Israel-Bashing and Linguistic Hypocrisy

The Israeli government is reportedly considering whether or not to downgrade Arabic as an official language. If a bill submitted to the Knesset passes, Arabic would still have a special status and the Israeli government would still mandate government documents be available in Arabic, but it would no longer be equal to Hebrew, which would be recognized as the “national language” of Israel. Agence France-Presse reported:

Ministers confirmed the proposed legislation had been approved by a cabinet committee, allowing it to move on to parliament. Some 17.5 percent of Israel’s population are Arab. Public signs and government services are typically in Hebrew as well as Arabic and it was unclear whether the new bill would change that…. However, Haaretz said the most recent version of the bill would not subordinate democracy to Israel’s Jewish character, unlike previous versions. Parliament member Ayman Odeh, who heads the mainly Arab Joint List alliance, said approving the bill would mean trampling on minority rights, adding it would “legally transform us into second-class citizens.”

Personally, I see no reason to downgrade Arabic in this manner—many languages are spoken in Israel and many Arabs are proud citizens of the Jewish state. Nonetheless, the complaints about the change seem hypocritical, especially when lodged by outside diplomats.

After all, it has only been eight years since the U.S. Agency for International Development, using $20 million of American taxpayer money, sought to strip Hebrew from signs in the West Bank. From the Associated Press in 2009:

The US international aid agency says Palestinian authorities in the West Bank have started replacing Israeli-installed road signs bearing Hebrew script with new signs in just Arabic and English. The move is in preparation for a future Palestinian state. Howard Sumka, of USAID, says the American-funded project is expected to take up to four years and cost about $20 million.

Put aside the fact that it is silly to spend money on such things as new signage for the Palestinian state before Palestinian leaders have made the compromises necessary for the creation of that state. To spend taxpayer money to eradicate Hebrew in any future Palestinian state simply sets back the cause of tolerance and undercuts the economic integration to which diplomats and Palestinians authorities pay lip service.

Morocco provides signs in Arabic, French, and Tamazight (Berber), even in areas where Berbers is seldom spoken. Iraq treats Kurdish as an official language even in areas where Arabic predominates. Israel and Arab areas of the West Bank and Gaza should likewise promote linguistic tolerance by ensuring both Hebrew and Arabic facilities exist. U.S. policy, at least under the Obama administration, promoted linguistic intolerance. To remain silent then and complain now about the Knesset’s language bill promotes not tolerance but hypocrisy.