Ayman Odeh makes so much sense. I would love to see a powerful and visionary Jewish leader join forces with him. But the problems are great, the fear is great, the extremism on both sides is great. Odeh says “Just as Jews in the US joined Martin Luther King, I’m sure hundreds of thousands of Jews will join the struggle for civil equality in Israel.”I’ve counted 80 social issues and brought economists to show how Jews can benefit from dealing with these issues within two years. An Arab who works and pays taxes is good for everyone. An Arab who doesn’t work and receives social security stipends is bad for everyone. This flagship project of mine is a win-win plan to replace the lose-lose discourse
In a year, Odeh — who began serving as a city councilman in Haifa and as secretary general of his party in 2006 — plans to organize a human chain from Nazareth to Jerusalem, including Jews and Arabs, to convince the Israeli public of the need for civil equality.