(Nazareth, Israel) Summoned by their Jewish compatriots to join in national mourning, Israeli Arabs oscillate between empathy towards the victims of October 7, support for the Palestinian cause and fear of the crime of opinion.
Since October 7, Youssef Zyadney has been a national hero in Israel. This taxi driver based in the Arab town of Rahat, in the south of Israel, not far from the Gaza Strip, single-handedly saved around thirty participants in the rave where Hamas caused 260 victims. “I dropped off clients at the festival the day before; I had to come pick them up the next day at noon. But at 7am, I received a panicked call from them. Terrorists were attacking the surrounding area, they were begging me to come and get them. I rushed to meet them,” says this father of seven children in a humble tone.
The rain of rockets falling around the edge of the Gaza Strip is not enough to deter him. No more than the gunshots ringing out nearby. Youssef Zyadney reaches the edge of the party, fills his minibus with around thirty frightened young revelers, some seriously injured, and puts his foot down.
The heroism of this 47-year-old Israeli Arab has earned him a shower of praise. But also many insults. Shortly after his exploit, an anonymous person telephoned him to accuse him of having betrayed the Palestinian cause. On social networks, hundreds of Internet users made the same reproach to him in Arabic.
Some people are surprised that an Israeli Arab like me risked my neck to save Jewish lives. It’s stupid: I only did my duty by saving human beings who counted on me. It doesn’t matter what their religion is. Israel is my country and they are my fellow citizens.
Youssef Zyadney
Facade unit
Israeli Arabs, who represent 23% of the country’s 9 million inhabitants, are mostly descendants of Muslim or Christian inhabitants who did not flee their lands during the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. Since Hamas attack, the Jewish population examines in their behavior the sign that they share the trauma caused by the worst massacre of Jews since the Shoah.
This is partly the case. According to a recent poll, 77% of Israeli Arabs are opposed to the Hamas offensive and 85% denounce the hostage-taking of civilians. Arab parties in the Knesset unanimously condemned the terrorist attacks. While the West Bank experiences almost every day anti-Israeli demonstrations tinged with the green flag of Hamas, the major Arab cities of Israel display dead calm. Although no anti-Israeli demonstrations have been recorded there, rallies in support of Hamas victims are just as rare.
PHOTO VÉRONIQUE DE VIGUERIE, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
The souk of Nazareth is empty because of the war. Above, some Arab Israelis are walking there on October 21.
“The current period is very difficult for the Palestinians in Israel,” said with a sigh the imam of the white mosque in Nazareth, the largest Arab city in Israel. “ We are torn between rage at seeing our people die under Israeli bombs in Gaza and our condemnation of the Hamas terrorist attack, which killed many innocent civilians. » The same discomfort is found in every alley of the old city of Nazareth. Many Israeli Arabs refuse to speak to the press.
“Palestinians in Israel have never known true freedom of opinion,” confides a young computer engineer on condition of anonymity.
Deviating from the dominant discourse has always been risky. And since October 7, the atmosphere has turned squarely towards McCarthyism.
A young computer engineer on condition of anonymity
This hip-looking artificial intelligence specialist claims to have been fired from his start-up a few days earlier to have liked a simple publication in tribute to the civilian victims of Gaza on the social network LinkedIn. “Jewish colleagues with whom I had worked for years suddenly changed their face and obtained my dismissal,” he says. This dismissal is of course unfair, but I will not take the matter to court. No judge will agree with me. Israel only wants to hear from its good Arabs, those who agree with the official word. »
His case is far from isolated. Applying a policy of “zero tolerance”, the police forces have reportedly arrested dozens of Israeli Arabs since October 7 because of their positions on social networks. In Nazareth, singer Dalal Abu Amneh, famous throughout the Arab world for her covers of traditional Palestinian songs, spent two days in police custody for writing on Facebook that “there is no victor but God.” followed by a Palestinian flag. The publication was interpreted by the authorities as incitement to violence.
Refugees in silence
Faced with the prevailing anxiety and paranoia, many Israeli Arabs take refuge in silence. Some reckless people speak out.
I continue to think that the Hamas attack is only a backlash from the countless abuses committed for decades by Israel in the occupied territories. My own family suffered. When Palestinians grow up in violence, they in turn breed violence. I understand that Hamas fighters end up reaching such extremes.
Amani, 29, owner of a fashionable café in central Nazareth
The conflict that began on October 7 threatens to further widen the gap between Israeli Jews and Arabs. On a socio-economic level, the gap is already abysmal: 53% of Arab households are in poverty, compared to only 18% of Jewish households.
Politically, the last decade has seen some progress, however. An Arab party entered a government coalition for the first time in 2021. The participation of Arabs in the elections, much lower than that of Jews, is on an upward trend until now.
Will this favorable dynamic be shattered by the war? “I fear that Arab democratic participation will decline again. They have clearly had no say since October 7 and are therefore threatening to turn a little more inward, anticipates Wadee Awadi, a political science researcher based in Nazareth. Israel threatens to become further polarized along identity fault lines. After the phase of national unity, our ability to live together will continue to erode. »