Israeli MK Ayman Odeh Asks For Unity In Israel

Does Israeli Member of Knesset Ayman Odeh talk out one side of his mouth in Arabic and the other side of his mouth in Hebrew? He put up a special post on Facebook, apparently for Jewish eyes only. You see, he usually posts in his mother tongue, with Hebrew beneath the Arabic. In that way, we Jews can read what he means to write (I hope his translation is not misleading) and not have to rely on the FB translate feature. Does he not mean for Arabs to read the post he put up for Rosh Ha-Shana? I will translate it into English below.

Not long ago, I heard a parable associated with Rabbi Haim of Sanz about a man who, for a number of days, kept going the wrong way in a forest and could not find his way out until he met up with another man coming in his direction. He was happy because he was sure the other man could direct him to the right path, but the second man said that he was also lost for several days and all he can tell the first man is that the paths he took are not the right ones. And he suggested that they go together to seek a new path, the right one.

I was told that this parable is one told for Rosh Ha-Shana, the day on which one begins walking on a new path and I thought that it is appropriate as a blessing in honour of the Jewish New Year. I wish for all of us to find a new path upon which to walk together, a path of peace, equality and brotherhood, a path that will lead all of us to a better and more beautiful future . Have a sweet New Year.

Now, that sounds REAL GOOD! At the same time, I want you to judge what this new path of peace, equality and brotherhood is supposed to look like when Ayman Odeh, Member of Israel’s Knesset, also posts things like this:

This evening I spoke with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, head of the political wing of Hamas Ismail Haniyeh, and Palestinian Prime Minister Dr. Rami Hamdallah. I congratulated them for their reconciliation, in a responsible [?] conversation, in which we all agreed upon the importance of solidarity and the end of the occupation.

Now whose solidarity is he talking about? The solidarity of Israeli citizens, Jews and Arabs and all? Or the solidarity of Arabs who now call themselves Palestinians working toward the end of the occupation that is seen by (many/most of) them to include Haifa, Tel Aviv and Netanya?

Coincidentally, this year the Islamic New Year fell close to the Jewish New Year. Here is what Ayman Odeh posted on FB in honour of the Islamic New Year — only in Arabic. The FB translation into English is not great, but I think you get the idea (I have copied it below the embedded FB post so you can read it without having to go to Odeh’s page).

The full moon came to us from the ethnic.
Thank you. Thank you.
Envoy, I have come to order.
*
What Renaissance is that? Any coup based on ask concepts? What unit after a break? A Global task after tribal mockery?!

From these great values, we call for the karem of the national unity in the face of evil: the continuation of the occupation, which is racial discrimination, which is a fight, visible or a, for a civilized and civilized society.

On the occasion of the new Islamic year we say that, despite the pitfalls, they are capable and capable.

Every year and you are one thousand times good

Or perhaps MK Ayman Odeh meant this kind of solidarity, whereby Israeli Arab dentists were sent to Columbia as representatives of Israel and they refused to sing the Israeli national anthem, choosing instead to sing “Mawtini”. At first, it was erroneously reported that they sang the Palestinian anthem “Fida’i” and in justifying their decision to sing Mawtini, they said that it is just a popular song in Arab culture. However, a Palestinian website tells the truth about Mawtini:

Today, Mawtini is widely sung in Palestine, throughout the Palestinian diaspora and across the Arab world. It is also the national anthem of Iraq, sung by Iraqis not only at official events but also at anti-government protests. It is an anti-colonial anthem put to music by composers in the employ of French colonial authorities, a national anthem that transcends national borders – written in Lebanon with Palestine in mind and sung by people from Turkey to Algeria. The story of Mawtini is as full of contradictions as that of the Arab region itself, torn apart by colonialism and violence and looking for an anthem to inspire the dream of a better future.

I cannot imagine any group of Jewish dentists, citizens of Canada, being sent to another country as representatives of Canada refusing to sing “O Canada”. Can you?

So, MK Ayman Odeh — are you only in the Knesset as a means to try to undermine Israel and replace it with a Palestine that never existed (not even in the Arab dreams of yore). And this is the kind of peace, equality and brotherhood we Jews are supposed to get behind? You fooled us during the last national election campaign; you continue to fool some of us even today. I hope that number continues to fall.