Ron Gerlitz

Only a Mizrahi leader, who carries the heritage of Jewish-Arab partnership, can save the Israeli left. (Tal Weintraub)

Why Morocco can be a model for Jewish-Arab partnership

Throughout much of my life, I have been engaged in attempts to improve Jewish-Arab relations in Israel. But a recent trip to Morocco, where Jews and Muslims lived in harmony for centuries, filled me with hope for my country. Life after the conflict: Act One. By Ron Gerlitz Yes we can. We can imagine good…

By +972 Magazine April 18, 2016

Yitzhak Rabin at Andrews Air Force Base, September 10, 1986. (U.S. Air Force photo)

Rabin’s legacy: A government inclusive of all citizens — not only Jews

People generally associate Rabin’s legacy with the Oslo Accords, for which he was later murdered. Less cited is the fact that Rabin’s revolution was dependent on a one-time collaboration with Arab members of Knesset. Today, just like then, that remains our premier task. By Ron Gerlitz When I was in basic training in the army,…

By +972 Magazine October 31, 2015

Labor MK Isaac Herzog. (photo: Activestills.org)

Herzog must support the Joint List — and vice versa

Before the 1992 election, Rabin apologized for the discrimination against Palestinian citizens, thus paving the way for a ‘golden age’ in relations between the Arabs and the state. Twenty years later, the ‘Zionist Camp’ and the Joint List can stand to learn a thing or two. By Ron Gerlitz and Nidal Othman (translated by Richard…

By +972 Magazine March 1, 2015

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The Arabic on the road sign at the entrance to Zekharya was intentionally blacked out. (Photo by Ron Gerlitz)

How to purge racism from Israel’s public spaces

It’s impossible to convince racists not to be racists; the problem is the silent majority. Instead of delivering speeches against racism, we should get the authorities to eliminate it from the city streets. Here’s how. By Ron Gerlitz A few months ago I moved to the community of Srigim in the Elah Valley. I quickly…

By +972 Magazine January 7, 2015

Police arrest an Arab protester during a demonstration in Nazareth against the Gaza war. (photo: Activestills.org)

Why Palestinian citizens of Israel are no longer safe

Despite institutionalized discrimination, in recent years Palestinian citizens of Israel have increasingly integrated into the economy, political life, academia and general society. The nature of the current assault on Israeli-Arabs launched from both the Knesset and the street is, in fact, a reaction to this integration. By Ron Gerlitz About a month ago I wrote…

By +972 Magazine August 13, 2014

Israeli policemen arrest a Palestinian protestor during clashes in Arara, in Israel's north, in the wake of the murder of 16-year-old Muhammad Abu Khdeir. (photo: Activestills.org)

Not just escalation: A frightening new era of Jewish-Arab relations in Israel

Attacks by Jewish hooligans on Arabs, unprecedented incitement by right-wing politicians and clashes between Israeli Police and Arab youth. We’ve been here before, but never like this. By Ron Gerlitz This article is written at the height of an extensive, violent escalation in the Jewish-Arab conflict, both within Israel and between Israel and the Palestinians…

By +972 Magazine July 12, 2014

Palestinian construction workers in an Israeli settlement (Photo by Yotam Ronen/Activestills.org)

The correlation between Arab economic power and attacks by the Right

If Arabs were still solely manual laborers in Israel’s economy, right-wing MKs would not be rushing to do everything possible to oust them from the labor force, strip them of their political representation and, ultimately, their citizenship. By Ron Gerlitz Of late, not a week has gone by without a senior Israeli government official or politician…

By +972 Magazine March 28, 2014

Protest against decision on killings during Oct. 2000 riots. (photo: Activestills)

For Arab citizens, Israeli government suffers from split personality

Ten years after the Or Commission was formed to investigate the deaths of 13 Arabs protesters at the hands of Israeli police, the government is taking contradictory steps toward implementing its findings. By Ron Gerlitz “The earth shook during the events of October 2000.” These are the words that introduced the Or Commission recommendations, published exactly ten…

By +972 Magazine December 16, 2013

A Bedouin man whose home was demolished [illustrative photo] (Anne Paq/Activestills.org)

Land, my land: One issue that can be resolved

The time has come to allow ourselves to see this country not only as the battleground of a national struggle but as a shared homeland, which with painful concessions and tremendous confidence-building efforts on both sides, we can turn into a good place where our children will want to live. By Ron Gerlitz As Israel’s…

By +972 Magazine May 6, 2013

A dangerous position

Despite the onslaught of discriminatory legislation and racist declarations by public leaders, empirical data suggests that the government of Israel is closing the gaps between its Jewish and Arab citizens in many fields. The refusal to recognize those changes is dangerous and counter-productive. By Ron Gerlitz and Batya Kallus The policies of the current government and Knesset in relation…

By +972 Magazine October 19, 2012