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"The left in Israel must realize that it will not succeed in coming to power without the Arabs"
- תמים אבו חיט
- 2 באוק׳
- זמן קריאה 3 דקות
By: Tamim Abu Khait
Journalist Shirin Saeb published an article in the Haaretz newspaper on Tuesday, September 30, about her meeting with Palestinian Zionism researcher Sabri Jaris.
Sabri Jaris, for those who don't know, is a Palestinian intellectual originally from the village of Al-Rama near Safed, born 10 years before the Nakba and raised in the country as an Israeli citizen. He studied law at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He was detained for a long period without trial, because of his political activity belonging to the Palestinian national movement within Israel.
After his release, he went to Lebanon, where he joined the PLO Research Center in Beirut, and there he also served for many years as editor of the journal "Palestinian Affairs" - one of the PLO's most important periodicals dealing with current affairs in Israel. He is known as an expert researcher on Israeli affairs and Zionism and is considered one of the founding fathers of Palestinian-Israeli political discourse and a supporter of the idea of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. His book "The Foundations of Zionism," published by the PLO Research Center, is a cornerstone in Israel studies departments at universities in Arab countries.
In February 1983, tragedy struck Geris when his wife, who also worked at the PLO Research Center in Beirut, was killed along with several other employees in a car bomb explosion in front of his offices. Geris himself was on the fifth floor of the building at the time. The Oslo Accords paved the way for Geris to return to his homeland in December 1994. As a symbolic gesture, Israel then agreed to the return of 50 Palestinian families to its territory, including the Geris family.
I have selected for you here some of his quotes and answers to questions in an interview conducted with him by journalist Shirin Saeb:
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"I imagine one state that is made up of both groups and that is based on the element of equality. Each has its own parliament, and above them there is a unifying body. Otherwise, the war will continue for generations to come."
"And if you don't want one state," continues Jarris, "there is the proposal for a Palestinian state on 22% of the land of Palestine. The world recognizes it, and if things continue like this, it will force recognition on Israel. The next stage will be the implementation of the decision."
- When asked where he went wrong and what he regrets, Geris replies: "I made one mistake - I attributed more wisdom and good intentions to the Israelis than they actually had. After the 1973 war, I wrote an article in the Lebanese newspaper An-Nahar, 'Israel Faces the Danger of Peace.' In it, I argued that Israel presents itself as pursuing peace and the Arabs as resisters, while in fact it cannot tolerate peace, because it means the dissolution of the state. Even though I knew this, I continued to push for agreements and defend peace with Israel. And in the end, what did it come out of? Ben Gvir. It took me a while to understand that. It's a big mistake."
-Until the early 1970s, I too believed in armed struggle alone. But when the UN recognized the PLO as a movement representing the Palestinians and Yasser Arafat spoke there, reality changed. I was among the first to understand that we were facing a new era.
-The Oslo Accords were very important to me. And what happened? The kids on the right, including Benjamin Netanyahu, did not internalize the importance of this moment, and continued to chant slogans and talk about the complete Land of Israel. What caused the failure of Oslo was the scoundrels of the Israeli right.
- About October 7th:
The way they attacked civilians and innocent people hurt me. Hamas attacked military posts, but why enter the homes of civilians, families, children, and murder them in cold blood? It reminded me of the massacres in Deir Yassin, Tantura, Ailabun, Lod, and Ramleh.
-If Netanyahu had any sense, he should have understood that Hamas is not committed to him, and that in the end he will attack Israel. He should go home for this mistake. If there is any logic in the Israeli government, Netanyahu and all the senior officials should stand trial.
Link to the article in Haaretz:
