Arab-Israeli advisor visits Hillel

For Ishmael Khaldi, his story is the story of Israel.

On Tuesday night the Smokler Center for Jewish Life hosted Khaldi, an Israeli-Arab who serves as an advisor to Avigdor Lieberman.

Lieberman is the Deputy Prime Minister of Israel and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He is widely known for his tenuous relationship with Arab-Israelis, in part due to his proposed loyalty oath, which angered many of the Arabs in the country.

As an Arab in Israel, Khaldi acknowledged that it is not a perfect country, but argued that it also should not be viewed as a "racist state" the way it is sometimes portrayed. He described himself as a "proud Israeli."

Khaldi is a Beduin, a tribal Arab minority. He grew up in a tent, walking three and a half kilometers to attend school each day.

He went on to serve in the Israeli Border Police, military branch of the Israeli Police Force, and then to work in the Defense Ministry, despite the fact that it was more traditional for Bedouins at the time to return to their villages after receiving their education and marry.

He stated that Israel's interaction with its neighbors is based on the need for security.

"Israel is trying to do what it can to defend itself from any threat, within the limits of democracy," he said.

He identified Iran as the biggest single threat to Israeli security, but also touched on the challenges presented by dealing with Palestinians. The main issue there, he argued, was that the Palestinians have yet to choose one leader to represent them all.

As an Arab and an Israeli, Khaldi felt he was in an interesting position to gain a different perspective on Israel's politics, although he did not offer personal opinions or critiques of the nation's policies.

Approximately twenty-five people attended the event, which was Khaldi's second speaking engagement at Hopkins in six years.

During the question and answer session, they were interested in Khaldi's experience with Israeli politics. One student asked specifically how he felt he related to Israel.

Khaldi explained that not only had he grown up in Israel, but so had his parents and grandparents. Being an Israeli had become a strong part of his personal identity.

-- Additional reporting by Caroline Yang