The London-based pan-Arabic Saudi news outlet Asharq Al-Awsat published rare words of praise for an Israeli man this week. The outlet's website ran an article describing the many Palestinians who visited the family of Michael Ben-Zikri, who was killed last week trying to save an Arab family from drowning, to pay condolences.
The Asharq Al-Awsat article describes how Ben-Zikri spotted someone calling for help at Zikim Lake near the Ashkelon beach. The man approached Ben-Zikri and told him that a woman was drowning. Ben-Zikri jumped into the lake and managed to save a mother, a teenage girl, and two younger children, but downed after his strength ran out.
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The Saudi news outlet also reported that Israeli Arab delegations were paying condolence visits to the Ben-Zikri family and quoted chairman of the Joint Arab List Ayman Odeh, who said, "Racist politics inject their poison into souls and pervert humanity and its tolerant nature. But that humanity is what will win."
Former Ra'am-Ta'al MK Taleb a-Sanaa was quoted by the Saudi news outlet as saying that the Bedouin town of Hura had decided to commemorate Ben-Zikri in its municipal offices to honor his having saved local residents.
Sanaa told Asharq Al-Awsat that Arab society was expressing its thanks for Ben-Zikri's deed: "You could have saved one child and stopped. But you went on to save everyone, and you paid the heaviest price of all. In Islam, the name 'Michael' means 'angel.' You were the family's angel. We will name a street after you."
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