Today, Arabs in Israel have full voting rights, can go to school with Jewish children, and have been elected to parliament by their will of voters, unlike in Iran where a token seat is open to a single Jew is reserved.
Unlike other Palestinian leaders who routinely and openly practice anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial, Prime Minister Salaam Fayyad has said:
"Jews, to the extent they choose to stay and live in the state of Palestine, will enjoy those rights and certainly will not enjoy any less rights than Israeli Arabs enjoy now in the state of Israel,"
Fayyad also said, responding to former CIA director Woosley who pointed out how Arab-Israelis enjoy rights similar to the US Bill of Rights:
"Now, if there is to be the rule of law in a Palestinian state, and if Jews want to live in someplace like Hebron, or anyplace else in a Palestinian state, for whatever reasons or historical attachments, why should they not be treated the same way Israeli Arabs are?" the newspaper quoted Woolsey as asking the PA prime minister.
Fayad responded by saying, "I'm not going to disagree with you. And I'm not someone who will say that they would or should be treated differently than Israeli Arabs are treated in Israel.
This was said at the Aspen Institute's Aspen Ideas Festival. Fayyad also attended a panel with former Secretary of State Albright and Senator Diane Feinstein. They pointed out how Hamas is the problem, and Fayyad responded
"I don't pretend to know how the Palestinian Authority should deal with it," Feinstein said, according to the report.
Fayyad replied that the answer is to get Palestinians to support "that which is done to affect a meaningful change for the better in people's lives. I think we stand a much better chance of winning that debate than going about it in a war of words, which has typified much of the argument over the divide."
Now this is great. Fayyad wants peace, as his first name Salaam implies. I hope he is being sincere, and if a Palestinian state comes along, Jews are treated as equals. I'm not gonna pretend Arab-Israelis have it perfectly, of course there is gonna be discrimination in society, its in every society, and they could have it better. But for the most part, they do have it far nicer in Israel than Jews in any Arab/Muslim country. They also have full rights of speech, assembly, voting, and they have more human rights there than they do in surrounding countries. It would be great if Jews, if some were to live in Judea and Samaria under a Palestinian state, get full rights like Arabs and non-Arabs have in Israel.
Now that Fayyad has said this, why must Israel dismantle all current settlements in the West Bank? I can see why for now, they shouldn't be building more, because its Abbas' excuse to not get to the peace table. But Fayyad has in essence stated why settlements do not have to be dismantled. If the Jews want to live in what would be Palestine, while I suspect most will go to Israel, they should be able to live there. Palestine doesn't have to be free of Jews. I just hope Fayyad means business, and works to eliminate the atmosphere of hate and anti-semitism in Palestinian society, starting with the school education, cleaning out the mosques of radical imams, and TV shows. No more Hamas Mickey Mouse, no more camps for kids who want to kill Jews.
We want peace. I hope Fayyad means business. And that being said, I still think the Palestinian leadership should stop wasting time over settlements and get their asses to the table.