|
Trending Topics
|
Source: http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Meet-the-IDFs-Beduin-battalion-469972
The IDF's Bedouin Battalion
(Jerusalem Post) Seth J. Frantzman - The IDF Desert Reconnaissance Battalion is made up mostly of Bedouin officers and men. For much of its 30 years of existence it has been based along the border with Gaza, playing a key role in preventing terrorists from infiltrating Israel. Maj. Nader Eyada, from the Bedouin town of Beit Zarzir near the Jezreel Valley, is a 10-year veteran of the unit. He has a B.A. from the University of Haifa. Muhammad Shibli, the main medic in the unit, has been in the IDF for seven years. "I was born in Shibli [a Bedouin village in the Galilee]. I wanted to protect Israel from terrorism and threats, wherever they come from. We live with Jews, there is no such thing as difference, we are one nation living together and we want to live in peace." He notes that rockets fired from Lebanon, Syria or Gaza don't distinguish among people and communities. Since 1948, more than 110 Bedouin have died defending Israel.