Perspectives of a Bedouin Diplomat: Ishmael Khaldi
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2 July 2019 Perspectives of a Bedouin Diplomat: Ishmael Khaldi Key Points Israel is not perfect, but it is a successful, open, multi-ethnic, multi-religious country, in which the non-Jewish communities increasingly feel that they are a part of Israeli society. Although the security threats faced by Israel have changed and are not going to go away, the range of common threats means that there is also a growing acceptance in the region of the existence of Israel. Despite the contested leadership in the Palestinian community and difficulties at the political level, Israelis and Palestinians are working together at the ground level. As a minority within a minority, the Bedouin community faces a number of particular challenges, including the need to preserve traditional values while successfully managing the changes posed by modern technology. The Middle East is going through a period of great turbulence and any lasting change can only come from the people of the region; it cannot be imposed on them by outside powers. Introduction As the first Bedouin to serve in the Israeli diplomatic corps, Ishmael Khaldi brings a unique perspective to events in his home country and the Middle East. Future Directions International spoke with Mr Khaldi about developments in the region, the prospects for peace, including a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the challenges that are encountered by the Bedouin community. Commentary FDI: Thank for you for speaking with us today, Ishmael. To start, can you give us a quick overview of the circumstances of post-independence Israel? IK: The state of Israel was established in 1948 and has just celebrated 71 years of independence. Looking back over those seven decades – a relatively short time – it is possible to see that Israel has come a long way in terms of economic development and building a strong, solid and diverse society while facing a number of security challenges. I think that is especially the case in terms of the number of very successful start-up companies that are leading the way in technological developments and innovations, especially in ways to improve agricultural output. These developments are not only useful in Israel; they also make a difference overseas. I was posted to Africa for two-and-a-half years, and I would often see the work being done by Israeli companies there to improve agricultural production and the quality of the goods produced. They are helping to making a difference to people’s lives there and that is a very good thing. In terms of society, Israel is considered to be a Jewish state – a homeland for Jewish people from around the world – and, indeed, over the last 71 years, Jewish people have come to Israel and made a home there; it is a free and open society. Even just among its Jewish community, Israel is a multicultural society: there are Jews from Yemen, America, Russia and many other places, all living in Israel. Added to that, of course, are the 21 per cent of the Israeli population who are Arab. In terms of security, even before 1948, Israel faced security threats. From 1917, the Palestinians and other Arab nations rejected the idea of the establishment of a Jewish homeland in the historical region of Palestine, as had been supported in the Balfour Declaration. In 1948, Israel was established and, since then, there have been wars, military operations and terrorist attacks against Israel, in Israeli cities, and around the world; the most well-known of that latter category are probably the attack against the Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics in 1972 and the bombing of the AMIA Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires in 1994. These security challenges kept Israel in a state of alert and required the use of all its intelligence and security resources to protect its citizens while, at the same time, remaining open to reconciliation. That happened in 1978 at Camp David, in 1979 with Egypt, in 1994 with Jordan, and even with the Palestine Liberation Organisation in Oslo the year before that. That is the best way to keep Israel safe but, even if there is peace, it doesn’t mean that there will be no more threats. Unfortunately, that is not the case and I don’t see that changing; Israel will always have to live with a certain threat level. In the past, we may have faced other countries’ armies but today it is different non-state groups that are posing threats: extremists such as Islamic Jihad or the like. It is a continuing challenge. FDI: Do you think that even though the threat has changed over time, more people and countries around the Middle East are now accepting that Israel is there to stay? IK: Yes, I think it is absolutely the case, especially among the younger generations, but also among the leaders of some – but not all – of the countries in the region, that Israel is accepted as a fact. Those people and those leaders are moving away from the long-time – I’ll call it a “dream”, for want of a better word – that Israel could be eliminated, or would cease to exist. Part of the reason for that change is that we are facing some common threats in a way that has not previously been the case. The dangers posed by movements such as Al-Qaida, ISIS and others, as well as by Iran, if it were to acquire a nuclear capability, are not only threats to Israel, but also to those other countries. Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries, for example, see those dangers, too, and are more willing than ever before to co-operate with Israel. But not everything is changing. Looking at it from a civil society perspective, one still sees people opposing the participation of Israel in things like the Olympic Games, arts and cultural events – including this year’s edition of the Eurovision song contest, which was hosted by Israel. I, personally, have experienced such discrimination. I have had people prevent me from speaking at events because they want to protest against Israeli Government policies. But these are fairly minor things, really, and I do think that the majority of people, all around the world, understand those common dangers. I remember when I was on my first diplomatic posting to the United States, people would ask me some tough questions about Israeli policies, and I would say to them, ‘Israel is not perfect; just like any other Page 2 of 7 country, it can’t be expected to be this place where everything is perfect’. Israelis themselves complain about government policies and criticise them. I think that is the beauty of a democracy; that such freedom is possible. As I said before, just over twenty percent of the population are Arab and I come from a community within that community. As a Bedouin, I am a minority within a minority and, like any other community, we have our own issues and face challenges. We were concerned, for instance, that as an officially Jewish state, the government was giving priority to Jews, but things are changing. In the Arab community, many among the younger generation are feeling differently about things than their parents and their grandparents, who lived in the years before and soon after the establishment of Israel. In those days, they had a great sense of solidarity with the Lebanese, Syrian, Palestinian, Egyptian, Jordanian and Iraqi people while, at the same time, they became Israeli citizens. So, they were living in a country that was in a state of war with their brothers and sisters in those other countries. But that feeling is changing. I think that majority of the people who make up the non-Jewish communities in Israel feel that they are a part of Israeli society. They and their children go college and university. It is not uncommon to see at some of the leading hospitals and universities in Israel, for instance, that the heads of department are Arabs and non-Jews. Like anywhere else, they are doctors or academics and are simply being judged upon their skills, not by their skin colour or religion. FDI: Building upon that, what do you see as the greatest challenges facing the Bedouin community in Israel, both now and into the near future? IK: As I said before, the Bedouin community is a minority within the Arab minority. We are small in number and we are different because we used to be nomads and shepherds. We are located in two parts of Israel: the south, in the Negev Desert area, where around 180,000 of us live, and in the north, where I come from, live another 60,000. The northern communities are considered more settled and organised, but we are all going through the same transitional processes as our lifestyles change because the world is always changing. I think that the biggest challenge will be preserving our culture and our values. We probably won’t be living in tents anymore, so I think that keeping alive our traditional values, such as the importance of the family and respect for our elders, will become more difficult as the tribal structure itself is slowly disappearing. It will be a challenge, and we probably won’t be able to preserve everything, but we should try to at least keep the best aspects and, most important of all, respect for others. FDI: In what ways is modern technology affecting or changing the traditional tribal structures? IK: Like most people of my generation, in Israel and elsewhere, I grew up in a very different social and technological environment from what we have now.