The IDF Is Worth It
The Fellowship | May 5, 2015
A young Israeli Arab in northern Israel recently took to social media to convince other Israeli Arabs that the Jewish state is not the “Satan” they have been indoctrinated to believe it is, and that the IDF is not a murderous army intent on spilling Palestinian blood. The response was quite surprising.
Here is a little background about the instigator of this post.
The young man who began posting – anonymously – that the IDF is a moral and courageous army is a Muslim. He served in the IDF, himself – as all Israeli Arabs have an option to do – and was furious when he learned of a campaign seeking to eliminate Arab recruitment into the IDF.
He began a Facebook campaign and called it “TZaHaL bistahal,” meaning the “IDF is worth it.” To his surprise, he received an outpouring of videos and messages from countries such as Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan, and Yemen that professed a love for Israel and an admiration for the IDF.
Arabs from around the Middle East sent messages of peace and love for Israel. One woman from Saudi Arabia stated that Jews should have rights in their land. An officer from Egypt took a picture of his police badge and passport cover with a note stating his love for Israel and the IDF. The list goes on and on.
Such sentiments might be rare in the Middle East. But these posts tell us a few things about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and the lies that lure young Arabs into the embrace of terror organizations and radicalized mosques.
With all the upheaval in taking place in the Middle East – where 200,000 Syrians have been killed, where ISIS beheads “nonbelievers” and kidnaps young women to be used as sex slaves – it is getting harder to convince young Arabs that Israel is at fault. Anyone who observes the Middle East can see that Israel is a beacon of light in a very dark region.
We often hear from our friends in the West that our only hope for normalization is going to be realized through a Palestinian state. But the moderates in the Arab world realize that a Palestinian state would just be another hub for radicalization and fanaticism.
These young Arabs respect Israel because Israel is the only country in the Middle East which stands up for the freedoms and liberties they are being denied by their own governments. The positive response to a pro-Israel and pro-IDF Facebook page set up by an Israeli Arab proves that stability and peace could someday reign in the Middle East.