Viral YouTube content creator, Nuseir Yassin, the man behind the channel, Nas Daily, took to X (formerly Twitter) early on Monday morning to highlight his Israeli identity.
Yassin was born in Israel’s Arab-Muslim community.
In a reversal of how he previously saw his identity, going forward, Yassin states that he will see himself as Israeli first and as Palestinian second.
Personal Thoughts: (not for everyone, feel free to skip)For the longest time, I struggled with my identity.A Palestinian kid born inside Israel. Like…wtf. Many of my friends refuse to this day to say the word “Israel” and call themselves “Palestinian” only. But since I…
— Nuseir Yassin (@nasdaily) October 8, 2023
The decision, he states, comes from a clarity brought forth by Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel.
“For the longest time, I struggled with my identity,” Yassin writes. “A Palestinian kid born inside Israel. Like…wtf. Many of my friends refuse to this day to say the word “Israel” and call themselves ‘Palestinian’ only. But since I was 12, that did not make sense to me. So I decided to mix the two and become a ‘Palestinian-Israeli.’ I thought this term reflected who I was. Palestinian first. Israeli second.”
The Nas Daily channel puts out short videos that draw attention to interesting people, places, and developments around the world that make impacts on their local communities and beyond.
Over the years his YouTube channel has been active, Yassin has put out multiple videos regarding his experiences and thoughts on Israel, Palestine, and Jewish and Arab relations.
In light of the current events in Israel, Yassin writes, he has been thinking a lot about his identity.
Choosing Israel
“And then my thoughts turned to anger,” he stated. “I realized that if Israel were to be ‘invaded’ like that again, we would not be safe. To a terrorist invading Israel, all citizens are targets.
"Nine hundreds Israelis died so far. More than 40 of them are Arabs. Killed by other Arabs," he continued. "And even two Thai people died too.
"And I do not want to live under a Palestinian government. Which means I only have one home, even if I’m not Jewish: Israel. That’s where all my family lives. That’s where I grew up. That’s the country I want to see continue to exist so I can exist. Palestine should exist too as an independent state. And I hope to see the country thrive and become less extreme and more prosperous. But it’s not my home. So from today forward, I view myself as an ‘Israeli-Palestinian.’ Israeli first. Palestinian second. Sometimes it takes a shock like this to see so clearly.”
Yassin’s thoughts were shared to his story on Instagram as well, where he added, “Today I feel sad for my home country of Israel. I also feel angry. Very angry. But I can’t find the words to express my anger right now.
"My family is safe. But many others are not. It looks like the next few days the situation will get even worse. Yet, I’m still hopeful. Hopeful for peace in the Middle East During our time.”
Many of the comments in the thread of the X post commended Yassin’s "bravery" in taking an "unpopular" stance.
Some others insulted Yassin for his statement, labeling him as a sellout or an asset of the Israeli government.