Arab Muslim woman among those lighting torch at Mt Herzl for Independence Day

[Solomon2]

Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Arab Muslim woman among those lighting torch at Mt Herzl for Independence Day


Lucy Aharish is an Israeli news anchor and reporter, who was the first Hebrew-speaking Arab anchor on Israeli television.

She has experienced discrimination in Israeli society, and she has fought it admirably. Haaretz quoted her in 2009 as saying "I'm not a wretched Arab woman. How can I whine that I've been deprived? I like my life just fine, despite all the stinking racism that exists here....There is a new generation of Arabs who don't give a hoot what anyone thinks and will do everything they can to get into high positions. We have other things to get over besides the occupation and discrimination. We are fighters and don't give in. If you don't open the door for me, I will come in through the window, and if it is closed, down the chimney. We were too polite, but we learned Israeli chutzpah. It's easy to humiliate an Arab who kowtows, but when that person says 'Listen, pal, tone it down, don't talk to me like that,' you arrive at a dialogue."

Yet Aharish is also a proud Israeli. She has just been chosen to be one of people to light the torch at Mount Herzl for Israel's Independence Day this year, and she is thrilled:

Lucy Aharish, Arab Israeli television host and reporter, woke up on Saturday morning and saw that someone had been trying to reach her by phone for hours.

"I called back. It was Yitzhak Zunshine, the head of the Hasbara Center," Aharish said in an interview with Yedioth Ahronoth.

"I asked what the urgency was and he responded: 'I wanted to congratulate you. You were chosen to light a torch on Independence Day.' I fell silent. I, usually very talkative, could not speak a word. Tears came to my eyes. It was the last thing I thought would happen," said Aharish.

One of the first calls Aharish made after she received the good news was to her mother. "I called her and said: 'Mom, they chose me to light a torch on Independence Day.' 'Okay, great,' she responded.

"I was surprised by her response. 'Do you fear something?' I asked her. 'It is after all the biggest ceremony at Mount Herzl.' And she answered, 'Wonderful. This is how you will hit back at all the racists who make your life hard everyday.'

"I accept what she says 100 percent. It is a slap in the face to all those racists who have no shame to post comments such as 'stinking Arab' and 'Get out of here, this is not your country' and 'who needs Arabs on their (TV) screens.'"

Aharish says she did not think of giving up the position for a second. "I'm proud of it," the television host who was born to Muslim parents and grew up in Dimona said. Aharish now resides in Tel Aviv.

"I know that a lot of people will have something to say, but the moment my parents are proud – I am happy."
​

You know the haters will accuse Israel of "tokenism" for choosing to honor Lucy Aharish. But there sure are a lot of "tokens" out there - at some point they add up to a lot more than a token amount.

 

[Dubious]

Good stuff

 

[Solomon2]

Good stuff

Here's more, from last November [Google translation]:

"So after a long day that started knowing about the horrific murder of Jerusalem [link], went on an interview with the Minister of Finance and ends with a special broadcast from Jerusalem, I come home to go to bed and try to digest.

"Trying to digest source of the animal and the person thought inhuman, wake up in the morning to look at his children and his family to go out, to go into prayer and murder in cold blood and calm, with axes and knives at people who turned to morning prayers to heaven Creator? I'm trying to digest and can not. I'm trying to understand where comes this cruelty and fail.

"I find myself today having a conversation with a colleague and we are powerless. Lucy what goes through your head? "And I'm afraid to say and know what goes through my mind goes well for him. I am afraid to say that I understand why someone could be deterred me if I'll talk next to Arabic and on the other hand, I find myself looking suspicious people "hsodim".

"I'm afraid of evil. I'm afraid of inhumanity. I'm afraid of the loud minority and murderous. And most of all I'm scared silent majority and the fear that grips him stand up and say it's not me !!!!!!! I'm afraid of silence that silence means consent with what is happening.

"So no, do not be silent. Unforgivable murder this morning is an act of individual animals. There is no justification there is no excuse. No occupation is not incitement and certainly not mount a house or a mosque. Praise praise and some sweets for the murder of innocents It literally sickening. This is not my religion. This is not the religion I was raised. These are not the values I was raised on them. It's not me!

"Not hear But you see ... 'or' Do you know what is happening to them .... "do not want to understand! Do not want to listen to any lame excuse. This is my responsibility to my company, to my family, to my friends, and the place where I live stand up and shout loudly condemning the brutality to which we woke up this morning.

"And families all that's left to say is [Let] their memory be blessed and may you know no more sorrow. "

 

[al-Hasani]

Good looking lady. Looks Hijazi. Any other famous Arab Israelis @Solomon2 ?

Why does Israel just not remove all of those illegal settlements in the West Bank and work seriously towards a two-state solution? All that fighting is not really necessary.

Arab-Israeli cooperation as neigbhors, cousins and close historical people should really have been a lot better by 2015. All of those tensions started mostly in the 1930's. Before that there were vibrant Jewish communities from Morocco to Yemen and Jews lived better in the Arab world than anywhere else by large.

I got no problem with Jews or Judaism. It's the closest religion to Islam. I don't like Zionism though and I find it counterproductive.

To tell you frankly then I am tired of this nonsense. The ME should work together. None of us are going anywhere.

Less of this;

and more of this;

I am not a hippie (although I need a haircut, lol) or on a acid trip but just looking at this objectively. It's really not needed.

I am also now talking about all the rivalries in the ME.

 

[GBU-28]

Good looking lady. Looks Hijazi. Any other famous Arab Israelis @Solomon2 ?

Why does Israel just not remove all of those illegal settlements in the West Bank and work seriously towards a two-state solution? All that fighting is not really necessary.

She's very pretty and smart too. Also doesn't take any nonsense. A real strong, independent type.

As to your other point, it's not that simple. Israel is a tiny country and making themselves smaller will only make them more vulnerable.

Remember, there was not one single settlement before 1967 and the Arab forces still attacked Israel. Settlements are just a symptom of conflict and not the source.

The Arabs have still not accepted the right of a Jewish state in the middle east. Some make statements to western media about recognition etc, but we both know in their heart of hearts they still believe they will defeat Israel either piece by piece or just a waiting game/attrition.

We know this because they keep saying it in their media

 

[Archdemon]

Good looking lady. Looks Hijazi. Any other famous Arab Israelis @Solomon2 ?

Why does Israel just not remove all of those illegal settlements in the West Bank and work seriously towards a two-state solution? All that fighting is not really necessary.

Arab-Israeli cooperation as neigbhors, cousins and close historical people should really have been a lot better by 2015. All of those tensions started mostly in the 1930's. Before that there were vibrant Jewish communities from Morocco to Yemen and Jews lived better in the Arab world than anywhere else by large.

I got no problem with Jews or Judaism. It's the closest religion to Islam. I don't like Zionism though and I find it counterproductive.

To tell you frankly then I am tired of this nonsense. The ME should work together. None of us are going anywhere.

Less of this;

and more of this;

I am not a hippie (although I need a haircut, lol) or on a acid trip but just looking at this objectively. It's really not needed.

I am also now talking about all the rivalries in the ME.

Arabs should wake the fuсk up, they could have had sovereignty over most of west bank and even east Jerusalem, they are unwilling to recognize Israel as a national Jewish homeland and the so called right of return of the so called refugees. Gaza is Israel free since 2005, instead investing billions on infrastructures, education, welfare they chose to pursuit their delirium of Israel destruction, international community which support hamas only perpetuate suffering of Gazans and in a whole Arabs of the region. We are here to stay! and the only way we are moving from here is by total mutual annihilation of others, sound harsh? fuсk it! might is right, always been and always will be the true nature.