This is a call for love. I call on Jews and Arabs to stop the hate. We always talk about peace, but how about we start to live in peace.
We always say that both sides are bad, maybe because of what we hear or see, but it doesn’t matter. How about we give one another a new chance to prove love.
We always see each other at the bus station and give “the stare,” but how about we welcome one another in peace. That’s a good start for peace. Don’t talk about peace, make peace.
Forget the hate, forget the lies.
I think that the Israeli army is the only army that gives medical care to its enemies.
When a terrorist goes out and stabs an innocent Jewish person, the police and the military do their best to keep the terrorist safe from the angry crowd (and I can understand their anger, I mean, if that was your relative you wouldn’t remain silent). We make sure the terrorist remains alive and do not “execute” him, as some falsely claim.
I have been serving for two years in the IDF and still have NEVER received a command to go and injure or kill innocent people.
In fact, the opposite is true. Our commanders tell us to be human before we being soldiers. To be patient when stones are thrown at us, because we prefer to take that on us rather than hurt an innocent Arab kid that was brought to the riot by those who want us to hurt him so they can send the footage to the media and claim that we are children-killers.
But we also can’t remain silent when our soldiers are hurt.
Can you understand this dilemma?
It’s all lies that the media spreads, and I am still asking why? I mean, it’s easy to lie to people that are not here to witness the truth. But, why?
The IDF is the only place where both Arabs and Jews, Muslims and Christians, can fight and defend together. It’s hard to imagine until you actually see a Muslim soldier hanging with an Orthodox Jewish soldier, drinking cola.
We suffer, but for what? What does either side gain from this? More respect? More money? I don’t really care, all I care about is what we do.
Stop the hate. Stop the lies. Spread love, because that’s how we can end this “war of hate”.
This is a call to love, all the way from the IDF.
Written by Christian IDF soldier Hananya Naftali and originally posted on Israel Today.