Journalist Recounts Humorous Exchange on Palestinian Conversion at Secret Meeting
Translated & summarized from Maariv by baba
Israeli journalist Meir Uziel recounted a humorous, albeit surprising, exchange at a private meeting in Greece where a Palestinian woman suggested intermarriage and conversion to Judaism. The conversation, which included veteran broadcaster Haim Yavin, touched on the implications of conversion for land rights and political power.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- A Palestinian woman suggested Israelis marry Palestinian women.
- She proposed Palestinians convert to Judaism for land rights.
- Israeli journalist Haim Yavin was shocked by the discussion.
- The exchange occurred at a private meeting in Greece.
- The conversation was playful but touched on serious issues.
Veteran Israeli journalist and television personality Haim Yavin was reportedly stunned during a private meeting with Palestinian and Arab representatives in Greece when a Palestinian woman playfully suggested that Israelis should marry Palestinian women and that Palestinians should convert to Judaism to gain rights to the land. The anecdote, recounted by journalist Meir Uziel, took place during a break at a conference where Israelis, including Yavin and Professor Daniel Bar-Siman-Tov, were meeting with Arab delegates.
The Palestinian woman, engaging in what Uziel described as "teasing play," initially prompted Israelis to adopt Arabic place names like "Akka" for Acre and "Yaffa" for Jaffa. The conversation then escalated when she proposed that Israelis marry Palestinian women, creating mixed families. Uziel playfully added that they should also marry Jordanian and Moroccan women, prompting a humorous response from the Arab attendees.
Uziel then escalated the playful exchange by suggesting that if a Palestinian village in the West Bank were to "become Jewish," it would become an Israeli village, implying that such conversions could lead to Palestinians gaining Israeli citizenship and rights. The Palestinian woman, intrigued, asked if she could vote if she became Jewish, to which Uziel responded she could even become prime minister.
This remark apparently shocked Yavin, who questioned how Uziel was "revealing state secrets." Uziel explained that if a Palestinian woman converted to Judaism, the land would belong to her as much as to him, and if they became the majority, he would happily abide by their rule for the sake of Jewish unity. The Palestinian woman expressed fascination with Judaism, mentioning a "chicken festival," while Yavin cautioned that rabbis would not convert someone solely for material gain, a point Uziel seemed to lament, suggesting it created a "small dream" for her to live like a Jew without leaving the Middle East.