OPINION: There’s only one
country in the Middle East that could produce a soldier like me
March 3,
2016
For the
full article go to: http://tinyurl.com/gqz4346
Major Alaa
Waheeb, highest ranked Muslim officer in the Israel Defence Forces
By Major
Alaa Waheeb
In the last few weeks, students across the
UK have been involved in Israeli Apartheid Week. Some have supported it.
Others have opposed it. Invited by the ZF UK, last week I was able to attend
campuses up and down the country specifically to address and counter some of
the claims involved.
These fall into roughly three categories.
First, that Israel is an inherently racist, and therefore unacceptable country,
comparable to Apartheid South Africa. Second, that its army defends this racist
status with acts of illegal and immoral violence. And third, that the only
solution to this problem is through the isolation tactics of boycotts.
Like many I met during my visit, I oppose
these views. But perhaps more than most people on either side of the debate, I
am better placed to argue against them. Because I am an Israeli, an Arab, and
the highest ranked Muslim in the IDF.
Is Israel inherently racist, an apartheid
state? Well, do you think that such a country would tolerate a person like
myself getting to the position I am today? Forget for a second (BDS supporters
would like you to forget permanently!) that 20 percent of Israelis are
non-Jewish, have full rights, and are represented throughout society. It’s one
thing, after all, to have Arab politicians, Christian voters, and Muslim
doctors – although we do have them, and quite a few at that.
But a non-Jewish army Major? Someone who
has not only fought alongside Jewish soldiers, but now trains them too? Would a
truly racist state allow me to play such an integral role in our nation’s
defences?
And while we’re on the subject of those
defences, let me tackle accusation two: that the Israel army is a particularly
immoral one. I am not particularly religious, but as the Holy Quran says, “if
anyone killed a person, it would be as if he killed the whole of mankind; and
if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole of
mankind.”
I do not serve in the army to kill people
– I serve in it to save people. When Hamas fires rockets, or Fatah encourages
stabbings, we are here to protect the lives of all Israeli citizens, Jewish and
non-Jewish.
And so on to the last point – that the
best way to resolve violence and conflict is through the kind of tactics
advocated by the Boycotts movement. Namely, isolation and intimidation. For me,
this is the most important issue, and the one which makes me shake my head with
anger and sadness the most.
Like I said, I visited the UK to combat
Israeli Apartheid Week, to challenge the lies and mistruths hurled at the
country I am proud to call home. But what hurts me the most is not how
unbelievable they are. The opposite, in fact. They are all too believable, and
I should know – because I once believed them too.
The reality is that the town I grew up in
did not recognise the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish state. While Arabic
is an official language, I did not learn Hebrew until I was 17. I was raised to
believe the worst things about Jews, and, had I not eventually met and worked
alongside them, I might still believe those things today.
In my role as a soldier, I have met all
kinds of people both in Israel and the Palestinian territories. Jews, Arabs,
Religious, Secular, Left-wing and Right-wing. I have met Israelis who were
prejudiced against me. But I have also met Palestinians who appreciate the work
that I do to maintain some sort of peace and stability in the most dangerous
part of the world.
Forget slogans and shouting. Peace – real
peace – will only come when people talk to each other. Not necessarily agree –
just agree to listen. But the irony of Israeli Apartheid Week is that it wants
individuals to focus on differences, not similarities. Instead of building
bridges between communities, it wants to build walls.
During my time in the UK, I spoke
alongside a fellow soldier, a medic who has treated both Israeli soldiers and
Palestinian terrorists without distinction. We were the Muslim who protects
Jewish lives, and the Jew who saves Muslim lives. There’s only one country in
the Middle East that could produce a couple like that – and it sure as hell
isn’t an apartheid state.
