Inside every country at warThere are places, acres One of them where the conflict is barely felt. Violence lies beneath the silence in the absence of crowded streets. It finds expression in the tense day when rival parties in dozens of institutions or in another region struggle to force civility with each other. Acre, a city Mediterranean coast north Israel, recognized violence. To do 75 yearsthree quarters of it Palestinian population The Muslim and Christian majority were forced to flee in the midst of the founding of the State of Israel. The squares of Acre, 32% of which are now Arab-Israeli citizens, are filled with messages of coexistence, harmony and peace.
“Nothing happens here, Jews and Arabs live together “There’s no problem,” he explains. Mustafa, at the base of their facility, located in a gazebo that is currently empty. This local fisherman insists that “everything has been very calm” since Oct. 7, when the Hamas offensive against Israel began. But it wasn’t always like this. During Israel’s last attack Loop in 2021Acre witnessed the shattering of the illusion. In several mixed cities, it is celebrated by a so-called Coexistence between Jews and Israelis of Palestinian origindecades of so-called magic coexistence. Radical groups from both sides attacked each other, causing some deaths and extensive damage to property and homes. Suddenly, the neighbors began to be seen as enemies who killed their fellow Gazans, and on the other hand, there were neighbors who supported Gaza terrorism. Hamas.
It’s different this time. In Israel, descendants of native Palestinians who decided to stay after several waves of deportations are now 20% of the country’s population. While some prefer to be called Israeli Arabs, others do not trust the Israeli project and feel closer to their Palestinian brothers. West Bank busy or locked Gaza Strip. Experts say they are Palestinians from Israel or 48 Palestinians Referring to the borders before the founding of the Hebrew State. The marginalization of this community in recent years and the indifference of the authorities have further alienated them from their fellow Jews. Therefore when Clashes broke out on Israeli bordersThere is a fear that the same thing will happen to them.
“They don’t let us talk”
In front of one of the oldest ports on the planet, his hometown, Ayam He is afraid to talk. But once he starts, not even tears can stop him. “The only thing that has changed in the last war in Gaza and the riots in Acre is that they no longer allow us to talk. we cannot express our opinionHe says at the door of the nursing home where he works. In the background, Al Jazeera news heralds the final hour of a conflict that vibrates in their hearts, although this time it does not seem to have reached their homes. Their own bodies… “How will we live if we see our population being massacred?” he explains to this newspaper, struggle against crying. “It’s so hard, it’s so hard,” he repeats.
He gets lost in his memories for a few minutes. grandmotherHe had to live as a refugee in Jordan. “You know, my grandmother died with him key to your house I thought he would come back because I was hanging from my neck…” he recalls: “If so, why are we Palestinians suffering this? we are humans too“?” he asks angrily. He doesn’t dare to raise his voice too much because he is aware of the consequences. In recent weeks, Israeli officials have Dozens of Palestinians were arrestedincluding those who are Israeli citizens, for sharing and liking posts supporting Gaza. They also banned demonstrations in support of the Palestinians.
patrols
Some of the citizens of these mixed cities Haifa anyone taybeWe established patrols to prevent the conflicts that occurred in 2021 from occurring again. HE trauma is big Because something broke that day. “How can people live in the world? they kill their children“Ayam asks, referring to the more than 2,000 young children killed in Israeli bombardments in Gaza in the last two weeks, according to the toll of the Ministry of Health in the Palestinian territory. “But this is not just today, this violence is always in one way or another present in our lives“, condemns this social educator. The country’s shift to the right in recent years has placed the Arab society in the “bad” category. second class citizens.
“All young children are suspected of supporting Hamas, I’m afraid to speak Arabic “down the street,” he admits Shahd ShahbariA young woman from Nazareth residing in Haifa. “I’m afraid to leave the house because most right-wing extremists “They are calling for the execution of Arabs,” he tells this newspaper. The two peoples who are forced to live together end up falling into mutual distrust. When someone from the other side attacks, the blame seems to belong to everyone. “But we original population “says Ayam, very excited. “The Jews around us are constantly fighting because some Morocco and others from Russia, but us, As the Palestinian people, we are one“We have no quarrel,” he declares, vigorously tapping the ancient stones on the streets of Acre.