Page 52 - HaMizrachi Tisha B'Av AUS 2021

A JOURNALIST’S VIEW FROM WITHIN
with Zvi Yehezkeli

During May 2021’s Operation Guardian of the Walls,
waves of violent protests and riots broke out across
Israel. In an exclusive interview, HaMizrachi spoke
with Zvi Yehezkeli, an Israeli television journalist and
one of Israel’s top Arab affairs correspondents, to
answer our most pressing questions.

How could this have to keep order within and without the
tribe.
happened?
Our concepts of strength and power
My understanding stems from 25 years – the army, police, weapons – are
of experience surveying Arabs and living not always perceived as strength or
among them, sometimes even living power by the other side. What is
undercover in places like Chevron and viewed as power by the Arabs is not
Jenin. What I’m going to tell you has the weapon itself but how and when
not been reported. They are concepts the weapon is used.
you won’t find in the news because
Western culture cannot recognize and Let’s take the Treaty of Hudaybi-
yyah as an example – Muhammad
understand the processes that occur in
Middle-Eastern or Islamic society. In made a peace treaty with a neigh-
trying to understand these events, we boring tribe, only to break the deal
and massacre them a few years
must attempt to understand a lifestyle
that does not exist in our rationale as later. When I’m weak, I sign a
treaty; when I amass strength
Westerners.
and the other side falls asleep,
Since ancient times, the Middle East I rise. That’s what happened in
was a place where everyone fought over Israel.
wells. A well owner did not give it up
and was not forgiving toward thirsty Israeli Arabs, Palestinians living
enemies. Someone who wanted to live in the West Bank and the sur-
rounding Arabs in neighboring
in the Middle East needed to be forceful
and assertive. countries – all carefully observe
Israel’s activities to find our
There is a phrase in Arabic: “My brother weak spots. For 20 years the
and I against my cousin, my cousin and Arabs have seen that we are
I against my neighbor, my neighbor slowly neglecting authorita-
and I against the stranger.” It’s always tive rule. When the weakness
“against.” A tribe lives in a constant is clear, the Arab conclusion is
struggle, whether it’s national or famil- that they can take advantage
ial. It’s not necessarily Islamic; it’s pre-Is- of it. Any time there is any sort
lamic, nomadic Arab tribes who, due to of weakness on our part, we are
economic and historical conditions, had attacked in a way meant to weaken
to use violence, even within the family, us over time.

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