Original article by: United with Israel Staff; editing mine.

Muslim Zionism has Capacity to Swing Israeli Election

From R-L: Anett, myself, and Y.

Anett Haskia is an Arab Muslim Zionist. By serving as a role model for young Arab Israelis, she hopes to influence change and help bring about a lasting peace.

At first glance, Anett Haskia appears to be your typical Israeli mother. But this Israeli mother of three is anything but typical.  Born and raised in the mixed Jewish-Arab city of Acre (Akko), Haskia describes herself as an Arab Muslim Zionist. She is a proud Israeli citizen who loves her country.

Haskia is also running for the Knesset (Israel’s Parliament), but not as a member of an Arab party. She hopes to win a seat in the Bayit Yehudi (Jewish Home) party – a party whose constitution and platform is religious (Jewish) Zionist. She believes that her presence in the party and in the Knesset could help bring about the changes necessary to set Israel in the direction towards real peace.

[Anett has the capacity to dramatically alter the face of Israeli politics by representing disenfranchised Israeli Arabs who support a strong and stable Jewish state and who don’t feel that the current Arab MK’s have any connection to them or their best interests. They feel abandoned and forgotten both by those claiming to represent them and the State of Israel–Israel because whether we agree or not, racism and discrimination continue negating the gains Israel has made towards equality. The Jewish Home party stands to gain the votes of thousands of Israelis and change the way people perceive Israel.] E.D.

Not that Haskia believes in the so-called peace process of recent years. Like most supporters of Bayit Yehudi, she believes that the “two-state delusion” is a recipe for disaster that puts Israel’s very existence at risk and will do nothing to achieve peace in the end.

Arab-Israeli Identity Shift

To that end, Anett has begun to create programs for Israeli-Arab schools in order to help shift the identity of young Israeli Arabs from that of “Palestinian” to “Israeli.”  She says that they need to stop observing Nakba Day (Nakba is Arabic for catastrophe, and in this case refers to the creation of the Jewish State) and to start celebrating Israeli Independence Day – for without the State of Israel, the Arab community would not enjoy the freedoms that are unique to Israel in the Middle East.

Most Arab Israelis know, even if they will not admit it out loud, that they have far more freedom and rights than they would in any other country in the region.

“The Arab community, however, has virtually no support for developing an Israeli identity, and this situation must change,” Haskia explains.

“The Arab narrative does not have to be Palestinian,” she states.

With the recent call for new elections, Haskia will have to act quickly if she intends to make the list. Parlor meetings are being set up around the country to introduce voters to this impressive personality and her agenda.

She still has a long way to go. Besides the need for funding for a political campaign, she must also gather enough supporters to prove to Bayit Yehudi that she is a force to be reckoned with and that she deserves a seat in the party.