We, Muslims and Arabs of the world, would like to send
you greetings and warm wishes on the occasion of your 64th Independence Day.
Mazal tov. Along with other world leaders and countries who rightfully
congratulate you on this special day, we too would like to finally take this
opportunity to celebrate your accomplishments and highlight some of your
contributions to the Arab and Muslim worlds:
1. Being at the forefront of efforts to stop Iran's drive
for a nuclear weapon. We recognize the dangers a
nuclear Iran would pose for the world and especially for the Middle East. We
are also fearful of
increasing Shiite influence in the region. We prefer not to speak
out openly against Iran, so as not to lose face among fellow Muslims or
confront the Iranians ourselves – so we thank you, Israel, for stepping up to
do what we in the Sunni world secretly want but will not say publicly: "To cut off
the head of the snake."
2. Releasing hundreds of Arab prisoners for just one
Israeli. In contrast to the U.S., other Western nations, and even
some countries in the Arab world
who refuse to negotiate with terrorists, choosing instead to abandon
their citizens, you, Israel, were willing to release so many of our people --
an astounding 1,027 Palestinian prisoners -- in return for one of your own:
Gilad Schalit. In doing so, you showed us how a country that really cares about
its citizens acts. One of our own, a Syrian citizen, noted this last year when
he tweeted: "Israel exchanged
1000 Palestinian prisoners for 1 Israeli. I just envy their
govt because it cares for its citizens. Their govt is prepared to
pay the ultimate price for one citizen, while our govt
kills us like we are animals and our Arab neighbors say that it's an
internal matter."
3. Sending humanitarian aid, even to hostile countries. Israel, you
were the first country
to offer humanitarian assistance to Turkey after a large earthquake claimed the
lives of more than 400 people there. Even though Turkey initially rejected the
offer, you responded immediately when Turkey finally decided to accept. Over
the years, your people have also offered or sent humanitarian aid to several
other Arab or Muslim countries, including Pakistan,
Indonesia
and Iraq,
and most recently, your foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, offered to send
aid to war-torn Syria.
5. Providing medical treatment to children – and families
of terrorists. In addition to your extensive humanitarian work,
when our children in the Palestinian Authority, Iraq, Jordan, Indonesia,
Kazakhstan, and other Arab and
Muslim countries needed advanced cardiac treatment, you, Israel,
provided it, free of charge, thus saving hundreds of
children's lives. Not only that, but just a few months ago your
kindness reached new heights when you provided medical
treatment in Tel Aviv for the wife of one of the most notorious
Palestinian terrorists – Abu Daoud, the mastermind behind the massacre at the
Munich Olympic games in 1972.
6. Arabs live longer in Israel. We have to
admit, Israeli Arabs enjoy one of the highest life
expectancies in the Middle East
– they even live longer
than Americans – and also reproduce more than Arabs in several of
Israel's neighboring
countries, including Jordan, Syria, Egypt, and Lebanon.
7. Boosting trade and strengthening economies. Israel,
your (official and unofficial) commercial trade
relations with many Muslim and Arab countries, some of whom refuse
to have diplomatic relations with you, have enabled them to increase their
exports and have given them tariff-free access to U.S. markets. Just to give
some examples, your Qualified Industrial Zones (QIZ) agreement with Egypt gave
the country's textile industry a new lease on life
and brought Egypt a staggering $1.3 billion
in revenues in 2011. In Jordan, textile exports to the U.S. increased from $15
million in 1997 to $1 billion in 2004, and Jordanian officials estimate that
more than 40,000 jobs were created thanks to QIZ
factories. Your trade transactions with Indonesia – which does not
formally recognize you – have seen millions of dollars enter the Southeast
Asian country. An Israel-Indonesia
Chamber of Commerce was even set up in Israel to promote and
facilitate business ties between the two countries.
8. Water. The Middle East and North
Africa region is the most water-scarce region in the world. In the face of this
challenge, Israel has agreed to sell water to
Jordan to help cover its shortage, and, with the construction of a
new desalination plant in Ashdod, it hopes to be able to sell more water
to its neighbors in 2013.
9. High-tech and medical equipment. Many Arab
Gulf states, and Muslim states such as Malaysia and Indonesia, use your technology,
especially for internal security purposes. Last year, a bank in Malaysia used
an Israeli remote banking fraud
solution that stopped 51 confirmed cases of fraud within the first
month of its installation. Several Israeli firms also export medical
supplies to Arab countries, among them Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Saudi
Arabia, and the Gulf states.
10. Agricultural know-how. As the old
saying goes, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man
to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." Israel, your agricultural
companies have helped
farmers across the Middle East and Africa lower their dependence on
rain, increase their crop yield and improve nutrition. One of these companies,
agricultural consultants AgroProject, has benefitted
countries such as Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Afghanistan, the UAE, Tunisia
and many others in the Middle East. AgroProject's co-director has said his
staff often has to travel to our countries using foreign passports, which they
say is unpleasant, but they have been willing to put this aside because
"the people under the government officials appreciate our help so much.
Improving their farming communities improves their lives directly. It’s about
people helping people."
As you can see, Israel, you have had a positive impact on
the Muslim and Arab worlds, even though we may not always recognize or admit
this. So instead of blaming you for all the ills of the Middle East and
repeatedly questioning your right to exist, today we'd like to give credit
where credit is due. Here's to you Israel, on your 64th birthday.
Sincerely,
The Arab and Muslim worlds
The writer is the Blogs and Opinion editor of Israel Hayom’s English edition. www.michaltoiba.com
The writer is the Blogs and Opinion editor of Israel Hayom’s English edition. www.michaltoiba.com
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