Israeli Arabs' Views Reveal Gap With Political Leaders

Here’s a question for you: Why hasn’t the Israeli Arab leadership protested the release of Israeli Arab prisoners in the setting of an agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority? Do they want the Palestinian Authority to represent their affairs before Israel? The deal that would see the release of Palestinian prisoners as a good-will gesture on the eve of resuming talks and during the talks has been broadly covered, focusing primarily on the justified anguish of those finding it hard to see murderers being freed.

But the debate did not cover extensively the release of Israeli Arabs and did not address the questions as to why Israel agreed to make such a gesture, why the Palestinians demanded it, and why Israeli Arabs seemed to be pleased with it. Equally, it did not address the question why there is not a bold Israeli Arab leadership that would firmly reject this deal, while stating that it is inappropriate for the Palestinian Authority to discuss with Israel the fate of Israeli citizens.