Israeli Arab becomes staunch Zionist, and you won’t believe how simple it was

by Leah Rosenberg
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Yahya Mahamed grew up in the third largest Arab city in Israel. His village is known to be supportive of terrorists. So, how did this Israel-hating Israeli Arab become a proud Zionist?

Becoming a Proud Zionist

It was something so simple. No one needed to go out of his way to convince Yahya Mahamed to support Israel. It may not have happened overnight, but what triggered a change in mindset for this Israeli Arab was not some inspiring event.

Growing up in his village, Mahamed was taught to hate Israel and that Israeli Arabs are victims. And then he left his town, and he began to interact with the Jewish people. These were the same people he was taught to hate and that he was told would hate him. But what he found was something way different.

Supporting Zionism

Yahya Mahamed believes that the Jewish people have a right to a homeland. He feels that it is good for the Arabs as well. He says, “I see a future for the Arab world in Zionism. I believe that if all the Arab countries were to deal with Israel or to normalize with Israel and have a working relationship, we can achieve amazing things.”

He even wants to do the army and defend his country. But for Mahamed and other Arabs, it comes at a big cost. If he or other Arabs want to volunteer in the IDF, it could mean that their families will cut off ties with them.

Equal Rights in Israel

In Israel, all people have equal rights. You could be Jewish, Muslim, Christian – it doesn’t matter. Israel provides all people of all faiths with freedom. How many countries in the Middle East treat all people of different religions fairly?

Jews and Muslim Are Similar

Yahya Mahamed says, “I have been surprised, absolutely amazed, at how many similarities we have with the Jewish people. The holidays sometimes fall on the same day.  We follow the same God, and this is the thing: our similarities are more than our differences. But some people want us to focus on the few differences that we have so they can keep this conflict rolling.”

What a strong voice among the Israeli Arabs!

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