"Israel is my country and I am proud of it"

[shira]

One of Israels greatest patriots and social network activists is Mohammad Zoabi a young Israeli Arab Muslim guy who is only 15 years old. The love for his country has been a part of who he is for almost as long as he can remember. His aim is to make the Israeli Arabs and the world in general realize why they should support Israel. The dream he has is to one day be a part of the Israeli Knesset and proudly serve his country.

Tobias Petersson from the network Perspective on Israel (PPI) was amazed by how active he is on Facebook to support Israel in so many pro-Israeli groups and how much hope and inspiration he creates among supporters of Israel and we decided to interview Mohammad to know more about who this proud Israeli is, what he stands for and how come he has the courage to stand up for Israel despite all hostility against his country that he is facing.

PPI:For how long have you felt you want to support your country?

MOHAMMAD:-Since I was a young child actually. I used to watch the news from neighboring Arab countries and Israel. I compared the attitudes between the two sides. We call them by their nationality, we respect them but instead they attack us and call us "the occupying enemy ".

It bothered me a lot how they portrayed Israel. I was also affected by two sides in my family, the two views of my parents who are now divorced. My mom raised me and thanks to God my mother and her views won over my fathers family's views that are totally against the country.

I always have had this feeling of that it is my country and if anyone wants to harm Israel it is my country they harm. This feeling especially grew after the second war with Lebanon, when I was a kid and I was at a friends house in Nazareth. My mother left me there and went to work, and rockets from Lebanon hit the city which is the largest Arab city in Israel.

Two innocent children were killed by the rockets, Israeli Arab children, and I remember how scared I was as you could hear and feel when the rockets hit the ground and people were full of dust from when the rockets hit. And when I remember these things I feel how important it is that we feel connected to Israel. When somebody wants to destroy this country it means that somebody wants to destroy and kill us - all of us. No matter if you are Jewish, or Arab we are Israelis and to them we are their enemies. That is why I started to have this feeling of why I want to support my country.

more @ http://perspektivpaisrael.se/artiklar/interview-with-mohammad-zoabi.html

[delrem]

1. Tears, literally, flow down my cheeks.

I'm all choked up, shira.
That's an OP. That's an OP that blows away old fashioned barriers!
You're like Lady Gaga, unfolding in ever new inventions.
Love ya, shira

[shira]

5. Here's more for you to love....

Stories of Israeli Arab Soldiers in the IDF

Although the Israel Defense Forces is mainly a Jewish army, it also includes Israeli Arabs who are proudly making a valuable contribution both to their people and to Israel.

Anat Hasakhia, an Israeli Arab and a Muslim, has sent all three of her children to serve in the Israel Defense Forces and she is proud of it. This includes her daughter, who serves alongside many Jewish women soldiers. She believes very strongly that all Israeli Arabs should serve in the Israel Defense Forces, because it is such an important part of being Israeli, to give back to the country and to become Israeli war heroes. Hasakhia thinks that by contributing to the Israeli state, Israeli Arabs will better be able to integrate into Israeli society. She strongly feels that all Israelis should serve their country, regardless of their religious beliefs, at least by doing national service if not being part of the Israeli army forces.

Hasakhia is not the only Israeli Arab to feel this way. There are many Israeli Arabs who want to give back to the country that they were born into and contribute toward Israeli society by serving in the army. It is also an effective way to better integrate into their home country. For example the Bedouin and Druze Israelis, communities actively encourage IDF service. There are also Christian and non-Bedouin Muslim Israeli Arabs who volunteer to proudly serve in the Israel Defense Forces and within the Israel Defense Forces there are entire units comprised of Israeli Arab citizens.



TESTIMONIALS FROM ISRAELI ARAB IDF SOLDIERS
Shirin Shlian, an Israeli Arab soldier said, “Many Arabs and Jews ask me why I joined the IDF. It must be the good education I received at home.” Her job in the IDF is to visit schools in Nazareth Illit and speak to high school students about enlisting in the IDF. She explained, “I give the students a lesson about the first draft notice, IDF enlistment and the jobs the army has to offer. In addition, I hold personal conversations with each student with the aim of encouraging them to have a significant and contributing service. The students applaud me for my decision to volunteer, enlist – and make a contribution to the State.”

more @ http://unitedwithisrael.org/stories-of-israeli-arab-soldiers-in-the-idf/

I'm certain you're a big supporter of cooperation like this between the Jews and Arabs of the region.

