"You want rights? Make your contribution. If not in the army, then help the community, your sector, your town." These are not the words of the Plesner Committee chairman but of Ibrahim al-Huzeil, a Bedouin from Rahat who says "I see no problem with everyone enlisting, including Arabs and haredim."
Arab Knesset members are just some of the strong opponents of the Plesner Committee which has been tasked with regulating the enlistment of haredim and Arabs. But they do not speak for the entire non-Jewish community.
Al-Huzeil described MKs Ahmad Tibi and Talab el-Sana as "freeloaders who do not represent the Negev or the Bedouins. They represent the Palestinian Authority and terror. They do more harm than good to Bedouins."
A father of nine boys, eight of which have enlisted in the IDF, al-Huzeil serves as chairman of the Bedouin branch of the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's Soldiers and works to recruit young Bedouins.
"Whoever lives in this country must defend it because there is no other. A country is a mother, and you don't give up on a mother so easily.
"I regard the uniform as the real manifestation of equality. Enlistment to the IDF builds youth, whether they're Bedouin or haredi," he said. Al-Huzeil sees the army as a platform for self-advancement, citing his son as an example of someone who completed high-school due to the army. "Today he has a BA and is a battalion commander, and that's thanks to the IDF."
Bedouin soldiers champion universal draft - Israel News, Ynetnews
Arab Knesset members are just some of the strong opponents of the Plesner Committee which has been tasked with regulating the enlistment of haredim and Arabs. But they do not speak for the entire non-Jewish community.
Al-Huzeil described MKs Ahmad Tibi and Talab el-Sana as "freeloaders who do not represent the Negev or the Bedouins. They represent the Palestinian Authority and terror. They do more harm than good to Bedouins."
A father of nine boys, eight of which have enlisted in the IDF, al-Huzeil serves as chairman of the Bedouin branch of the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's Soldiers and works to recruit young Bedouins.
"Whoever lives in this country must defend it because there is no other. A country is a mother, and you don't give up on a mother so easily.
"I regard the uniform as the real manifestation of equality. Enlistment to the IDF builds youth, whether they're Bedouin or haredi," he said. Al-Huzeil sees the army as a platform for self-advancement, citing his son as an example of someone who completed high-school due to the army. "Today he has a BA and is a battalion commander, and that's thanks to the IDF."
Bedouin soldiers champion universal draft - Israel News, Ynetnews
