Yasser al-Za?atra, one of the leaders of Hamas in Jordan predicted, in the August 14 al-Hayat newspaper, that Israel will not self-destruct, but it will be forced to take measures to preserve its Jewish character. In a refutation of an Israeli and Arab assumption to the contrary, al-Za?atra claimed that the supposed demographic bomb to destroy Israel from within will be effectively neutralized. He pointed out that, since 1948, the ratio of Jews to Arabs has remained steady at five to one. Furthermore, he is of the opinion that the United States would not allow Israel to implode because of the demographic threat and would give its tacit approval to any Israeli measures designed to forestall such an event.
In order to maintain the Jewish to Arab ratio, at least politically, the Hamas leader wrote, Israel has a few long term options. The most decisive course of action would be a transfer of the Arab population in Israel to Arab countries ? a population exchange. The financial option to limit Arab population growth would be to deny financial support to families with more than three or four children. Finally, in the political sphere, the Hamas leader suggested that Israel would have to give Israeli Arabs a choice between Israeli and Palestinian citizenship and, at the same time, allow Diaspora Jews to vote in Israeli elections.
In order to maintain the Jewish to Arab ratio, at least politically, the Hamas leader wrote, Israel has a few long term options. The most decisive course of action would be a transfer of the Arab population in Israel to Arab countries ? a population exchange. The financial option to limit Arab population growth would be to deny financial support to families with more than three or four children. Finally, in the political sphere, the Hamas leader suggested that Israel would have to give Israeli Arabs a choice between Israeli and Palestinian citizenship and, at the same time, allow Diaspora Jews to vote in Israeli elections.