Right?

[orpupilofnature57]

2. Thank you for a look at the other Israel . nt

[delrem]

3. I think shira is the best person

to explain the fondness that Palestinians have toward the Israeli system of gov't.
Can you imagine a paean of strength more magnificent than that?

[oberliner]

4. The teen in the OP does not consider himself a Palestinian but rather an Israeli

He is pretty definitive on that point.

[Israeli]

7. normal Israeli ...except ...

On my fathers side of the family we don't celebrate it .With my mom and her family yes we celebrate every year the Independence Day. We celebrate it by going to the Independence Party in my town where Israeli singers sing. We go to Nazareth Illit the municipally where this party is in the Yom Atzmaut evening. In the daytime we usually go to the sea or barbecue with our friends and my moms family of course.

He is only 15 oberliner.

Just a kid and so obviously desperate to belong .

Divorced parents ... doesnt give much info on his mother , but I surmise she is not Muslim .

From what I have read ... the first thought that goes thru my mind ....does he stand up at the end of Yom Atzmaut and sing Hatikva ?

because if he does ... he is one confused 15 year old .

Also ... cant for the life of me understand why shira has posted this .

????????????

[shira]

8. I'm curious as to why you can't understand the reason I posted this...

Why do you seem confused at me for posting this?

What do you think of the following:

Al Wahid, is presently the highest ranking Israeli Arab and Muslim officer serving in the IDF. He considers himself to be an Israeli Arab and Zionist, asserting, “I believe in the Muslim faith, and I will never abandon it, but I think that Zionism is more than a religion. It is something that fully represents my sense of belonging to the State of Israel and to Israeli society, and the immense commitment I have to protecting and guarding the country of which I am part.” Wahid claims that there are many other Israeli Arabs like him who want to serve in the IDF, yet are afraid to do so out of fear for how their community will react.

http://unitedwithisrael.org/stories-of-israeli-arab-soldiers-in-the-idf/

Do you think this person is as confused as the 15 year old?

How about this pro-Israel Arab party?

New pro-Israel Arab party has Jewish support
http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/New-pro-Israel-Arab-party-says-has-Jewish-support-320011

“I want people to raise the Israeli flag,” he said, adding that his first project would be to change the educational curriculum in the Arab sector so that children were taught “to be proud to raise the Israeli flag.”

You prefer the Balad Party and its anti-Israel politics instead?

[Israeli]

10. because in general you are so anti -arab shira

you are using a confused 15 year old boy to make what point exactly ?

my point is that our national anthem "Hatikva" is not relevant to 25% + of our population .

how can any non-jewish citizen sing their hearts out to :

without being a hypocrite ?

[pelsar]

11. some obviously disagree with you

the IDF as you well know has many christian,druze and muslims...and they all sing the Hatikva as part of their service.

and i would say that many know exactly what the words mean....and are not "confused" perhaps you should ask them?

infact they would probably explain to you that the tikva is part of israel and being a minority in a democratic country is not a bad thing and infact its by far the better choice than many of the alternatives hence they have volunteered to join the IDF and be part of the country.

and myself having been a minority in a democratic country where i would infact sing christmas songs, found it to be acceptable as part of the culture.

your confusing being hypocritical with being tolerant of the majority views...its how we get along in larger cultures.

[King_David]

13. Exactly , those so called " leftist" views espoused by "Israeli"

Here would be considered exclusionary , anti-immigrant and insular if she were talking about groups in the USA , Canada , Britain or any western democracy .

[Israeli]

14. many disagree with me pelsar

however ....the lyrics of Hatikva are relevant only to the Jewish population .......and not all of the Jewish population .... because we post Zionists would change it if we could .

so that it would be more representative of all of us as Israelis ..... and not just those that worshiped Zion .

[King_David]

16. How many post Zionists are there that need to be accommodated ?

10? 13? 25?

What about the "period-Zionists"? Or the "orange-Jewz"? shouldn't they be accommodated too?

[orpupilofnature57]

23. Inclusive and not excluded ?

[King_David]

24. Exclusive and Elitist more likely,

This tiny club of Post-Zionists or Middle Earth -Zionists or whatever they call themselves on Thursdays ....

