Nael Zoabi is a mensch. He’s a stocky guy with a big smile and a loud mouth telling Arabs around the country that they need to appreciate the privilege of living in the Jewish and democratic state, he adds with a grin.

I caught up with Zoabi just as he finished a lecture.

“I am a proud Arab Israeli, a Muslim, and I don’t want to be anywhere else but right here in the Jewish state,” he insists. Zoabi then uses a Hebrew idiom I have only ever heard Jews use. ‘Ein li eretz aheret,’ meaning “I have no other land,” the heartfelt song of Jews returning because they have no other place in the world to call home.

This orthodox Muslim is as committed to the Jewish state as any Zionist Jew. “The Jews have every right to live in their homeland because of the commandment of God to Moses the prophet to leave Egypt and settle this Land. I honor this country and its flag as my own,” he tells me.

You won’t find many Arab Muslims at local military cemeteries on Memorial Day. But you will find Nael Zoabi there, honoring Israel’s fallen alongside his Jewish countrymen. Photo: Nael Zoabi

Zoabi is certainly unique. He worked as a school principal for 16 years in the Galilee where he was one of the first in Israel to encourage young Arab students to volunteer for National Service either in the IDF, or for a two-year stint serving in hospitals, old-age homes and other community facilities. Many young Israelis averse to military duty choose this path as a means of serving their nation after high school.

Zoabi speaking to a group of Israeli naval officers. He is among those rare voices encouraging young Arabs to join the Jews in defense of Israel. Photo: Nael Zoabi

Zoabi was also the first Muslim Israeli to join Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud list ahead of the 2021 election. “Nael Zoabi will lead our efforts for the benefit of the Arab citizens of Israel,” Netanyahu said at the time.

Zoabi has a lot to say about how the Arab Israeli sector sees the recent electoral victory of Netanyahu and his religious right-wing partners:

“The leaders of the Arab parties are going so far as to declare a state of emergency and are asking the UN to intervene because of Israel’s new right-wing government and the reelection of Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu.

“But the criticisms of Netanyahu and Israel’s right wing are baseless lies. We Arab Israelis are the only Arabs in the world that live in a democracy. They are the only politicians and members of government that are taking advantage of a democracy to fight against their own country! They [Israeli Arab politicians] attack the very national symbols of the country they live in. They wave the flag of another country [Palestine] instead of Israel’s. They attack our policemen. They harbor criminals. They are involved in spying against Israel. They use these tactics in their fight against the Jews and Israel hoping to stir the Arab citizens to join them. They think we will vote for them because of their strong stand against Israel. But all they do is cause more problems for the Arabs of Israel.

“Even with all the warnings about how bad things will get, still a full 50% of all Arab citizens refused to vote for the Arab parties. This in spite of all the bad-mouthing and the threats over how bad things will become for Arabs if they don’t vote for Arab parties and instead allows the Israeli right and Netanyahu to take power. They refused because they are more informed and have wizened up to this deceptive scheming.

“Twenty-five percent of the Arabs who did vote chose Zionist Jewish parties! And most of these voted for Netanyahu and his Likud party!”

Zoabi visits with a Jewish friend who bears the mark of Nazi persecution. He says more Arabs are waking up to the truth about the Jews and their legitimate place in this land. Photo: Nael Zoabi

Zoabi had a few choice words directed at the Israeli Arab politicians, rebuffs he regularly posts on his Arabic-language social media accounts:

“The Arab citizens of Israel are not your hostages. You will no longer use us for your anti-Israel purposes, exploiting the pain and suffering of our people to lure them to embrace your so-called ‘Palestinian problem’ agenda and trying to lay that on the backs of our people.

“It’s time you built your own political power by helping our people.”

I asked him if he thought Mansour Abbas and his Ra’am party that worked together with the Lapid-Bennett government had been helpful.

“Anyone who represents the Muslim Brotherhood will never represent me,” Zoabi states emphatically. “My representative will be someone stands up and declares proudly, ‘I am a proud Arab Israeli and I have no other land.’”

Do you know anyone like that?

“Not yet.”

What about yourself?

“Perhaps. I just retired as school principal and I’m looking for a job.”

I suggested he give Bibi a call.

Zoabi wants to connect the Arab and Jewish citizens of Israel with each other and with the State of Israel. “My vision,” he explains, “is for all Arab Israelis to be full-fledged citizens of a democratic Jewish State of Israel with all the responsibilities and privileges.”

Zoabi’s book “Arabs for Israel” has become a must-read, both for Jews and Arabs. Photo: Nael Zoabi

The second edition of his book Arabs for Israel has just come out. In it he presents a “Mishnaic interpretation of Arab and Jewish coexistence from a place of honoring the Jewish and democratic State of Israel.”

“Everywhere I go I want to represent the State of Israel and its government with honor among the Arab citizens and their concerns to the State of Israel,” Zoabi says. He was spoken to groups around the world, at the UN and on university campuses sharing his vision.