Q&A for Yahya Mahamed

OWN CORRESPONDENT

Can you tell us about you and your life?
I grew up in an anti-Israel place and I was fed lies and misinformation. I was anti-Israel until 2010-2011. During my school years, I found work in Tel Aviv and when I was out of my community, I realised that what I had been taught there was not true. 

How would you describe yourself?
I am “Yahya” first, a normal guy from Umm al-Fahm. I have the right to be a proud Israeli just like any other citizen.Whenever the anti-Israel people start spreading lies, such as that Israel is an “apartheid” state, they are using my name to spread lies and destroy the only place I call home. 

How do you feel about Israel today?
Israel is my home, a country where you’ll find the good and the bad. Israel has embraced its Arab minority more and more in the past 10 years. Israeli-Arabs and Israel have had difficult times, but we have overcome that.  

What was your experience on the Wits campus over Israel Apartheid Week?
When I first went onto the campus (at Wits) before IAW, I thought it was beautiful and the people were wonderful. Then on the Monday I went back and was shocked to see the hideous lie (that) “Zionism is racism” painted on a wall the BDS activists put up.

What shocked me more was how Wits University did not co-operate, nor did they act appropriately when it came to maintaining order.

The BDS activists took our spot on the first day, physically attacked us and ripped down our posters. And not a single action was taken against them.

Also, they raised the flag of Hezbollah, an internationally recognised terrorist organisation. And in a Vox interview, one of their members said: “We are Hamas, and Hamas is us.” Hamas is a terrorist organisation that has called for the annihilation of the State of Israel. And both organisations oppose freedom of speech and incite against the Jewish people and Israel. The BDS activists even raised the flags of both terror organisations on campus. Despite this, they say they have “no problem with Jews”. 

How did you feel being lambasted by those who are anti-Israel?
I feel sad, not only for the anti-Israel individuals, but also for the Palestinians who have to suffer through generations and generations until we clear all of this misinformation so we can actually achieve a real solution for the Israelis and the Palestinians.

Unfortunately, a lot of the anti-Israel (group) conveniently forget that boycotting Israel hurts the Palestinians’ economy as well.

I feel sad, because every time I am in the West Bank and I see young souls who are now begging for money on the streets – sometimes they are not older than seven – I feel their pain. And every time I try to communicate or start a conversation with an anti-Israel individual and I get shut up or lambasted and they claim that I don’t care about the Palestinians, I feel the same pain. I feel that I am the one standing up for the future of the Palestinians, alongside every Zionist in the world. Because the Palestinian future starts with peace for the Israelis.  

What kind of things were people saying to you on campus?
I wasn’t surprised by the questions on campus, such as: “Where is Israel?”, “Is it true what they say about Israel?” or they would simply say: “Tell me about Israel”.

Also, the questions and accusations from the BDS activists did not surprise me. During my childhood I was told that I am a Palestinian, not an Israeli – and I heard every possible lie, accusation, misinformation.

I explained to those who accused soldiers of “just killing” Palestinians, the IDF code of ethics. Also, the concept of how important human life is in Judaism. 

What are your thoughts on Israel Apartheid Week and how this is dealt with by the authorities? 
Universities should have a strict policy on those supporting terrorism on campus and there should be major consequences. Freedom of expression is a right that should be preserved but hate speech should not be allowed. 

What is your long-term goal in terms of what you do?
My goal is to live a normal life, that one day the Middle East and the world will wake up and realise how important Israel is. We are an outpost of democracy and Western values in a place where democracy and Western values are not welcomed.