” 1 had heard of these “neutral” prejudices before—in Kashmir where Indians and Pakistanis faced each other, and also in Cyprus. But I wasn't prepared for the Swede’s next remark. "Of course the Indians tn the U.N. brigade weren’t at all happy,” he said “They were out-and-out pro-Arab ” “Makes you think, you know.” he went on. “The Europeans all for the Jews, the Indians all for the Arabs . . . Perhaps it has something to do with religion, or education, or something. Or most likely, if the truth be known, colour.” No Youth Problem Israel, 1 noted, has no youth problem, certainly nothing like that which some folk say afflicts the United States and Britain. The reason is not hard to find—the young people are too fully-occupied. As soon as they leave secondary school —and Jews with their veneration of education stay on and lap up as much scholarship as they can—both sexes go straight into the Army. There the men do a stint of two years and the girls, unless married, 18 months.

After they come out of the itervices. their growing-up hastened by the experience, they seem to do one of two things—go off to the . University to catch up on the wasted years, or settle down to a career and to matrimony. Either way there’s no time to indulge in those deli-ciously-foolished antics peculiar to youth: even if there were, this generation has more serious matters on its collective mind. People in Israel seem to talk of only three topics—when war wilj break out again; how much of the territory conquered in 1967 should be handed back: and, incongruously, of peace. I get the impression that this people is a peaceful

people. When they meet you they say “Shalom,” when they wave greetings to you in the street they call out “Shalom,” and when they say goodbye it is “Shalom” again. There’s no insincerity or mawkishness about it—they love peace, they need peace and they want peace. The tragedy is that they’ll probably never have it Before the six day war the population of this tiny land (8.000 square miles, smaller than Canterbury) was about 2} million. But occupation of the Gaza strip and the West bank of the Jordan has swelled their numbers by about a million, all Arabs. Arab Birth-rate The difficulty is that these Arabs, who are treated with complete equality (they are entitled in official as well as private matters to use Arabic and not Hebrew) are breeding at almost double the rate of the Israelis, so that the latter have a very real fear that over the years they will be swamped by numbers. This is countered, to some extent, by immigration. Official policy is “to accept the entry of Jews from all countries of their dispersion," and something like 500 a month return to the land of their forefathers. On arrival they receive a room, a job and a small gratuity, and from that moment they are welcomed and accepted as 100 per cent Israeli citizens. But there are problems. Coming as they do from all over the world, they are of every shape and colour: more important, their capabilities are vastly different. Those from European "00011165 are better educated and can be immediately productive: but those from Africa and the Mahommedan countries are rather backward, and often need special schooling to bring them up to standard. Local Arabs complain that when Palestine was founded, their land was stolen from them. “No matter that it wgs desert, it was our land. At least we should have been paid for it,” they say. Nasser's Threats The Israelis deny the charge. “We either bought it from the owners, or they got reparations for it,” they assert. “In any case, what of our brothers, who are daily being banished from the Mahommedan lands, whose property is being plundered so openly and blatantly?” And, scornfully, “Whoever heard of an Arab government giving compensation to a dispossessed Jew?” In the two and a half years since the six day war, the Israelis have lived against a background of sabre-rattling and threats. Nasser, his forces rearmed by the Russians, talks increasingly of annihilation. The Israeli -in - the - street shrugs it all off, convinced of his people’s superiority, in battle. Others have different views: “The Egyptian soldiery isn’t too bad,” an Israeli colonel told me. “But their officers—poof”—and he spat with contempt. “Down there on the Suez Canal we listen in to the chatter on their military radio. We notice that over their armoured and the artillery nets most of the talk is in Russian. Perhaps the Reds are there only as observers .... But if there should be a few crack regiments officered by Russians .... By God, I hope not.” And an uneasy shalom being better than no shalom at ’ all, the - world will hope not, too.

(To Be Continued.)