More Arabs in Hebrew U – Good or Bad? Your Input Welcomed!
The number of Jerusalem Arab students in Hebrew University this year has practically doubled since last year. True, we’re not talking large absolute numbers, but the trend is more than clear. It means that the Arab population is becoming increasingly more at home in Israel’s Jewish society.
Many people would agree that in many ways, this is a positive development: Arabs are receiving better education, which will hopefully bring them to better respect democratic and humanistic values, will help decrease violence in their own communities, will improve their economic status, and will enable them to better contribute to Israeli society.
On the other hand, in terms of Israel’s capital city, this statistic comes on the backdrop of increasing growth of the city’s Arab population. If Arab residents actually become a majority in the city, this will have serious ramifications in terms of municipal political control, the infiltration of hostile elements in the management and finances of the city, assimilation, and more.
There are those who feel that because of the sharp divide between the city’s Jewish and Arab sections, Jerusalem must “inevitably” be divided – one part for each of the “two states” that they would like to see arise. A division of Jerusalem is fraught with dangers on many levels, as we have frequently explained. However, it now appears that this Jewish-Arab divide is not quite as sharp as was thought.
We invite feedback from our readers on this topic: Do the advantages outweigh the dangers? Should we welcome increased Arab involvement in Jerusalem, for itself and in order to prevent a catastrophic division of our eternal city? Or should we promote Israeli sovereignty only over areas that do not present these dangers? Please share your opinions with us at