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President Rivlin calls to heal Jewish-Arab rifts in Israeli society
Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin called for Israeli society to tackle the divisions which exist between Jewish and Arab citizens. He did so as several incidents highlighted such tensions over the weekend.
Speaking to the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities yesterday, Rivlin said, “The tension between Jews and Arabs within the State of Israel has risen to record heights, and the relationship between all parties has reached a new low.” In reference to the kidnapping and murder of Jewish and Palestinian teenagers over the summer, which sparked violent public discourse and physical clashes, Rivlin commented, “We have all witnessed the shocking sequence of incidents and violence taking place by both sides … it permeates every area and doesn’t skip any arena.”
Rivlin’s comments came as it was revealed yesterday that a 23-year-old Bedouin Israeli man had been killed fighting for ISIS in Syria. Othman Abu Alkian had been a medical intern at the Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon, but had travelled to Syria via Turkey in May. Speaking to Maariv, a family member said that Abu Alkian’s actions were a “lone act by an individual” and stressed that the case “doesn’t say anything about the community.”
Also this weekend, Israeli Premier League football team, Bnei Sakhnin, which is based in a northern Israeli Arab town and regarded as a symbol of Israel’s Arab community, caused controversy by holding a ceremony honouring donors from Qatar and the contribution of Azmi Bishara. The former-Knesset member fled Israel to Qatar over suspicions that he had abused his parliamentary position to spy for Hezbollah during the 2006 Second Lebanon War. Both Sports and Culture Minister Limor Livnat and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman called on Israel’s Football Association to take serious action against Bnei Sakhnin.
Meanwhile, another prominent and controversial Arab leader, Balad MK Haneen Zoabi was also sharply criticised by some Israeli politicians yesterday after she told Channel Two that the IDF and ISIS are both “armies of murderers.”