(By Bart Peacher, a Gentile believer – September, 2014)
With all the bad press about how Israel treats her Arab nationals with contempt, unfairness, and prejudice its no wonder why many nations succumb to this view. The PR war is difficult to win when news agencies send out propaganda provided by Israel’s enemies. Is it really true that Israel treats her Arab citizens poorly?
Top Israeli leaders and citizens from the Prime Minister down to the Arab business owner will tell you that all Israeli citizens are treated respectfully the same.
From visiting many cities and regions around Israel, observing and talking to many Arabs holding good jobs from bus drivers to convenient store and restaurant owners, I have found that treatment of Arab citizens by the government are equal to everyone else. This isn’t to say that each and every Israeli citizen feels brotherly love for every other citizen because people are people with their own personal views. But, for the most part, all Israelis enjoy the same freedoms and opportunities.
Like citizens in all free countries, Israeli Arabs can choose to move to other Arab countries to find a better lifestyle, but most don’t because they can’t find the freedoms and opportunities in other Arab lands that are afforded in Israel.
In addition to these observations, the following came from an Israeli news source.
Excerpt from JNN News August 23, 2014
IN A HOSPITAL UNDER FIRE FROM GAZA: Dr. Rabia Darawasha is an Israeli-Arab surgeon at Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon, where Hamas rockets land in the vicinity and “Code Red” alerts send staff and Israeli and Palestinian patients scrambling for cover. Asked in a media interview if treating Israeli soldiers was difficult for him. He replied, “The Hamas do not represent me. The soldiers represent me.” He added, “This is my country; my family is here.” Dr. Darawasha comes from Iksal in northern Israel. As an Arab, he has never felt discriminated against or treated as a second-class citizen by Israel. In fact, when he graduated from medical school in Romania, Israel embraced him, gave him money to continue his studies and gave him job opportunities. (National Post-Canada)
On one of my latest trips to Israel, which included a luncheon for the IDF troops near Gaza, we visited the hospital mentioned above (see photos below). We were provided an orientation presentation from a hospital Director who explained to us how the Arab staffs of doctors and nurses leave their politics at the front door. Their main concern are the patients, whether Israeli Jew or Palestinian Arab.
Note the Arab doctor above regards his citizenship equal to any other citizen of Israel. This is the true story with respect to Israel’s treatment of her Arab countrymen!
Barzilai Hospital Director conducting a welcome orientation to our group. Note: Israel’s Good Will Ambassador, Earl Cox (first person sitting on left)
The Hospital’s web page shown as part of the orientation
