Activist helps keeps the peace
Israel’s Arab citizens have not taken up Hamas calls to join the fray. Heart of a Nation Board Member Mohammad Darawashe was instrumental in dousing the flames.
By Elana Shap
April 25, 2024
"After October 7, the Director of Strategy at Givat Haviva’s Center for Shared Society, Mohammad Darawshe quickly mobilized local and national Israeli Arab leaders to convey to their populations they did not want to be part of this war…
"'There were daily calls by Hamas to Arab citizens to create another front by joining the war. The environment was ripe with problems and I knew we had to prevent escalation'…
"Jewish and Arab mayors of neighboring towns and villages in Israel issued joint statements encouraging good relations between communities.
"The outcome was a ‘collective decision by Arab citizens that what happened on October 7 does not represent us. An understanding that at the end of the day, when this war is over, we’re going to stay Israeli citizens. What we do now will reflect on our relationship with our fellow Jewish citizens tomorrow'…
"Stereotypes are easy to fall back on here, he says, due to the ongoing conflict which 'keeps beaming negativity' and the fact of limited interaction between the two sectors of society – 92% of Arab citizens live in separate towns and villages and the 8% in mixed cities usually live in separate neighborhoods…
"Darawshe’s solution is to bring Arab teachers into Jewish schools and Jewish teachers into Arab schools. Today there are 2,500 teachers in the program, which he considers one of the best projects in coexistence today.
"'I went to Muslim elementary school, Catholic high school, Hebrew University. I learned Christianity from Christians, Judaism from Jews, Islam from Muslims. It gives you the real sense of what another culture is and not a stereotypical sense. Diversity in education is also a wonderful way to get a well-rounded perspective of life,' he reflects."
About Heart of a Nation
Empowering the next generation of American, Israeli, and Palestinian change-makers to embrace better, together.
אנחנו מכנסים הוגים מובילים, פעילים חברתיים, ומחוללי שינוי לעתיד, אמריקאים, ישראלים ופלסטינאים, המחויבים לשיפור החברות שלהם.
نحن أمريكيون وإسرائيليون وفلسطينيون نبني ونكوّن روابط من أجل التعلم والتفكير والمشاركة معًا حتى نشجع الحلول التقدمية بشأن القضايا التي تهمنا جميعًا.