Saudi social media influencer Mohammed Saud, who recently made both waves and friends by playing Israel's national anthem "Hatikvah" on the oud, tells JNS that "Saudi Arabian citizens are starting to learn much more about the Jewish people around the world."

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"My friends know my opinions, but not all share them. That is OK," he says. "However, as a result of rabbis visiting Saudi Arabia, the population is beginning to learn more about politics and the relationship with Jews worldwide."

He adds that "slowly, the country is becoming more open to different viewpoints, and people are starting to accept the fact that Jews are not our enemies."

The 33-year-old unmarried man says that Saudis want the Palestinian issue to be resolved, but they also think Israel and Saudi Arabia will one day live peacefully: "If you ask people on the street if they want peace, most of them will tell you that the Palestinian issue needs to be resolved, so some of my friends agree with me, and some do not, which is OK."

Saud often tweets in Hebrew and is followed by some Israeli public figures, such as Yair Netanyahu, the son of Likud Party head and opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu; Knesset member Amichai Chikli; and Channel 14 TV host Yinon Magal.

Asked about how Saudis react to his pro-Israel positions, he responds: "To be honest, I sometimes receive very hurtful comments, but I do not think they come from real Saudis; instead, I think they come from some people from other countries."

And if the complaints influence him, he replies, "I do not really care if Saudis criticize me; there may be some, but I do not really care about that."

"And yes," he continues, "I think some Saudis are very upset by my views and opinions; however, that is their problem since my only objective is to encourage peace and, you know, stop wars in the Middle East."

Asked if he would travel to Israel when normalization occurs, he answers: "Of course, I would travel to Israel if there were direct flights. However, in my opinion, most Israelis will first travel to Saudi Arabia, as I have seen thousands of Israelis travel to the United Arab Emirates since the [Abraham Accords] peace agreement was signed."

He expects to first greet all the Israelis in Saudi Arabia and then fly to Israel, noting that "I am so eager to visit Israel and the many people I have met online."

And regarding his first contact with Jews and how this shaped his thinking, Saud explains that "when I first encountered Jews in my life while attending university in the United States, it was in New York. It was fascinating, unlike anything I had ever experienced before."

Later, after returning to Saudi Arabia, he began using social media and searching online to learn more about Jews and Israelis. As a result, many Jews visited his home; he even had a Hanukkah candle lit for them.

"I gave them such a warm welcome that they surprised me with gifts, candies and food from Israel," he relates. "Everyone is welcome in my home, whether Jewish, Muslim or Christian; I do not judge people based on their religion; instead, I consider whether they are good."

He notes that former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein attacked Kuwait and Saudi Arabia with the support of the Palestinians during the first Gulf War in 1990.

Saud also says that he understands what's going on regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "The Palestinians teach their children to despise Jews, create terror camps during the summer, bomb people eating in restaurants or celebrating bar mitzvahs," he says.

"The Palestinians do not want peace and could transform Gaza into a paradise. But instead of building swimming pools, sports centers, clubs and restaurants – and opening the area to tourists – they spend all their money making terror tunnels," he adds.

The Palestinians "proclaim their opposition to peace everywhere," but instead of making peace, they just let the conflict go on indefinitely. "I think Israel should make peace with everyone in the region so that the Palestinians will eventually have no choice but to join the consensus," says Saud.

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He mentions that he is unsure how Arabs in other countries feel about normalization but that there must be support for it, as seen with the growing relations between Israel and some Arab countries.

There are flights from Israel to Bahrain, the UAE and Morocco – and now the opening of Saudi airspace to "all carriers," paving the way for Israeli commercial airlines to overfly the kingdom and thereby drastically reduce flight times from the Jewish state to major destinations in Asia – "so it appears the majority undoubtedly supports it."

"I believe some individuals do not help, but the majority unquestionably supports it," says Saud. "Therefore, I sincerely hope our nation will be the next to sign a peace treaty with Israel."

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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Tensions between Israelis and Arabs have increased in recent days as unrest ensues on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City, which has been a hotbed over the years, especially during the confluence of Passover and Ramadan.

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The pressure has only risen after a string of terror attacks in major Israeli cities in the lead-up to the holiday period, which many Israelis viewed as the start of another intifada.

