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More Israeli Arabs Signing Up for National Service

(Israel Hayom) Daniel Siryoti - There has been an upsurge in young Israeli Arabs interested in national service. Fire-fighting, working as medical assistants, or helping social workers are among the most sought after roles for young Arabs. Zeidan Baha, 18, a Muslim from Jish, was seriously injured in a car accident. His life was saved by the fire and rescue services who extricated him from his vehicle. A year after his injury Baha joined the Acre fire station as a national service volunteer. Amal Abbas, 23, a Muslim woman from Jadeidi-Makr, has been working as a medical secretary in the Maccabi Health Fund for the past seven months. She said, "When I finish my year of service, I will be able to restart my life as an adult with a more promising future. I always recommend to women I meet that they volunteer for national service because it opens doors to life in Israel." Anet Haskia is a Muslim Israeli Arab with three children who have served in the IDF. Her two sons are combat soldiers and her daughter serves in the Education Corps. "I am an Arab Muslim and a proud Israeli," Haskia wrote. "As a social activist for the full integration of Israeli Arabs into the State of Israel...it is clear that serving in the IDF and serving in national-civic service is a basic component of the Israeli melting pot." "My children get equal treatment in the army and they have not encountered racism or discrimination....This is true integration into society, in the only country in the Middle East that provides genuine human and civil rights."
2013-08-02 00:00:00
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