Abdol Abugosh, a self-described Arab-Israeli Muslim Zionist. Photo: Facebook.
Abdol Abugosh – Self-Described Arab-Israeli Muslim Zionist
A Muslim Israeli Arab declared his pride in being politically right-wing, and criticized both the leadership of his community and the Israeli Left, Israeli news site nrg reported on Friday.
Algemeiner News Service
Abdol Abugosh, 25, a student of communications at Jerusalem’s Open University, made these declarations at a demonstration at Tel Aviv University to condemn violence. Waving the Israeli flag, he leveled his wrath at the Palestinians, Israeli-Arab members of Knesset and the Left.
“We demand that the Arab MKs stop incitement, stop directing the new generation towards destructive hatred, sectarianism, treason and war,” Abugosh announced to a group of like-minded Israeli-Arab students. “We all work, study and live together, and we came here to demonstrate our support for coexistence.”
Abugosh also said that only right-wing governments have addressed the needs of the Arab community. In contrast, he said, “The Left is condescending and busy with empty talk.”
He said he prefers “[Jewish Home Party head] Naftali Bennett, who promotes Arabs working in the hi-tech industry,” to left-wing politicians, and defended Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against accusations of racism against Arabs.
Abugosh said he is conflicted about a key issue of contention.
“I would be happy if two states were established here, with an Arab state existing alongside the Jewish state, as long as I get to live here in the Jewish state,” he said. However, he added, the conflict will not end without Palestinian and Arab recognition of Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people.
Abugosh, who has 9,015 followers on Facebook — something he said he hopes will help to tear down the barriers between Israel’s Arabs and right-wing Israeli Jews — is a long-time Zionism, and he did his IDF service with the Border Police.
Calling himself on social media a “Muslim Zionist Arab” whose home is Israel has earned him threats and insults from Arab visitors to his page, but also many encouraging messages from Israeli and other Arabs, according to nrg.
Abdol Abugosh – Self-Described Arab-Israeli Muslim Zionist
