If 12 Jewish children had been killed in the rocket attack, Hezbollah would be proud of it. But even worse is the deafening silence of the Arab members of Knesset—most of the 10 Arabs from the two Arab parties in the Knesset ignore the massacre by Hezbollah in Majdal Shams. They are also embarrassed to criticize Hezbollah because, from their perspective, the Shiite terrorist militia supports the Palestinian “liberation” struggle in Israel. Once again, our Arab politicians have proven that their loyalty lies primarily with Israel’s enemies, such as Hezbollah and Hamas—not with the State of Israel.
Despite the heavy losses in the Druze village of Majdal Shams on the Golan Heights and the tragic toll of 12 children killed and dozens of injured Druze villagers, most Arab members of the Knesset did not comment on the massacre. The few who did speak avoided clearly mentioning the connection between the incident and the Hezbollah terrorist organization. Arab party chairman Ayman Odeh tweeted:
“The heart is broken, and the earth is soaked with the blood of children and the tears of mothers. Eleven children playing football in Majdal Shams lost their lives. However one looks at it, there is no other solution than an immediate end to the war. My heart is with Majdal Shams.”
הלב נשבר והאדמה ספוגה בדם ילדים ודמעות של אמהות. 11 ילדים ששיחקו כדורגל במג׳דל שמס, איבדו את חייהם. איך שלא נהפוך את זה, אין עוד פתרון מלבד לסיים את המלחמה מיד. הלב עם מג׳דל שמס.
— איימן עודה أيمن عودة Ayman Odeh (@AyOdeh) July 27, 2024
His party colleague Ahmad Tibi also wrote:
“A child is a child. Heartbreaking terror in Majdal Shams. My heart is with the citizens of beloved Majdal Shams. Stop the bombings! Stop the killing of children and civilians! Stop the war. Stop the horror. The war in Gaza must end to end the war in the north.”
ילד הוא ילד הוא ילד . זוועה קורעת לב במג׳דל שמס . לבי עם תושבי מג׳דל שמס היקרה. די להפצצות , די להרג ילדים ואזרחים . די למלחמה. די לזוועה. יש להגיע לעסקת חילופין והפסקת המלחמה בעזה שתביא להפסקת המלחמה בצפון.
— Ahmad Tibi (@Ahmad_tibi) July 27, 2024
The only one who indirectly placed responsibility on the Shiite terrorist militia Hezbollah and referred to them as “war criminals” was the Jewish Knesset member from the Arab faction, Ofer Cassif, but even he did not mention them by name:
“Those who harm innocent civilians, especially children, are despicable war criminals. Whether in Gaza, the surrounding areas, the north, or Lebanon.”
טבח הילדים במג’דל שמס – פשע מלחמה מזוויע.
אני מתריע! מלחמה בלבנון היא לא הפתרון – היא רק תוביל לעוד שפיכות דמים וחורבן, בישראל ובאזור כולו.
ידוע לכל בר דעת שרק הפסקת המלחמה בעזה תשרת את האינטרס שלנו ושל כלל עמי האזור – היא תחזיר את החטופים ותציל אותם ממוות ודאי בייסורים, תפסיק את…— Ofer Cassif עופר כסיף عوفر كسيف (@ofercass) July 27, 2024
Mansour Abbas, Waleed Yusuf Taha, Youssef Atauna, Yasir Hujeirat, Waleed Alhwashla, Iman Khatib-Yasin, Waleed Taha, and Aida Touma-Suleiman have not said a word about it up to this point. Even if they did, they would not criticize Hezbollah. Not even in the Lebanese parliament do Lebanese politicians—Christians, Sunnis and Druze—fear criticizing Hezbollah. But in the Israeli parliament, the Arab politicians either have more fear of Hezbollah or are more loyal to Hezbollah than the Lebanese politicians.
However, when it comes to the Gaza Strip, the same Arab Knesset members who are now silent have immediately and loudly blamed Israel for everything for every Palestinian death—whether a child or a terrorist. For Israel’s Arab politicians, Hamas and Hezbollah are means to an end; they all serve the Palestinian liberation struggle. Some attack Israel from the south or the north, while others fight Israel on the parliamentary level, in the Knesset. They exploit Israeli democracy to promote the Palestinian liberation struggle. For nine months, they have been vocally opposing the Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip and lamenting the suffering of the Palestinians. It must also be noted that the Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip is not comparable to Hezbollah. Palestinian children die in the Gaza Strip, which we have also repeatedly reported. The significant difference is that the Palestinian civilian population is used as human shields by Hamas and other terrorists. Even though the Palestinian population is urged to leave the war zone before any operation, children and innocents still die. But this is not Israel’s intention! The fed-up Palestinians in the Gaza Strip now understand this themselves and complain on social media that they are being used as human shields by Hamas.
Our Arab politicians, who enjoy Israel’s freedom daily, do not see this either. Their hatred for Jewish rule in the country blinds them, and thus they cannot mention the tragedy of the Druze and Hezbollah. Their loyalty primarily lies with outsiders, with Hezbollah, and not with their own countrymen, the Druze.
