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Number of Israeli Arabs Volunteering for National Service Is Increasing
(Ha'aretz) Yana Pevzner - The number of volunteers for National Service among the Israeli Arab population is gradually increasing. If 20 years ago there were barely 500 young Arabs and Bedouin who volunteered for the program, in 2022 their number stood at 3,319. There are currently 4,138 Israeli Arabs doing National Service. Sammy Smooha, professor emeritus in sociology at the University of Haifa, told Ha'aretz, "I was sure that in the wake of the war in Gaza, Israel's legitimacy in the eyes of the Arabs here would decline. But it actually rose. They felt more of a connection with Israel, and that is also reflected in volunteering for National Service." "90% and perhaps more of the volunteers are Arab and Druze girls, and for them it's a case of 'women's liberation.' They open a bank account and a monthly sum is deposited in it. That creates a feeling of independence. They have a job." "They saw what it's like to be a Palestinian in Gaza and the West Bank. They understood that their situation in Israel is far better, that they are relatively protected here - they have employment, citizenship, they can vote for the Knesset." Somaya Bashir, 50, founded a nonprofit called We Have No Other Land that advocates for Jewish-Arab cooperation and promotes National Service in the county's Arab community. One of her daughters is currently doing National Service. She says "there are some who are against [doing National Service]....Contributing to the country in which you are a citizen reflects a self-perception that projects strength - it is the opposite of a feeling of inferiority. A citizen who contributes to the country sees himself as an equal." "October 7 shocked me so much. The image of [hostage] Shiri Bibas with her children haunts me. What happened touches us all; Arabs were murdered, too, and no one is safe anymore....There were some who denied the rapes and claimed that the Jews are making it up in order to take over Gaza - all nourished by Al Jazeera. There were some who made excuses for the massacre....But there is no excuse for the barbaric things that were done. It's not humane and that should be clear to everyone.... As a human being and as a mother, I could not remain silent."