[pelsar]

29. obviously its designed for the jewish population

so.....what is wrong with having a country that has a specific culture that fits the vast majority?. Quite the contrary, as long as the basic laws protect the minorities i believe its a good thing the different countries have different cultures.

celebrating ones cuture means national emblems, national songs, dance etc, that the richness that makes a countries culture and israel is a zionistic country, when you succeed i getting rid of that, the national anthem will change naturally.

[King_David]

12. The Diva

http://m.

&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DRHy29bn4zeE

[King_David]

21. Shira is anti Arab ?

Mmhh really ?

I have seen some people post articles here about Jews Israelis and Zionists too..

[orpupilofnature57]

22. It's all on record to see, Other people talking about Jews, Israelis and Zionists

isn't what's being discussed, until you brought it up .

[King_David]

25. I guess that's what happens on discussion forums such as this one

People bring up stuff...

[orpupilofnature57]

30. Here, we are the " stuff " we've posted .

[shira]

28. I'm anti-extremist, not anti-Arab...

Those tolerant of Palestinian extremists, the Muslim Brotherhood, Hezbollah, Iran tend to lump all Arabs or Muslims together as one with their fanatical leadership. They're tolerant of the fanatics and will rarely if ever criticize them b/c they believe that to do so is to criticize all Arabs or Muslims.

I find that racist.

Tell me, within Hadash or Balad who is out there routinely speaking up for the moderates, seculars, centrists, liberals, women, gays, christians, etc.. who are oppressed by their fanatical leadership? Anyone?

Because if there is no one, it's clear where their loyalties lie. And it's not with the moderates and oppressed of the region.

[shira]

6. Would you respect the teen from the OP more if he advocated "resistance"....

....against the Imperialists, called for throwing rocks at children, railed against the judeo-zionist, racist, apartheid supremacists, advocated one state with sharia as the basis for all law, etc.?

That would be more to your liking, right?

[King_David]

9. And you a white western Canadian middle class male would be more qualified than Shira ?

Yes you and the international ISM are going to lead these Palestinians .

LOL !!

[azurnoir]

15. well on that thought

isn't shira a White middleclass American female?

so what makes her more qualified than a White middle class Israeli female?

[King_David]

17. I never implied it , Delrem did...

Ask Delrem...

[azurnoir]

18. well I asked you, it was your comment after all

but that's okay

[King_David]

20. Ok cool ,

Thanks.

[orpupilofnature57]

19. Shira, you contribute much to DU, and you are at ALL times

Pro- Israel . I commend your merging Israeli Arabs within that view .

[shira]

26. The world needs more genuine moderates, fewer extremists....

With moderates calling the shots on both sides, the Arab/Israel conflict would be resolved within one afternoon session.

[King_David]

27. I agree , I'm sure your commendation means a lot,

Thanks for that necessary contribution your making in our forum.

[Ken Burch]

32. He isn't defending the Occupation or opposing Palestinian self-determination, though.

n/t.

[Mosby]

33. Interviewing Mohammad Zoabi

An Israeli Zionist Arab Muslim, his inspiration? His mom.

[shaayecanaan]

37. If the Palestinians

recruited a disaffected Jewish 13-year old with clear estrangement issues regarding his father and got him to bag the Jews, frankly I wouldn't think much of that either.

[shira]

39. The teenager makes more sense than you do. n/t

[shaayecanaan]

40. I'm glad that you like poring over my posts from a year ago...

Last edited Sat Feb 21, 2015, 02:08 AM - Edit history (1)

Hopefully you'll get to see me in the flesh one day. Eight feet tall I stand, with a voice that could crack a redwood in two and fists the size of Honda Civics.

[shira]

41. Turns out this is a dead thread. I posted a followup video below....

But this thread doesn't turn up on the main page.

We're invisible.

Oh well.

[shaayecanaan]

42. ha

We're invisible.

Aren't we always?

But this thread doesn't turn up on the main page.

You invest far too much in this.

[shaayecanaan]

34. Arab Israelis are wonderful people who love Israel

1) Arab Israelis are wonderful people who love Israel

2) Arab Israelis are a dire demographic threat to the State of Israel. Their proportion of the population must be contained at all costs.

Reconcile the two statements above, and you're well on your way to being a hasbarado.

[Jefferson23]

36. rofl

[bravenak]

35. I agree with shaayecanaan.

Nice to see you back Shira.

[shira]

38. Muhammad Zoabi. The Arab Teenager. The Zionist Activist. The Human Being

Muhammad Zoabi. The Arab Teenager. The Zionist Activist. The Human Being

#t=171