Liberman calls for economic boycott of Israel's Arabs

The tension and violence of the last two months have managed, once again, to unravel the delicate fabric linking Arabs and Jews in Israeli society. The sights and sounds in the streets of Israel’s cities and towns were not like those of the riots during the second intifada, but in many ways the rift today is suggestive of what happened 14 years ago.

This time, a new element joined the conflicts in the streets: the social networks. Arab citizens have lost their jobs because of posts expressing joy at the deaths of Israeli soldiers. Others posted warnings for Jews against visiting Arab towns. Politicians also played a role in enflaming the sides' passions. The climax came July 21, when Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman called for a boycott of Arab businesses that identified with the residents of the Gaza Strip. His calls for a boycott did not go unheard.

On the Arab side, the riots started in the towns and villages of the Triangle, an area in the north of Israel long considered a place of coexistence and with a lot to lose economically. Young people from the town of Qalansawe tried to lynch a Jewish driver and ended up burning his car July 4. In Tira, a Jewish couple and their young daughter were brutally attacked, while in Taibe demonstrators damaged an electrical pole during their clashes with the police. All of this took place just a half-hour drive from Tel Aviv.

This outburst of hostility proved yet again how fragile the relationship between Jews and Arabs is in Israel. It highlighted the tragedy of the Arab minority within the Green Line that lives in a state of constant conflict between its country and its people. The delicate trust between Jews and Arabs that took so much work to build up over the past decade was cracked yet again, and now people are paying the price for it.