Another feelgood video showing how the Civil Administration in the West Bank provides vital medical services for Palestinians whose medics do not have adequate equipment, knowledge or training to deal with certain diseases and conditions.
It is co-operation such as this that is the real path to peace, not unilateralism, terrorism or racism.
Not only did the Israeli medical team provide immediate help for this woman, but they trained Palestinian doctors and provided then with the equipment they needed.
Videos such as this are not exactly a scientific study of Israeli attitudes to Arabs, but it does show an average group of Israelis who speak out against bigotry.
It’s true that in some sections of Israeli society you might well find a different reaction.
But think what would happen in some countries if an obviously Jewish woman were refused service. What would the reaction be?
I find that such examples show the true face of the majority of Israelis.
Several instances here of surprise and outrage. But, they don’t just berate the proprietor; several actually buy the woman her coffee. Even the woman who doesn’t really want to get involved.
What they are saying is that your behaviour is unacceptable and I’m going to show this woman that she is entitled as any Israeli citizen to be treated equally.
The protests are quite restrained for Israelis but their response to injustice and bigotry is genuine.
I also like the guy who tells of the kindness of an Egyptian woman when he was a child.
I do not kid myself that there is no racism in Israel. In all multi-ethnc, multi-cultural societies there is racism.
Minorities in Israel are often disadvantaged. It is as right for Israel to try to correct that as it is in any country.
I do not claim Israel is any more or less racist than other Western countries, but I reject that it is a uniformly racist state or that its Jews are all racist. You don’t have to spend much time there to realise that, although there are areas and towns which are ethnically uniform, such as Arab villages or religious enclaves, in the cities you see all races and ethnicites mixing.
Israel’s history and its constant insecurity mean that there is an understandable suspicion of certain ethnicities under certain circumstances. There are also blatant instances of racist attitudes in some sections of society, both Jews and Arabs.
So not much happened whilst I was on my rest then? What did you say?
Ah, ok:
Palmer Report on the Mavi Marmara
Turkey and Israel spat
Terror attack near Eilat
English riots
Gaddafi ouster
England slaughter India at cricket (you can’t get more earth-shattering than that)
And on a personal note, I have been concentrating on Twitter and doubled my followers.
I have had a brief, but somewhat vituperative, exchange with Yvonne Ridley on Twitter.
Oh, and my elder son made Aliya.
So, as I said, not a lot been happening, then.
But before I get hooked on this year’s Strictly Come Dancing and find out what Sir John Major found so attractive in Edwina Currie, I’d better get back to blogging.
So much negative news and worrying developments in Israel (I must get used to NOT putting hashtags in front of keywords after using Twitter for so long) that I thought my first blog posts would be about some inspiring positive stories from Israel.
So stay tuned. Cookie is back and will be reviewing and opining on things Israeli, Zionist and Middle Eastern as I have been doing for the last two and a half years.
UPDATE: How could I forget the interrupted IPO concert at the Royal Albert Hall!
UPDATE 2: And phone hacking and the Murdochs!! Like I said, a quiet 2 months.