Sept. 8, 2015:
Today we woke up to a sandstorm blanketing the entire
country. In Arrabeh it is so thick streetlights are on at noon. I don’t know if
it is done automatically or if our mayor still turns them on and off manually
himself because of budgetary constraints. Regardless, it is obvious that somebody
up there is upset with someone down here. So, who is doing this to whom? I’ll
leave figuring out the angry party to others and invest some thought in figuring
out who angered Him or Her. Since this all is happening in Israel and
Palestine, let me try and guess who is to blame, Abbas or Netanyahu. Abbas is
threatening to resign. I think that should bring a smile if not a snicker to
the continence of the Gods. The first page headline in Haaretz warns of him
disturbing the status quo with his forthcoming UN speech. No wonder he goes
around with that permanent whimsical look in his eye. I recall a fellow worker
at the Ministry of Health once threatening to revolt if he didn’t get a pay
raise; he would start referring to himself as ‘Palestinian,’ he said. Would
Abbas do that now?
In my judgment it must be the Israelis who are raising all
the dust. I just shared an outrageous piece on my Facebook account about
teaching the Arabic Language at Jewish schools in Israel. It turns out that it
is all done under the auspices of Israel’s security apparatus and in the
context of stopping terrorist acts by Arabic speakers. The texts taught are
inimical to the language and to its speakers and the overall scheme revolves
around knowing thy enemy. That, of course, has meant that no Arabs are involved
in the program thus leading to the current state of affairs where less than 10%
of the teachers of the subject at Jewish schools are actually fluent in the Arabic
language. For the several centuries that the Philippines was a Spanish colony,
its educational system focused on teaching Catholicism to the locals. Many
priests who served as school principles were actually illiterate. The important
thing was to spread the faith.
Remember, we are speaking here of the Department of Jewish
Education. In the Department of Arab Education in Israel, where for years a
non-native Arabic speaker ran the show, the goal seemed to have been to help
Arabs forget the language or at least not to be as stir crazy about its
hypnotic charm, what with all its classic poetry and Koranic roots. Arabic
language connoisseurs are regularly seen retching their guts out at hearing our
youth speak Arabic with its generous sprinkling of Hebrew terms and structures.
And here is another potential brewing dust storm for you: This
year, two weeks from now, Jewish and Islamic holidays coincide. Jewish
customers calling to book rooms at the Crown Plaza (and some other resorts) in
Tiberius and Eilat regularly receive an unsolicited advisory about the high likelihood
that there will be many Arabs on site. As vacationers, that is, and not only as
cooks, waiters, dishwashers, busboys, gardeners, maintenance staff and parking
attendants. In some resorts officials went into some detail about known Arab
characteristics such as offensive smell and tendency to messiness. The Channel
10 News team that aired the program went the extra mile and attempted to
reserve rooms at the facilities under Arabic names and was not warned about the
likelihood of finding Jewish vacationers there. It seems self-evident that Arab
families would love for their children to brush against Jewish kids at the
playgrounds.
I wonder if Israeli tour agencies issue regular travel warnings
to their American and European pilgrim clients about the likelihood of running
into some Arabs in Jerusalem despite the state’s persistent efforts to sanitize
the holy site of such life forms.
WARNING: Because of the high atmospheric particle count,
people with compromised lung and heart functions, pregnant woman, and the
elderly should stay indoors and avoid physical exertion. Whatever you do, avoid
exposure to Arabs, especially Palestinians.
