News 13's Arab affairs commentator, Zvi Yehezkeli, spoke this morning (Tuesday) with Erel Segal and Roy Idan on 103FM about the Palestinian street's reaction to the possibility of Israel annexing the territories of Judea and Samaria, and claimed that there are many voices supporting the move.
Hello Zvi Yehezkeli, Arab affairs commentator, News 13.
""The point is that the Arabs think differently about the annexation issue.".
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Roy says that what matters is what the left-wing protesters think.
""I think what I heard is what you will hear from Egyptians and Saudis, it is what you hear from Palestinian citizens, and I was even surprised after two decades in the territories, when I hear them say: 'Listen friends, 25 years of authority have brought us nothing, whoever gives me a blue ID card - I kiss his feet.'.
""One of them told me, 'An Israeli's foot is better than Abu Mazen's head.' As far as we Palestinians are concerned, I don't know what the annexation map is, what exactly the prime minister is planning.
""30,000 in Area C, if they receive East Jerusalem-style blue IDs, permanent residency, they are going to do such a big Haplela and go to congratulate the day they received an Israeli ID card, one told me - 'I will finally get a bride, a job and I will also have a house.' From the Palestinians' perspective, they will be happy to shake the authority off them, especially since there is now a phenomenon where Palestinians are transferring their addresses from West Bank cities.".
Roy: As happened in East Jerusalem, after 1967 Moshe Dayan and Rehoboam Ze'evi decided to increase the municipal area of Jerusalem 10 times and what happened was a huge migration of Arab residents of other areas into what is now called Isawiya. Segal: After they started building the separation barrier, people moved from Ramallah to Isawiya.
""This is also true in the separation fence, more than that it could be a dead end to the story of the violence that is going to happen, I hear Palestinians saying 'What am I going to go out on now', I'm not saying there won't be violence because Abu Mazen can unleash it on the streets, but I can say almost certainly there won't be a mass uprising in the style of the '87 Intifada, etc. The public thinks differently from the leadership, I haven't seen such a huge gap between the Palestinian public, the ordinary people, and the Palestinian Authority since the Authority came in.".
There haven't been elections for several decades, apparently that's the result.
""Egypt and Saudi Arabia support annexing friends, what are we talking about here? A Palestinian, of course, if he gets a blue ID card - what does it mean for him and for Abu Mazen? Apart from the fear of saying it, everything exists, and this fear can be overcome.".
Quarrels at National Insurance.
""I don't know, but let's take the wave of violence they promised us with the embassy transfer, etc.".
You present it as if it were good news. This is exactly what the entire sector of the white left is afraid of. This is what they threaten – 'Look, they will come, all the Arabs and they will have citizenship,' this is what scares the white Israeli more than anything. This is not good news.
""I don't know.".
He is the messenger.
""I'm telling a story about a process where the Palestinians say, 'I support annexation,' whether that's good or not? Make a mockery of what happened in East Jerusalem in '67, and I don't know what it will look like. But, I can say that what is described in the media is not true. I think differently, see differently, and know a different Palestinian discourse, that's the point.".
Is that what they want?
""sure".
People in Nablus - I give you citizenship?
""sure".
Who doesn't want to receive Israeli citizenship?
""Bibi or Abu Mazen? Choose Bibi. The nation has collapsed, we don't talk as if nothing happened in the Middle East. What happened in the Middle East? The collapse of the nation and the understanding that strong forces that are probably cooperating with Arab countries like Egypt and Saudi Arabia, that's what's definitely going to happen.".
It's an amazing place, why wouldn't they want to come?
""The Palestinians, 30,000, who live between Beitar Illit and Gush Etzion and Ariel or in the Jordan Valley won. In my opinion, you didn't lose in the overall calculation. I'm just saying, don't listen to the story of the Palestinian leadership. The leadership is disconnected from the people – the people think differently.".
I understand that Assad was invited to Russia for talks, and there's chaos in Lebanon and Europe, after we forgot a bit, we saw immigrants jumping on the protest bandwagon in Belgium and Sweden.
""Everything is connected to everything.".
