‘A human and a Muslim obligation to denounce Hamas’

“For me, the State of Israel is everything: its well being is my well being, and its challenges are my challenges,” says Nael Zoabi, a Muslim Arab Israeli educator and advocate.

By OHAD MERLIN DECEMBER 19, 2024 16:33

Nael Zoabi, a Muslim Arab-Israeli educator, activist and advocate (photo credit: Courtesy)

Nael Zoabi, a Muslim Arab-Israeli educator, activist and advocate who proudly and unequivocally defines himself as an Israeli Arab, has dedicated his entire professional and personal life to bridging cultural divides and promoting mutual understanding between Jewish and Arab communities in Israel.

With an impressive career spanning 30 years in the national education system and 16 years of school administration, Zoabi has been far more than just an educator. He is an active and passionate advocate for coexistence, the author of the thought-provoking book "An Arab on the Israel Trail", and is consistently working to strengthen connections between Arab and Jewish populations in Israel.

Zoabi's journey began in Kafr Nin, a village near Nazareth, where he grew up experiencing the nuanced realities of Arab-Jewish interactions. His childhood was marked by close observations of neighborhood dynamics, witnessing firsthand the potential for harmonious relationships between different communities.

“My children have all enrolled in national service, and even in the police,” Zoabi stated proudly. His personal philosophy goes far beyond mere tolerance. "For me, the State of Israel is everything," Zoabi emphasized with unwavering conviction. "The state's well being is my well being, and its challenges are my challenges."

אותו מסר אז והיום pic.twitter.com/1XkYp7vW7Z

— נאיל זועבי - نائل الزعبي (@ZoabiNael) December 19, 2024

This profound sense of national identity has been the driving force behind Zoabi’s advocacy activity, which pushed him ever since the October 7th attacks to speak out for Israel on Arabic speaking outlets.

Countering Hamas in Arabic

For a long time Zoabi has been a staunch critic of the current political leadership of the Arab Israeli parties. “They fail in everything. Crime rates, poverty, road safety infrastructure – they’ve made no progress whatsoever for decades,” he commented, angrily. “They don’t have time for in-depth strategic programs. They only use the Palestinian issue as a platform to gain media presence and sound their slogans.”

This criticism was further reinforced following the tragic 2014 kidnapping and murder of the three Israeli teenagers Naftali Fraenkel, Gilad Shaer and Eyal Yifrach in June 2014 by a Hamas cell. "I saw that the leadership of Israeli Arabs were not rising to the occasion and remained silent on these terrible events, which in my view tarnished the name of the entire Arab society in Israel," he said with a mixture of frustration and determination. "So, I stood up and spoke out against terrorist attacks. I wanted to ensure that our community was not defined by violence, but by our potential for understanding and cooperation. These terrible acts are in no way related to fundamental human and Islamic values,” he affirmed.

For Zoabi, the atrocities of Hamas’s October 7th attack boosted his drive to speak out against terror, this time not only on the local level – but out into the Arabic speaking sphere in its entirety. Zoabi soon emerged as a prominent and influential voice in international Arabic media, appearing on major networks like BBC Arabic, Sky News, and Al Arabiya. He described his appearances as entailing strategic preparations and careful crafting, all in the aim of explaining Israel's perspective while condemning Hamas's actions to a mostly hostile environment.

"As a Muslim, I felt a human obligation to denounce Hamas's crimes, which were contrary to the Quran and Islam," he stated. “Each media appearance needed a calculated effort to challenge propaganda and distorted narratives, highlight Israel’s humanitarian efforts, and provide context often missing in sensationalized reporting.”

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Zoabi explained that he always appears with Israeli symbols of solidarity - the flag, images of hostages, the hostage pin - never hiding his multifaceted identity as an Arab, Muslim, and Israeli citizen.

“The first two weeks after the massacre were a tad bit less challenging, as I there was more willingness from the media’s side to hear criticism against Hamas for their crimes of mass killing, rape, kidnapping of women and children from their beds. I said: ‘what country would be willing to accept this?’”

Then the trend began to change. “Guests or interviewers started casting doubt on whether these things even happened. They started bringing up conspiracies that Israel had invented or initiated the massacre or killed its own citizens as an excuse to conquer Gaza. And some of these guests were academics and directors of ‘research institutes!’”

Then came the accusations of ‘genocide.’ “I usually reply by saying that all these conspiracies and accusations are nonsense,” Zoabi explained calmly. “I emphasize that Israel is only targeting Hamas and not the children and women of Gaza, and stress Hamas’s exploitation of the civilian population.”

