\u201cThere\u2019s a connection between attitude to language and attitude to speakers of that language,\u201d Mendel” says. The Nation-State Law reflects a hardening attitude toward Palestinians. Language is both a symptom of the segregation between Arabs and Jews and a facilitator of that segregation.<\/p>\n
Mendel calls it \u201cdangerous\u201d to demote Arabic, which he calls Palestinian citizens\u2019 last collective right. \u201cLanguage is culture, language is identity.\u201d Lowering the status of Arabic is akin to lowering the status of Palestinian citizens themselves. According to Mendel, \u201cIsrael wishes to degrade, to humiliate, the language and its speakers\u2026and it\u2019s like playing with fuel, it\u2019s like playing with matches.\u201d<\/p>\n
Preserving Arabic\u2019s status would reflect Israel\u2019s democratic values, Mendel insists, and its Jewish values as well. Until the 12th century, Arabic was the most common language for most Jews, and continued to be a language of creative, philosophical, and religious writing for Eastern Jews. Indeed, Hebrew and Arabic share the same roots. Demoting Arabic cuts the tree from which Hebrew also grows.”<\/p>\n