City of Tira shows the reality for Arab Israelis

Michael A Moriarty makes the point (Letters, Aug 6) that because Jews reside and partake in commerce in certain Middle Eastern countries, the problem their governments have is not with the Jews themselves, but with the State of Israel.

He then goes on to criticise Israel for, among other things, discriminating against its own Israeli Arab population. He states “A visit to an Israeli Arab village will confirm that.”

I invite Mr Moriarty to visit the Israeli Arab city of Tira in central Israel where I work and see some of the mansions, and well-educated middle-class citizens. He might start to question his generalisation. Then he might visit some poor Jewish suburbs of south Tel Aviv and have another stereotype dented. Unlike Jewish males who are obliged to spend three-and-a-half years doing national service, young Arab school-leavers are not obliged to, and therefore start their college courses or income-earning employment years ahead of their Jewish counterparts. Arabs have freedom of speech and of religion, are members of parliament, are heads of government hospital departments, players on our national teams, and judges in our courts.