Amid the fury and violence of the Arab-Israeli conflict, a not-insignificant number of Israeli Arabs, Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims maintain a high regard for the Jewish state and indicate so publicly (which is crucial to taking them seriously). They represent the potential solution to the conflict, so their views are more important than eccentric. Let us hope they augur a better future. In the meantime, here, in chronological order, updated as needed, are my writings on the subject.
N.B. Many of the titles below use Palestinian as a synonym for Israeli Arab. (January 2, 2008)
Oct. 29, 2012 update: Israeli Arabs, deeply conflicted about their identities and preferences, express appreciation for the Jewish state, so "Bibliography – My Writings on Israeli Arabs" complements this page.
- "Palestinians Sometimes Praise the Jewish State." Jewish Times, May 6, 1993. Some pre-Oslo friendly words.
- "Palestinians Who Praise Israel." Forward, February 11, 1994. A post-Oslo declaration report, finding a ray of hope among the massive condemnations.
- "How Many Arabs and Muslims Accept Israel?" DanielPipes.org, July 24, 2003. Finds that some 20 percent generally indicate a willingness to live with a Jewish state.
- "Canada's Pro-Israel Muslims." DanielPipes.org, August 26, 2004. Report on positive results from Canadian survey research.
- "The Hell of Israel Is Better than the Paradise of Arafat," Middle East Quarterly, Spring 2005. My main documentation of Palestinians who think well of Israel. The article contains two topics, "No Thank You, Palestinian Authority" and "Preferring Israel to the Arab Regimes."
- "Hamas is Worse than Israel, Worse than Sharon'." DanielPipes.org, April 13, 2005. A weblog entry that continuously updates the MEQ article.
- "Palestinians Who Cling to Israel." New York Sun, July 6, 2005. Summarizes the Spring 2005 MEQ article.
- "Palestinians Who Prefer Israel." Jerusalem Post, January 2, 2008. Documents the Palestinian response to an Israeli initiative to withdraw from parts of Jerusalem.
- "Palestinians Who Helped Create Israel." Jerusalem Post, March 26, 2009. Concludes that so great was the cumulative assistance of pro-Zionist Palestinians in the period 1917-48 that "one wonders if the State of Israel could have come into existence without their contribution."
- "Ending the Palestinian 'Right of Return'." National Review Online, January 17, 2012. "You didn't have to be Jewish to benefit from the Zionists' high standard of living and law-abiding society": looks at the persistent Arab pattern of emigrating to Jewish-controlled areas.
