(Ha'aretz) Asaf Carmel - For ten years Druze MK Majali Wahabi (Likud) has been acting as Sharon's personal foreign minister. In the past year alone he met with the chairman of an important Saudi advisory council, with the leader of the United Arab Emirates, and with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Wahabi, 51, who as a Lt. Col. in the IDF was a senior officer at Northern Command headquarters, also served as director general of the Ministry for Regional Cooperation. "I do not deny my Arabness," Wahabi asserted. "But you have to distinguish between Arabness and Arab nationalism." "I am not a citizen on condition, or a Knesset member on condition. I believe that I have to see to the interests of my country before all else." When the Israeli national anthem, "Hatikva," is played, "I stand at attention, but do not sing. That is the anthem my country chose and I have no problem with it or with the flag. The idea of a Jewish state does not bother me, because the Jewish people has a right to this land. At the same time, I am meant to be an equal partner under the Declaration of Independence, and I am fighting to ensure that no one abridges my rights."
2005-02-25 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive