Which Arabs Are You Afraid Of, and Why?

Sometimes, stepping away from a particular arena allows us to look at it from a different angle, one that generates new insights. That is what has been happening to me over the past two months. Taking an academic sabbatical abroad has allowed me to observe what is happening in Israel without breathing the air of the Holy Land. Indeed, things look different from the United States. From here, they certainly do not look good.

Next week, Israeli citizens will go to the polls to elect their representatives to the 26th Knesset. Here is something you will not be told in Israel: ultimately, since 1967, the decisive factor influencing voters has been their fear of Arabs. No other ideology has managed to change that. This fear has also given rise to a uniquely Israeli term: the “security right.” This is the right wing that will not allow the establishment of a Palestinian state. If it builds more settlements, so much the better. The “security right” will not relinquish territory or any part of the homeland to any Arabs, period.

It does not matter that the Likud surrendered territory in Sinai, that the Labor Party subsequently did so in Judea and Samaria, or that the Likud again relinquished territory under the Hebron Agreement in Hebron. For Israelis in general, and certainly for younger generations, none of this seems to matter. Why? Because we have been conditioned by (pathetic) political spin to believe that the right will protect the land while the left will divide it. Forgive my use of the next word, but it accurately captures the reality of this issue: nonsense.

The left (the Labor Party) was the first to establish settlements in Judea and Samaria. The right (Menachem Begin) handed Sinai over to Egypt. And that is not even to mention the fact that the “right” approved the transfer of Qatari money to Hamas. Netanyahu can claim that this was recommended by the heads of Israel’s security establishment. It makes absolutely no difference what they recommended. What matters is what Netanyahu, as prime minister, decided. And he approved it. That is a fact.

Why have I begun with this argument? Once again, because the emotional driver of fear of Arabs is what influences how people vote on election day. So, exactly whom are you afraid of? The Arabs living in Egypt? Or those in Jordan? And what about the Arabs of the United Arab Emirates, a country visited by millions of Israelis, many of whom have voluntarily moved there in recent years? Are you afraid of them?

Ah, wait a minute. I know Israelis, both from university classrooms and from my research. “No, we did not mean those Arabs,” they tell me. “We meant the Arabs who live among us.”

Really? So, whom are you afraid of? Arab citizens of Israel, the overwhelming majority of whom want to integrate into Israeli society (even though we are not genuinely willing to integrate them, simply because they are “Arabs”)? Is that whom you fear? And if so, why?
I am not burying my head in the sand. I am aware of the painful history of a minority of Arab citizens of Israel who have been involved in terrorism. This cannot be denied, and it must never be denied. Such activity must be thwarted whenever advance intelligence makes that possible. But there is an enormous distance between that reality and stigmatizing an entire community that wants to live, prosper, advance, and improve its quality of life, as Israeli citizens.

For those who have forgotten, it was Netanyahu, no one else, who legitimized Mansour Abbas in 2021. So why is Netanyahu allowed to do so, while Naftali Bennett, Yair Lapid, or Gadi Eisenkot are not? How much damage did Mansour Abbas do to the State of Israel while his party was part of the governing coalition? And how much damage has he done since moving into the opposition in 2023? How much, exactly? If he supports or finances terrorism, why has he not been arrested? Do not be swayed by media spin that seeks to blacken a person’s name, or a party, simply because of his ethnic origin.
I will continue asking: which Arabs are you afraid of, and why?

Balad is out of the picture. Personally, I think that is a good thing. Sami Abu Shehadeh’s decision not to run in the election sends a clear signal that Balad and its ideas do not enjoy unanimous support within Arab society. Balad, which has failed to cross the electoral threshold in every poll, wants to remain politically and socially relevant. That is why it has once again joined a Joint List, as it did in 2015.

Now consider this: polls predict that the Arab parties will win at least ten Knesset seats. Suppose the final number falls somewhere between ten and fifteen, which is a dramatic difference, and the Arab parties hold the balance of power. Should they be disqualified from joining a governing coalition simply because they are Arab? After all, Arab representatives have already served in a governing coalition. Did that harm Jewish Israelis? If so, in what way? What, exactly, are you afraid of?

Let me offer my explanation, as an expert on Arab citizens of Israel and the Palestinians: you are afraid of Palestinians who carry out terrorist attacks, and rightly so. You are also afraid of those who want to destroy Israel, namely Hamas. And rightly so. Let there be no doubt: “If someone comes to kill you, rise up and kill him first.” But that is not the case with Arab citizens of Israel. So, when you use the term “Arabs,” stop for a moment and ask yourselves: whom am I afraid of, and why?

To conclude, let me tell you what I fear as an Israeli citizen.

I fear Qatari involvement in the Prime Minister’s Office. I fear ministers and a prime minister who bear responsibility but seem unwilling to acknowledge it, including in cases that occurred long before October 7, such as the Mount Meron disaster in May 2021. I fear lies disseminated hour after hour, with no connection whatsoever to the truth or reality. Who wants to live in a world of lies, in a world where elected officials evade responsibility and refuse to face voters to account for their actions?

I also fear the enormous damage being inflicted by a group of hundreds of settlers who engage in violent attacks in Judea and Samaria with the backing of the authorities. Attacks against Palestinian homes, some of which belong to American citizens, as well as against a Jewish photojournalist and foreign ambassadors visiting the area, constitute a media disaster and cause immense damage to Israel’s image. The damage is immediate and far from incidental. To the extent that the government enables this conduct, Israel is increasingly perceived as an aggressor that harms innocent people, not to mention the incident with the European diplomats.

I know that many among us are unconcerned because they believe that “deliverance and relief will come to the Jews from another place.” But, and this is a very big but, that is not enough. Israel cannot meet all the challenges facing us on its own, for several reasons.
These are the things I fear. Not for myself, but for my homeland. And in my view, too, this is not behaviour that does us credit as Jews.

And you? Whom are you afraid of? And why?

The author is Head of the Department of Middle Eastern Studies and Political Science at Ariel University and a visiting lecturer at Florida Atlantic University in the United States.