Proudly Singing Fidai And Waving PLO Flag On Tel Aviv Campus

Where is our self-respect?

A Druze student stands up for Israel at Tel Aviv University. Here is what he writes to “The Shadow” on Facebook:

and in English this is:

Hello Shadow, I am a Druze student at Tel Aviv University and I am sick of the contempt that goes on there . . . yesterday, to an activity for Arab students under the auspices of the Hadash Party, they brought in a Christian Arab singer, an antisemite from Nazareth, Dalal Abu Amneh, who sang the “Palestinian” anthem . . . and the entire audience and the lecturers stood and even waved the PLO flag and the truth is, as a Druze student there, I am enraged at all the contempt that goes on there . . . someone needs to wake up before it is too late. .

The Shadow is Yoav Eliasi, a well-known rapper in Israel with a very active Facebook page. He holds right-wing political views and joined the Likud Party last year. But you do not have to be right wing to understand that singing Fidai and waving the PLO flag is a provocation against the State of Israel in which these Arab students are citizens. Fidai is a song of war and a song proclaiming the wish to eradicate Israel (you can learn about the anthem and see the lyrics here).

I have no doubt there are Arab students who are happy to be Israeli citizens and who feel loyal to the country. Yet I wonder how free they feel to express such sentiments when it seems to be acceptable, and perhaps even fashionable, to hate Israel and want it destroyed under their very feet, even as they enjoy the education offered by such institutions as Tel Aviv University. I do believe such a development as we see above is made possible by the obsequious appeasement of overly “empathic” and “understanding” Jews who approve annual Nakba commemorations at Tel Aviv University on Israel Independence Day. If we allow haters to be in our face, they get more boldly in our faces. What will it take for us to regain our self-respect?