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Source: http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.653592
Welcome to the New Head of the Joint Arab List in the Knesset
(Ha'aretz) Moshe Arens - As a former MK, I can permit myself to extend a Knesset welcome to Ayman Odeh, who has just been elected and heads both the Hadash party and the Joint Arab List. I hope this does not sound patronizing, but I think he has made an auspicious start as a legislator. He and the other Hadash MKs from the JAL did not walk out of the Knesset session during the singing of the national anthem when other members of the Joint List walked out demonstratively. It is to his credit that he realized that walking out would be a blatant demonstration of disrespect for Israel. It is understandable if some of Israel's Arab citizens have difficulty identifying with the words of our national anthem. Many people around the world do not identify with every word of their national anthem but would not think of walking out while it is being sung. "God Save the Queen," "La Marseillaise" and "Das Lied der Deutschen" are just a few examples. Many Israeli Arabs, like Odeh, have made an effort to understand why, especially in light of the Holocaust, Israel's destiny is to be a haven for Jews who need a haven. This is not racialism - it is the direct outcome of the Jewish people's tragic fate since they were exiled from their ancient homeland. Unlike some Arab Knesset members, Odeh believes in the integration of Israel's Arab citizens into the fabric of Israeli society. It is a worthy aim that should receive top priority. The writer served as Israel's Minister of Defense three times and once as Minister of Foreign Affairs.