THE equality of rights for all Israeli citizens was demonstrated at a meeting in Newton Mearns Synagogue.
I was present at the event which was organised jointly by the Confederation of Friends of Israel Scotland and Reservists on Duty, an Israeli NGO established in December 2015 by Israeli reserve soldiers and officers to act against the BDS campaign
Guest speakers were Lebanese Christian Israeli Jonathan Elkhoury, Bedouin Israeli Mohammad Kaabiya and Druze Israeli Khateeb Lorena, who talked about the rights they enjoyed in the Jewish State.
Mr Elkhoury, 25, was born in Lebanon, the son of a South Lebanese Army officer.
When Hezbollah took over South Lebanon, they said that they would persecute everyone who had worked with Israel.
Mr Elkhoury said: “Israel opened its borders for us and my father came over, but we stayed behind.
“Hezbollah destroyed everything that Israel had built for us and left us with nothing. They started entering the homes of members of the South Lebanon Army, took men away and tortured and killed them.
“I was eight years old and that was very difficult for me.”
In 2001, Mr Elkhoury’s mother decided it was time to move to Israel, where special schools and educational centres had been opened up for members of the SLA and their families.
His family moved to Haifa where he now lives and he has served in the IDF.
Mr Kaabiya, 27, spoke of his grandfather, the Kabiya Tribe Sheik, saving and rescuing pioneer Alexander Zaid in 1936 and of the formation of a Bedouin unit in the Palmach.
As a teenager, his ambition was to be an Israeli officer.
Mr Kaabiya said: “I served in a helicopter unit, helping to save injured soldiers and others in trouble.
“Many times, we took Palestinian children to be treated in Israeli hospitals. Today, every week my unit has been helping the Syrian refugees.
“Many times, the soldiers are putting themselves at risk to help people across the border. They don’t care about the identity of the people they go to help.
“After three years in the unit, I worked for the Checkpoint Authority and I have also helped to integrate Bedouin soldiers into the army.
“Israel is the shell that protects all of its citizensand we feel that it is our duty to serve in the army.”
Ms Lorena, 21, who is a student and comes from a small village in the north of Israel, said: “Every year, 85 per cent of Druze men are in the army.
“We have all our rights and there is nowhere we can freely express ourselves and our religion except Israel.
“In Israel, I get more rights as a Druze than I would anywhere else in the world.
“In my society, only men can serve in combat units in the army. I have served in a group undertaking leadership activities.”
The speakers were asked if Israel can be considered an apartheid state for the way it is treating people in the West Bank and Gaza.
Mr Kaabiya said: “Yes, there is apartheid in the West Bank, but it is by the Palestinian Authorities.
“The people living in the refugee camps are not allowed to vote and there is a lot of corruption there. If people don’t support Fatah, they have to pay more taxes and can’t get work.
“They are keeping people in refugee camps in the West Bank and Gaza and that is apartheid.”
Asked if they thought that pro-Palestinian activists are really just anti-Israel, Mr Elkhoury said: “I tell those who say that they are pro-Palestinian that they are not doing anything to help them.
“They are just blinded by hate. The world is silent about what is happening to the Palestinians and how they are treated by their own people — how they are treated in the Arab countries where they are living as refugees.
“The Palestinians who stayed in Israel have full rights.
“We need you to share our stories with everyone you meet, because this is the real Israel we know.”
The meeting was chaired by COFIS convenor Nigel Goodrich, who said: “This evening we have nailed the lie about Israel being an apartheid state.
“Israel is a lighthouse nation and we should defend her honour and stand up for her.”
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