ISRAEL was carved out of Palestine and proclaimed as a sovereign State on May Iff, 1948. Israel celebrates the 50 Anniversaiy of its Statehood from last Thursday (30 April 1998). More than 300 events are planned to commemorate the birth of the nation. The guest of honour was the US Vice Presi-dent Al Gore. What might have been a show-case of national unity, the stark reality is that beneath the apparent joy and glory, Israeli society is marked y deep fissures that Israelis are more worried about a future religious-secular war than they are about external threats. A strange statement ? Not so. In an anniversary poll, the prestigious Haaretz newspaper in Israel found so.
Internal divisions: It was believed that all Jews coming to Israel would be one people. Reality belies this fact. Ethnic and cultural differences dominate among the Israelis. Of the 4,637.000 Jews living in Israel (1996), 61.6 per cent were born in Israel. 12.5 per cent in Asia and Africa and 25.9 per cent in Europe and America. The Jews who migrated from Europe are known as Ashkenazim, while those who came from Arab countries are called Sephardim. There exists not only physical and cultural differences but also difference in socio-economic status among them. The Sephardim live in the poorest areas and have the lowest-paid jobs. University education is rare among them and they are the disadvantaged community in Israel. The Ashkenazim have continued to dominate the other groups though approximately half the Jewish population is nonAshkenazim. In politics the Sephardim is represented in the Cabinet by the Defence Minister Yitzhak Mordecai (who is from Kurdistan.)
Furthermore, the arrival of 800.000 well-educated Russian Jews to Israel in the past decade had added a new dimension to the melting pot of Israel. Israel's non-Jewish million Arabs constitute still another distinctive sector and the Jews label them as the "Fifth Column" that dangers the security of Israel. The Jews (15000) from Ethiopia form another group which remain dissatisfied with the treatment meted out to them by other Jews and the authorities.
Added to the problem there is a split between the ultra orthodox Jews and the rest. Though the ultras constitute less than 10 per cent, their often militant behaviour is a threat to the unity of the people of Israel and the security of its Arab neighbours.
Impact of internal divisions: Jews from European extraction. Jews from Arab countries. Israeli Arabs, secular Israelis, religious Israelis, right-wing Israelis and left-wing Israelis have different ideas about pride and hope for Israel. Above all Prime Minister Netanyahu (Jew from US) is himself a highly contentious figure, disliked by almost half of the population for his personality as much as his inflexible and hard line policies towards Palestinians.
The internal divisions among the Israelis came into sharp focus during the celebration of the anniversary. The feud among them has had an impact on internal and external events. Extremist group was responsible for the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin who was gunned down by a Jewish extremist in November 1995. It was an unprecedented act of killing of a Jewish person by another Jew. This violent action demonstrated the deep chasm among the Israelis.
In the past decade a movement for channelling the orthodox views saw the rise of religious parties and this phenomenon cast a dark shadow on the "Land for Peace" deal with the Palestinians. The policy towards peace settlement of the coalition government of Netanyahu is in doldrums. The national-religious factions opposed any peace deal with the Palestinians and were behind the illegal Jewish settlement in Jebel Abu Ghneim (Israelis call it HarHoma) in East Jerusalem. The secular and religious divide among the Israelis led to opposing demonstrations to each other on 30 April on the issue of the disputed Jewish settlement in Jeoel Abu Ghneim. (The secular side do not approve the Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem).
The Israelis remain divided eve^ on how best to mark its 50 anniversary. Religious and secular Jews were at loggerheads over the anniversary's centre piece — the variety show. Religious Parliament Members
demanded that the dance company — Batsheva — should not perform dance because of the inappropriate dress of the dancers. Meanwhile, the authorities under pressure from right-wing parties would not show the historic 1993 White House handshake between late Mr Rabin, the former Prime Minister and Chairman Yasser Arafat and this had annoyed the peace campaigners. Furthermore. there is a tension between the older generation that experienced the birth of Israel and the younger generation who had demonstrated surprising lack of enthusiasm, even disdain for what should be once-In-a-life time special occasion.
From Palestinian point of view the anniversary marks the beginning of the period Palestinians call Al-Naqba or the catastrophe. Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip were barred to enter Israel during the celebration and it is an irony of history that many of these Palestinians are in fact now refugees ousted from their land that became Israel 50 years ago.
Conclusion:
Where does Israel want to go in the next 50 years?
Peace has eluded the Israelis during the last 50 years. They might have won wars but they lost in building lasting peace. Israel should adopt a rational and constructive attitude towards the Palestinians. Despite the internal divisions, Israeli leadership should be courageous to strike a peace deal with Palestinians whose land was carved out for the foundations of a Jewish State .
One would hope that Israel shows maturity in Implementing the November 1947 UN Resolution upon which its own existence is founded. The Resolution envisages the establishment of a Palestine State. It woif^l be a fitting mark of the 50 anniversary if Israel recognises that obligation to enable the legitimate aspirations of Palestine people to realise their independent Palestine State. In fact, a former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres said recently in a BBC interview that a Palestinian State would not be threat rather a safety valve for Israel.
The writer is former Bangladesh Ambassador to the UN in Geneva.