Recently, the number of Muslim non-Bedouin Arabs serving in the Israeli Defense Forces has increased, rising to ‘a few hundred.’
By Shula Rosen
When Lt. Col. (res.) Hisham Abu Raya became the first non-Bedouin Muslim officer in the IDF, few Israeli soldiers fit his description.
Abu Raya told the Times of Israel, “Up until ten years ago, you could count the number of non-Bedouin Muslim recruits in the IDF on the fingers of one hand.”
However, recently, the number of Muslim non-Bedouin Arabs serving in the Israeli Defense Forces has increased, rising to “a few hundred.”
Part of the reason for the increase is a program begun by Raya in 2018 called Ma’an, which means “together” in Arabic and whose purpose is to strengthen the connection young Arabs feel to the State of Israel.
The program runs in 20 Muslim Arab schools under the auspices of the Defense Ministry.
It aims to teach students about Israeli history and encourage them to participate in the larger Israeli society, including drafting into the IDF.
“Some young Arabs I meet don’t even know who [assassinated prime minister] Yitzhak Rabin was,” Abu Raya said. “Even if I don’t manage to convince them to enlist, at least at the end of the program, they know more about Israeli society.”
The program also runs in Arab Christian schools, where Abu Raya says the meeting is greeted “with more openness.”
Those who choose to enlist often choose combat units, including the Golani Brigade, border police, or the Desert Reconnaissance Battalion, which was once a Bedouin-only unit.
Abu Raya discussed how the army is a means of social mobility for young Arabs.
“If you want to advance in Israeli society and feel equal, army service is your entry ticket. That’s how it was for me. The army embraced me,” Abu Raya said. “All the Arabs I know who went to the army — today own a house and have a steady job. They have gone ahead in life.”
Another element that led to the rising number of Muslim Arabs enlisting in the IDF is the aftermath of the October 7th invasion and the evidence that Hamas’s cruelty was not reserved for non-Muslim and non-Arabs.
Abu Raya explained, “On October 7, the penny dropped among Arab Israelis. They saw that Hamas opened fire on everyone and did not distinguish between Jewish and Muslim citizens. And there are still Muslim hostages in the hands of Hamas.”
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