So you must love the resident foreigner because you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 10:19)
In 2015, Sara Zoabi was one of the favorite contestants in the Israeli Master Chef reality show. She didn’t win but announced in front of the entire nation that she was “an Arab Muslim and an Israeli Zionist,” and added, “I may get killed for saying this, but I truly believe that we as Arabs have no better place than Israel.”
Her son Muhammad, a high school student at that time, became famous in 2014, just before the war with Hamas, after he posted a video on Facebook asking for the return of the three Israeli teenagers kidnapped by Hamas, while holding a big Israeli flag in front of him.
After receiving many threats (even death) from Israeli Muslims he had to go into hiding. Today Muhammad has many followers on Facebook where he dedicates his time to promote love and acceptance of Israel. He considers Israel his homeland and says he loves Israel. He sees the anti-Israel propaganda around the world as spreading lies and based on hate, and he wants to speak out against it.
Many are furious with him when they hear him speak the truth in Israel’s favor. But not all Israeli Arabs are anti-Israel. Many are like Sara and Muhammad, but are afraid to speak up.
In January, I (Bella) attended this year’s Likud party members get-together in Eilat. (Last year I joined the Likud party as a member. Likud is the major government party headed by PM Netanyahu.) There I met many Knesset ministers, and heard speeches about their different achievements and plans. I also met Sarah Zoabi there and we talked for a while. She was willing to be interviewed by me for our newsletter.
“I define myself as a proud Israeli, Zionist, Arab, and Muslim.” She said, “and as a Zionist who loves Israel, I support the right of the Jewish people to their own state in the Holy land – the state of Israel. Throughout history and up to today, the Jewish people have been suffering from genocidal attacks and persecutions, so they deserve their own state.
“Israelis honor Muslim women. There is equal rights and equal responsibilities. I don’t hear words of hate because of skin color or religion. My parents raised me to honor the other person without any connection to his or her race, color or religion.
“We (the Israeli Muslim Arabs), have a good life here. I am willing to give my life for the state of Israel. I pray God will keep Israel and the Jewish people safe and alive. The Jewish people are the chosen people. I have learned this also in the Koran. Some say that because the Jews sinned against God they are no longer His people. I don’t know, all I know is that there is a God in heaven and He is the judge. I know this, that the Jewish people are still the chosen people and the Holy land is the gift that God gave to His chosen people, and I have to accept this and honor it.
“Up to today, many promote annihilation of the Jewish state and the Jews. But I, a Muslim Arab who is active in Israel’s advocacy, want to tell all Arabs and especially the Israeli Arabs, wake up. We live in Paradise. About a million Arabs live in Israel among Jews. They are not suffering like the Arabs who live under Arab rulers. In Israel there is freedom of speech, and freedom of religion. In Israel Muslims, Druze and Christians enjoy conditions that in Arab countries are being prevented. I believe that Israeli citizens, regardless of their religion must be Israelis first. For me the Israeli flag is my flag. Hatikva (Jewish people’s Hope) is my national anthem. Thank you so much.”
When we finished the interview we hugged, and I felt love for this precious woman. She said she loves many of the government members who are her friends, among them PM Netanyahu. As we spoke, we had to stop a few times as some of them came over to say hello to her and hug her. I saw the love they have for her and the love she has for them. Later she told me she is not into politics but sees herself as an ambassador of love to the Muslim Israeli Arabs and to the Jewish Israelis.
Sarah Zoabi has many speaking engagements around the world where she spreads her message of this love and the Ideologies she expressed in this interview.