Palestinians and their far left allies have justified and even celebrated Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre in Israel as a blow against Jewish oppression. But the 2 million Arab citizens of Israel have overwhelmingly responded by drawing closer to the Jewish state.
FreeBeacon (h/t Marvin W) Among Arab Israelis, prominent media personalities have helped lead an unprecedented surge in support for their country and opposition to their self-proclaimed liberator Hamas. Pro-Israel arguments that were previously almost unspeakable in the Arab mainstream have in recent weeks gotten a respectful hearing.
Yoseph Haddad, a 38-year-old Christian Arab influencer, has skyrocketedto fame in Israel with his outspoken advocacy for the country in Hebrew, Arabic, and English. Haddad told CNN on Oct. 22 that Hamas’s attack was a wakeup call for the Arabs who constitute about 20 percent of Israel’s population.
“We literally felt that Hamas could have conquered the south and then the center and also the north of Israel, where the majority of Arab Israelis are staying, and we had a very bad feeling about it,” said Haddad, who has more than 1.5 million followers across social media. “Immediately my friends and colleagues here said, ‘That’s the last thing that we want. We don’t want to live under a terrorist organization. We want to live in a democracy, and that’s what the state of Israel is.’”
In this way, at least, Hamas’ barbarity on Oct. 7—killing and abducting hundreds of civilians, including dozens of Arab Israelis—has strengthened Israel and weakened those who accuse the country of apartheid or genocide.
“It’s astonishing that around the world, some prominent Jews have condemned Israel for its self-defensive reaction to terrorism,” Nimrod Nir, a social scientist and pollster at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, told the Washington Free Beacon. “But here in Israel, the vast majority of Arab citizens legitimize the country’s response.”
Haddad noted that a number of Bedouin Israelis heroically saved Jews on Oct. 7. He said many Arabs agree with his advocacy for social integration but have been silenced by the types of extremists who constantly threaten him and his family. However, the “silent voice” of Arab society has grown louder since Hamas’s attack, he said.
Lucy Aharish, 42, Israel’s first Arab mainstream news anchor, endorsed the country’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip in an Oct. 13 “message to the world.”
“Our beloved country is under attack … [from] a brutal, barbaric, inhumane terror organization,” Aharish said in English from her seat on Reshet 13 news. “Don’t be mistaken. We experience difficulties, disagreements, and major disputes, like any other country on this globe. But it does not mean that we will not protect ourselves and our children, our homeland.”
“As a Muslim, this is not Islam—what Hamas is doing in the name of religion—this is not being a Muslim,” she told CNN days later. “This is being a monster.”
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Most Israeli Arabs also know or have at least probably heard how Hamas treats Palestinian Arabs — their own people. They know the REAL story. Hamas is just simply a terror group and a bunch of fanatics that want to turn all of Palestine into a hardcore Islamic theocracy in the lines of Taliban or DAESH (ISIS). And the State of Israel is all that is standing between them and that kind of fanatic regime. And unfortunately, most Palestinian Arabs outside the State of Israel can never say what they REALLY think because they would be tortured and killed if they disagree with the party line. There are enough fanatics within the country that they dare not say what is on their mind.
parts of myself wonders if Israel will regret their generosity like here in our country
One thing I know, a majority of them say they never would want to live under Palestinian rule.