Welcome to Israel, Congresswomen

I welcome the US Congress delegation to my country, but especially the Congresswomen. I hope you come with your eyes and minds wide open and that you compare what you see, not with Washington or Minneapolis, but with the other countries in this region, the Middle East.

 First, you must understand something of our history. This land was occupied for five hundred years by a remote and despotic empire. The Ottomans left the land more destitute than what they found — they destroyed the economy, depopulated villages, and cut down the trees.

 Second, you must understand our many cultures. The real struggle going on in this world, including in your own country, is the clash between pluralism and racial nationalism. In Nazi Germany, the followers of Hitler believe purifying the nation of outsiders would restore their dignity. This same belief is driving your mass shootings. But you are not alone. Racial or religious purity dominates the Middle East, as country after country expels or murders those who do not fit the preferred profile.

 But please, Congresswomen, come with open eyes. This is not what is happening in Israel. True, this country is the only place a Jewish person can come “home” to, whereas, for someone like me (and you) an Arab, I have over twenty countries I could call home. But unlike these Arab countries, Israel also welcomes Christians, Muslims, Bahai, Druze, and other peoples dispossessed of their ancestral homes due to the rising intolerance now in fashion across the world.

 In Israel, as an Arab woman, I have the freedom to drive a car, to walk alone in public, to attend university, and to work at any job, even in the seat of government. In Israel, enterprising Israeli Jews reach out to Arab Muslims to include them in the economy, such as with the SodaStream factory that was first built in an Arab community to provide high paying meaningful jobs for Arabs, that is until the BDS movement, which you regrettably support, took this opportunity away.  

 Do not let yourselves be fooled by those whispering in your ears, whose goal is to weaken, delegitimize, and destroy the one pluralistic country in this region. Instead, please make the effort to see how this country gives opportunity for all ethnicities, religions, and genders. Support this; don’t pass resolutions to destroy us. All we are saying is give peace a chance.