Should they serve?Ariel Tamir, a 24-year-old from Bat Yam, served three years in the IDF’s Land Forces Headquarters in Kiryat Malachi. He says he would have no problem serving alongside an Israeli Arab, though he would be hesitant to allow him to hold high rank in a sensitive unit such as military intelligence.“If an Israeli Arab is in the army, and he does everything that is required, then I see no problem with it,” Tamir says. “But in today’s climate, there’s no way I would allow him to serve in intelligence. Naturally, he would seek to exploit his position to the Arabs’ advantage and harm state security.”Tamir says it is unrealistic for Jewish Israelis to expect Arabs to enlist, given the socioeconomic gaps and discriminatory government policies that have alienated the country’s largest minority.“As long as an Arab city receives a third of the budget of a Jewish city of the same size, there is no reason for them to enlist in the army,” he says.“First they should get equal rights, and only then should they be asked to bear an equal share of the burden.“You can’t demand that they do something while this is the situation,” he says. “If they had budgets that were equal, then sure.”Alex Bebayev, a resident of south Tel Aviv, is a self-described “far-rightist.”He says he would have no problem serving alongside an Israeli Arab.“The state needs to give them the option of serving in the military,” says Bebayev, who completed his three years of compulsory service in the air force. “The state doesn’t really allow them to serve. There is a certain fear of, ‘How will they cope? How will they deal with the fact that we are at war against the Arabs?’” Bebayev, who currently works as a bank receptionist in Tel Aviv, says that Arab readiness to serve in the armed forces would move him to look upon them differently.“It shows they want to get legitimacy, to contribute, to be a part of us, to integrate with us,” he says. “It looks different, because it proves that we can choose something else besides war and hostility, and that goes for both sides [Jews and Arabs]. It shows that they care about the country they live in, they want to connect with the Jewish citizens of this country, they want to be part of the Israeli nation, to give of themselves, and make an effort for the good of society at large.”Bebayev takes aim at Israeli-Arab leaders and Knesset members, whom he accuses of “constantly selling us stories about occupation and racism.”“Arabs have been fighting each other in the Middle East for years,” he says. “Saddam invaded Kuwait, and that pitted Arabs against each other.In Syria, Arabs fight other Arabs. If Arabs can fight in wars against each other, then they could also fight wars against other Arabs in our country.”Michal Rahamim, a Herzliya lawyer and mother of two, has no desire to see Arabs enlist in the IDF.“As painful as it is, they are our enemies,” she says. “As long as this is the case, we mustn’t trust them, at least not for the moment.”Rahamim believes Israeli Arabs need to prove their loyalty to the state, “although I’m doubtful it will ever be possible to trust them.”On the other hand, she acknowledges that she would view Arabs who served in the IDF differently than those who hadn’t.“I would have much more respect for them if they did serve, and I would trust them more, just like I did the Beduin with whom I worked,” she says.Rahamim was once employed at the Hiriya waste management site, where she worked alongside Beduin from the South.“At first, I was afraid to work with them,” she says. “But when I found out they served in the army, I was able to trust them more.”“I don’t like wars,” she says. “I just want everybody to live together peacefully.”Daniel Niknazar, a nursing attendant from Herzliya, takes issue with the argument that Arabs should be exempt from military service until they are treated more equitably by the state.“Before they ask for their rights to be respected, they should serve the country,” he says. “In my opinion, everyone who lives in this country should enlist in the army, except for those with disabilities.”Niknazar thinks that Arabs who do perform army service should be precluded from combat units.“They should be given jobs that are supportive of their communities and that serve the public,” he says.
Loyal to whom?
A Muslim woman whose children serve in the army calls on all Israeli Arabs to enlist.
Should they serve?Ariel Tamir, a 24-year-old from Bat Yam, served three years in the IDF’s Land Forces Headquarters in Kiryat Malachi. He says he would have no problem serving alongside an Israeli Arab, though he would be hesitant to allow him to hold high rank in a sensitive unit such as military intelligence.“If an Israeli Arab is in the army, and he does everything that is required, then I see no problem with it,” Tamir says. “But in today’s climate, there’s no way I would allow him to serve in intelligence. Naturally, he would seek to exploit his position to the Arabs’ advantage and harm state security.”Tamir says it is unrealistic for Jewish Israelis to expect Arabs to enlist, given the socioeconomic gaps and discriminatory government policies that have alienated the country’s largest minority.“As long as an Arab city receives a third of the budget of a Jewish city of the same size, there is no reason for them to enlist in the army,” he says.“First they should get equal rights, and only then should they be asked to bear an equal share of the burden.“You can’t demand that they do something while this is the situation,” he says. “If they had budgets that were equal, then sure.”Alex Bebayev, a resident of south Tel Aviv, is a self-described “far-rightist.”He says he would have no problem serving alongside an Israeli Arab.“The state needs to give them the option of serving in the military,” says Bebayev, who completed his three years of compulsory service in the air force. “The state doesn’t really allow them to serve. There is a certain fear of, ‘How will they cope? How will they deal with the fact that we are at war against the Arabs?’” Bebayev, who currently works as a bank receptionist in Tel Aviv, says that Arab readiness to serve in the armed forces would move him to look upon them differently.“It shows they want to get legitimacy, to contribute, to be a part of us, to integrate with us,” he says. “It looks different, because it proves that we can choose something else besides war and hostility, and that goes for both sides [Jews and Arabs]. It shows that they care about the country they live in, they want to connect with the Jewish citizens of this country, they want to be part of the Israeli nation, to give of themselves, and make an effort for the good of society at large.”Bebayev takes aim at Israeli-Arab leaders and Knesset members, whom he accuses of “constantly selling us stories about occupation and racism.”“Arabs have been fighting each other in the Middle East for years,” he says. “Saddam invaded Kuwait, and that pitted Arabs against each other.In Syria, Arabs fight other Arabs. If Arabs can fight in wars against each other, then they could also fight wars against other Arabs in our country.”Michal Rahamim, a Herzliya lawyer and mother of two, has no desire to see Arabs enlist in the IDF.“As painful as it is, they are our enemies,” she says. “As long as this is the case, we mustn’t trust them, at least not for the moment.”Rahamim believes Israeli Arabs need to prove their loyalty to the state, “although I’m doubtful it will ever be possible to trust them.”On the other hand, she acknowledges that she would view Arabs who served in the IDF differently than those who hadn’t.“I would have much more respect for them if they did serve, and I would trust them more, just like I did the Beduin with whom I worked,” she says.Rahamim was once employed at the Hiriya waste management site, where she worked alongside Beduin from the South.“At first, I was afraid to work with them,” she says. “But when I found out they served in the army, I was able to trust them more.”“I don’t like wars,” she says. “I just want everybody to live together peacefully.”Daniel Niknazar, a nursing attendant from Herzliya, takes issue with the argument that Arabs should be exempt from military service until they are treated more equitably by the state.“Before they ask for their rights to be respected, they should serve the country,” he says. “In my opinion, everyone who lives in this country should enlist in the army, except for those with disabilities.”Niknazar thinks that Arabs who do perform army service should be precluded from combat units.“They should be given jobs that are supportive of their communities and that serve the public,” he says.