Last week, the Shin Bet security agency revealed that an Arab Israeli woman living in Lebanon, who is married to a Lebanese citizen with ties to Hezbollah, tried enlisting Arab Israelis as Hezbollah agents. A similar case was exposed just a few months ago: A resident of Tayibe, in central Israel, met with Iranian agents in Europe, received money and espionage equipment, and was arrested upon his return to Israel. These are just a reminder of the ayatollahs' regime's desire to stir the pot here, in Israel, via Hezbollah, whose operatives constantly propagandize and try enlisting Arab Israelis into the organization's ranks.
On the surface, one might be inclined to think these elements are fishing in the right waters. Supposedly, it should be easy to find many Arab Israelis who identify with the anti-Israel, anti-Zionist and anti-American worldviews that drive Iran and Hezbollah. With just a bit of pressure here or there, they should be able to convert such sentiments into action to harm Israeli or American interests and assure the new agents of prestige and adulation in the Arab world.
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This is not a new phenomenon, but social media networks, which don't care about geographical borders, make it easier to enlist agents. On Facebook, for example, it isn't hard to identify and target opinionated young men and women, who engage, to varying degrees, with activists from the Arab world, particularly those with ties to anti-Israeli organizations or boycott movements. Initial meetings could take place abroad, for instance at pro-Palestinian conferences or events.
In reality, however – without downplaying the severity of the threat – the potential is minuscule. Perhaps Hezbollah officials believe that the Arab public, as a minority living and involved in the country's affairs, can provide access to sensitive security information. In actuality though, as we all know, Israel's Arab citizens are not a large part of the defense establishment.
Any affection that Israeli Arabs harbor for Iran and Hezbollah is also extremely limited. Empathy with other Arab peoples unquestionably exists, but not necessarily with their governments or organizations. Indeed, voices within the Arab Israeli public have openly voiced support for Hezbollah in the past, but these voices were not dominant, and in the meantime, the situation has changed, if not completely reversed. Hezbollah and Iran's support for the Assad regime and its crimes has created a rift among the Arab public and the Arab parties. Proponents of political Islam harshly criticize Iran and Hezbollah's involvement in the Syrian civil war, as do many supporters of Balad and Hadash.
And most importantly: Thus far, the Shin Bet has uncovered every attempt to recruit Arab Israelis, which is a good thing. Israel's Arab citizens should and need to distance themselves from any activity that can damage Israel's security. The encouraging news – from the perspective of any advocate of coexistence and integration in the country's institutions – is that contrary to the perception, these isolated cases do not represent the majority, which by and large opposes the phenomenon. This is not due to a fear of getting caught, but because of the profound understanding that such activities are wrong and dangerous.
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