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Source: http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/stories/2007/02/05/0205edisrael.html
Israel Sets an Example of Freedom and Tolerance
[Atlanta Journal-Constitution] Reda Mansour - My grandfather, who lived to be more than 100 years old, used to say, "I've seen them all and there are none like the Jews." When Israel was established in 1948, for the first time, the homes in our small Druze town had electricity and running water and every child received a quality, free education. For the first time in his life, my grandfather, a retired factory worker, received a pension and had access to quality health care. He said that a society could be judged by the way it treats the elderly, sick and unemployed, and that Israel had proved itself both strong and compassionate. That is the untold story of Israel, a nation that measures its strength not by its wealth or military prowess but by the vibrance of its civil society, where there are now more than 40,000 independent civic associations. Arab-Israelis have a standard of living higher than any of their brethren living in the region. They are full citizens who can vote and be elected to public office. They have the right to worship, assemble and speak freely without fear of intimidation or oppression. The freest Arabs in the Middle East reside in the Jewish state of Israel. In my hometown, I have seen the fulfillment of the Israeli dream: young professionals of all faiths who have established successful careers in law, medicine, business and diplomacy. None of us would have had that opportunity were it not for the free and open society in which we live. Today, our freedom is threatened by the vile ideology of hate spewed by Hamas, Hizbullah and other similar organizations. With the support of their backers in Tehran and Damascus, these extremists rain rockets down upon Israeli villages and send suicide bombers into our buses and markets. The defense against this onslaught requires military action, but the solution to the complex issues that have brought us to this point is found in the strong bond that has developed between Arabs and Jews in Israel. If we peacefully co-exist in Haifa and Ussifiya, why not in Gaza, Beirut or the rest of the region? Today, we look to our borders wondering when our neighbors will embrace the dream of peace rather than the nightmare of war. The writer is Israeli consul general for the U.S. Southeast.