"Israelis, learn Arabic"

"Our children are only exposed to Middle Eastern food but do not understand Islam and Christianity, the Arab revolutions, Arab culture and its values. They are exposed to the Arab world only via the news about terrorism and attacks. Our children see Arab laborers, cashiers and building contractors every day but are not familiar with their world. This unfamiliarity prevents empathy and the ability to understand the Arab minority’s distress in Israel while perpetuating Israeli society’s indifference towards its surroundings. This state of affairs is even graver among youths, who are indifferent to reality as it is as result of being immersed in a virtual world of iPads, iPhones, YouTube and so on. The ability of our youths to come out of the bubble depends on an Israeli government decision to connect the Jewish people to the Middle East via the Arabic language."

Yaron Friedman in seinem Beitrag "Israelis, learn Arabic" (Ynet-News, 10. Juni)