Amid this, the United Arab List political party (known in Israel by its Hebrew acronym Ra'am) announced that it has suspended relations with the Israeli government coalition on Sunday, dealing a potentially fatal blow to Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's tenuous government. This move comes as the Arab-Israeli sector is reacting to the violence in Jerusalem. Last week, Ayman Odeh, the head of the Joint List block of Arab Parties, called on Arab-Israeli members of the security forces to resign.

Speaking in Arabic from Jerusalem's Damascus Gate, Odeh called on Arab Israelis to avoid joining Israeli security forces and told those already enlisted to "throw the weapons in their face," according to Israel's Channel 12 News.

Yet the Arab-Israeli sector has an ever-increasing high standard of living. So why are their leaders hostile towards the state that has allowed them to flourish?

A recent report shows an increase in higher education and employment among Arab women. Nevertheless, crime rates continue to be high. And Arab Israelis continue to elect radical leaders who work against the state.

So how can the two positions be reconciled: radical political views matched with what appears to be modernization?

The answer is culture. Modernization has not led to Westernization.

In The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, Samuel Huntington stated: "As the pace of modernization increases, however, the rate of Westernization declines and the indigenous culture goes through a revival."

Thus, despite apparent advances on the economic front, there still is a tribal and religiously based opposition to the state.

Amid a wave of Palestinian violence, the Arab Israeli political parties have hedged their position by condemning the violence out of one side of their mouths and rationalizing it from the other.

For example, Sami Abu Shehadeh, head of the Arab nationalist Balad Party—part of the Joint List—tweeted in Hebrew on April 9: "Only a just political solution and an end to the occupation are a guarantee for a safer and better future for all of us."

In other words, it is Israel's fault for the recent massacres and violence perpetrated against innocent civilians. Yet these attempts by Arab-Israeli leaders to condemn the attacks while at the same time justifying them are not gaining trust among the country's Jews, which are purchasing firearms at record rates.

Earlier this month, the number of Israeli civilians applying for firearm permits reached an all-time high.

The Arab parties condemned the acts, "but Hadash said that the root of all evil is the Israeli occupation of the 1967 Palestinian Territories," Arik Rudnitzky of the Israel Democracy Institute and Tel Aviv University's Moshe Dayan Center said.

Asked about the Islamic Movement's presence in the government and if he sees the party leaving because of the latest attacks, Rudnitzky replied: "I don't think it will affect their decision to stay in the government."

The southern branch of the Islamic Movement's Ra'am Party is part of the governing coalition, represented by Knesset member Mansour Abbas. Its northern branch has been outlawed by the Israeli authorities since 2015.

The Islamic Movement has followed a pragmatic line that seeks to put a friendly face on the movement. Nonetheless, it is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, just as the Hamas terror organization is in the Gaza Strip. Abbas hopes that participation in the coalition government and tangible achievements for the Arab sector will gain its popularity and clout.

"They say they entered the coalition as an experiment, but I don't think it is an experiment but a strategic decision," assessed Rudnitzky. "Once you sit at the coalition table, you will not give up on it too soon."

Sheikh Maufak Tarif, head of the Druze community in Israel, said that "terrorism has once again sadly returned to the streets of Israeli cities, and is trying to raise its head and intimidate the citizens of the country."

Tarif was adamant that the terror attacks must be condemned: "Our hearts go out to the families of those killed and hope for the recovery of the wounded. I am confident that the security forces will know how to restore calm to the cities of Israel."

While most Arabs in Israel are Muslim, significant minorities do not follow the general anti-Israel narrative.

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"The Druze community lost a dear young man, the heroic Border Police officer Yazan Falah, in the terrorist attack in Hadera. He paid the price for the state and its security," he added.

Falah, from the Druze village of Kasra-Samia, was 19 years old.

These killers "should be condemned and their supporters shunned," said Tarif. The public must work together, Arabs and Jews alike, for coexistence, said the Druze leader, adding "we all must live and die for the country."

There was a second example of an Arab defending the state against Palestinian terrorism in the haredi city of Bnei Brak. Amir Khoury was a Christian Arab police officer killed while responding to the terrorist attack there on March 29. The city of Bnei Brak decided in recent weeks to name a street after him, the first non-Jew to receive such an honor.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

The post Why do Arab Israelis continue to back violence, opposition to the state? appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.