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The Israeli Arab Community Stands Against Hamas

(Jerusalem Post) Neville Teller - On Oct. 7, as the full scale and brutality of Hamas' incursion into Israel became clear, Knesset member Mansour Abbas, leader of the Islamic party Ra'am, wrote to his 300,000 followers on social media: "I call on Arab citizens...to maintain restraint and behave responsibly and patiently, and to maintain law and order." Referring to the "unfortunate, tragic, and reprehensible events" still in progress, he called on the leadership of the Palestinian factions in Gaza to "release the captives in your hands. Islamic values command us not to imprison women, children, and the elderly." When Hamas leaders began calling on Israel's Arab citizens to join the fight, Knesset member Ayman Odeh, head of the Hadash-Taal political faction, said: "Any call for militant actions and igniting a war between Arabs and Jews inside Israel is something we will not accept." The two Israeli Arab politicians were speaking for the vast majority of their community, not least because Arabs were also killed, abducted, and injured in the Hamas raid and as a result of its continuous rocket barrages. Former Knesset member Walid al-Hawashla told of 18 Bedouin killed in the region, "six because of rockets that hit their houses, and 12 who were working in agriculture in the area around Gaza on the first day of the Hamas attack."
2023-10-24 00:00:00
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