According to Zoabi, many interviewers try to drag him to the inner political scene. “They tried to claim that Israel doesn’t want to reach an agreement for all sorts of reasons, like expelling all the Gazans, or destroying them, or just inner politics. I’ve never agreed to take a political stance. If I do, that would be a win for them. I always stress that all of Israel is united against Hamas.”

In this context, Zoabi explained how he leverages the issue of peace even further. “To those who claim that Israel wants to conquer Gaza and not to reach an agreement, I always say that until October 6th there was not a single Israeli to be found in Gaza, and that many were talking about prospects of peace between Israel with other Arab countries,” he said, adding that this is the same peace that Hamas openly and admittedly worked against, which is why Hamas is the one to blame for the war and the lack of peace – not Israel.

Other arguments Zoabi faces claim that Israel wants to starve and humiliate ordinary Gazans. “I always give examples of aid that Hamas has received even before the war, but never made its way to Gazan citizens. It all went to Hamas, to their tunnels, to their headquarters. And nowadays we have examples of trucks being robbed by Hamas who sell the goods for exorbitant prices.”

When asked what other messages he conveys, Zoabi mentioned the Iranian factor. "I focus a lot on Iran. I explain that Hamas is essentially the current contractor used by Iran, which is exploiting the Israeli-Palestinian issue to conquer the Arab world. I also remind the viewers how Iran is currently occupying a handful of Arab capitals, including Sanaa, Beirut and Baghdad," He elaborated, adding that many in Israel’s vicinity agree with these notions.

Despite some harsh online reactions he must brave every day, Zoabi also described what he deems ‘interesting conversations’ with program producers, who have agreed with some of the points he has made. “This is especially salient on the issues of Iran and Hezbollah,” he explained.

Zoabi believes that advocacy is an ongoing, complex process requiring persistence, nuance, and genuine commitment. "Hasbara must happen on all fronts, in all languages and networks," he said. “We have to remember that our ultimate goal is to reduce hostility, to bring forward Israel's democratic values, and to help transform the biased public opinion in the Arab world.”

A personal journey for coexistence

For Zoabi, true coexistence is a profound and active concept that goes well beyond mere passive tolerance. Zoabi believes that the state of Israel must actively embrace its Arab population, be genuinely present in Arab communities and address their comprehensive needs and aspirations.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog is seen meeting with Arab women at the President's Residence in Jerusalem, on June 25, 2023. (credit: HAIM ZACH/GPO)

"One of Israel's national goals should be to be present in Arab society," he argued passionately. "To embrace them and thus disconnect them from the current corrupt political leadership." His vision includes meaningful political integration and strategic community development. Recent polls he referenced suggested that 70% of the Arab population desires to be part of the governmental coalition, understanding that integration is the path to meaningful progress.

Zoabi also has a message for the Israeli public. “In the Arab media, they always hold a magnifying glass over everything that happens here. Every rift and controversy is a potential opening headline for the news broadcasts. Things that we think are so small and fit into our democratic landscape – they take them and present them as nothing short of the disintegration of Israeli society.

“I mention this so that people in the country will notice how we look from the outside. We need to know how to demonstrate, how to criticize, and how to express ourselves wisely. Because things are presented as if everything here is falling apart. I always say that disagreements are a key part of the democratic nature of the society, and that it’s at the foundation of Israeli democracy. But still, we must be cautious of over-emboldening our enemies,” he added.

Zoabi’s call to coexistence is shared in his book, cleverly titled “An Arab on the Israel Trail,” a double-entendre in Hebrew which can also mean “An Arab for the Sake of Israel.” The book tells of his personal story, how he grew noticing a healthy interaction between his own environment and his neighbors from the Jewish sector.

“The book is about growing up together, bringing the challenges of society through my own personal story. I believe the Arab and Jewish sectors in Israel must get to know each other, get closer to each other's natural environments. We must learn together how important peace is, as citizens of this country.”

Zoabi continued: “In 1993 we all dared to dream about peace, but then it was all destroyed by Hamas and their violent terror attacks. They simply did not want peace; they stood against it and opposed any kind of dialogue.”

Zoabi pointed to what he deemed is a central issue at the core of the conflict. “As long as the Jewish connection to the Land of Israel is not widely recognized – the problem will never be solved. There is a clear connection between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel. This is their home and no other place in the world,” he stressed.

“This, of course, does not come in contrast to our right as Arabs who were also born in this land to live as full and integrated citizens in the State of Israel,” he explained. “For this reason, Israel should embrace and contain us as a minority, too. Once both sides recognize both the incessant undeniable Jewish connection to the land, and our own civilian rights as well, I am sure we will have made enormous strides toward the longed-for peace.”