villages, succeeded in transforming the entire social, economic, br

and political structure of Arab life, at a cost of more than $50 br

million. Electricity was brought to almost every village, along br

with water and sewerage. New roads, houses, and clinics went br

up. Agriculture was revolutionized as the irrigated areas were br

expanded, especially in the villages of the Little Triangle along br

the Mekorot pipeline. New water sources were developed, old br

springs restored, and pipes laid to the individual villages.

Long-term loans and easy terms for agriculture were made br

available, and as a result mechanization developed rapidly. br

Tractors and combines replaced the old wooden plow and br

donkey and promoted the transition from subsistence to market br

crops. Israelis taught Arab farmers the latest methods of farm- br

ing, diversification of crops, and land conservation. The Arab br

standard of living skyrocketed.

Easy credit and other government help saw a spectacular br

rise in new, spacious stone homes, equipped with modern sani- br

tation, running water, gas cookers, refrigerators, and television br

sets. Close to 90 percent of all Arabs have electric lighting, and br

every village now is blessed with paved roads and easy access to br

the national highway system. Life was made better than the Ar- br

abs had ever dreamed, thanks to Jewish money and efforts. And br

the inevitable happened.

The rapid economic change that joined the educational ad- br

vances brought about a social revolution. The difference between br

the young Arab and his parents is not measured in years but in br

centuries. The rural revolution sharply weakened the old feudal br

structure, as young Arabs were now able to apply for loans br

themselves and were no longer dependent on either fathers or br

hamullas. In addition, the sharp rise in living standards only br

brought forth rising expectations, whetting both the economic br

and political appetites, so that the young Israeli Arab stands like br

some modern-day Oliver Twist, facing his Jewish “benefactor” br

and demanding: more!

Israeli economic and educational advancement also led to a br

major social change—the rapid growth of the number of Arabs br

who daily leave their villages to work in Jewish towns and cities br

as well as the steady growth of an urban Arab population, with br

all the radicalism that this implies.

It is the town and city that produce unrest. Revolution, br