Yes, Virginia, there are Arabs who fight for the Jewish State

September 26, 2006 - 11:59 PM by Sarah

Israel does not require its Arab citizens to serve in its armed forces, though there are always pockets of Israeli Arabs who volunteer. The Druze Arabs in northern Israel are especially valued as loyal citizens and soldiers.

Via Yael, a fascinating article about a volunteer army unit made up of Muslim Arabs from the town of Abu Gosh, a village west of Jerusalem with historically good relations with its Jewish neighbors (and, I might add from personal experience, a really excellent plant nursery).

The idea to set up the company came about at a meeting held between the Jerusalem police force and the council head. While the eternal dispute over whether national service for Israeli Arabs should be legislated continues, at Abu Gosh they didn’t wait for such laws to be passed.

Volunteering into the Abu Gosh commando was a decision taken collectively by villagers and it is backed by the head of the council, who is also personally involved in the company. Currently some 60 volunteers are active members of the home front team and some 60 more are waiting to be enlisted. The IDF found all the legal solutions for the voluntary organization, including payment for reserve duty and the issuance of salary slips.

When asked what made Arab Israelis don an IDF uniform, company commander Hunni Jaber said that all his life he had felt he was an Israeli citizen and as such he felt a need to volunteer into the army. “Now I walk around with my head held high,” he says. He added that the home front is involved in saving human lives regardless of religion and race.

“Our voluntary work is a prime example of Jewish and Arab coexistence and cooperation,” he added.

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