Zionist Policies and Obliterating Arabic Language in Palestine

Language is the vessel of identity. This study attempts to focus on some controversial issues that constitute a conflict. Language is not only a communicative tool, because linguistic influences crystallize intellectual, civilizational and cultural models. The terms in each language highlight the linguistic contents and intentions as it expresses the identity and culture of its speakers, and is considered a vital part in the process of groups’ identity formation. Language also expresses different perspectives and specific meanings, which enhances groups’ cultures, and spreads values ​​and beliefs. The power of language over a certain society influences internal relations, human networks, and external consciousness of the society’s members, which then leads to interpreting the reality based on its linguistic ideology. What happened to the Arabic language in the occupied Palestine, by Israel, is a feature of colonialism. Accordingly, Israel’s quest, closely, to dominate the country with the Hebrew language, is a way of strengthening its political and social powers. This is what French colonialism did in Algeria as well.
Israel was not established as a language pluralistic system for all the Jews who immigrated into it, but rather it fought ethnicity in general, and made immigrants give up their native language. Henceforth, it relied on its Zionist ideology, and formed a political nationalism that represents Israel, being a Jewish state whose Hebrew language becomes the main language for all, holding the slogan of “One people, one language”.
This study discusses the issues associated with the Arabic language inside Israel. We review some of these violations and policies against the language of the Palestinian citizens of Israel, which removes the Arabic language from existence. We investigate the image of Arabs in Jews’ memories and perspectives, and the nature of the current policies and violations towards the Arabic language. Moreover, we show how the Israeli policy against the Arabic language is a proof of Israel’s false democracy, and how to face this challenge in light of Zionist policies.