Palestine: already free

Robert M. Levy

Will Israel ever elect an Arab government? Well, in a small way, maybe they just did. Yeah, Israel is Jewish, but it is also a democracy. Its Arab citizens, most of whom are Islamic, vote equally with Christians and Jews. And this time, Arabs will have an important role to play in the formation of an Israeli government. It is all fundamentally different from the role of any minority elsewhere in the Middle East.

Israel just had a “Parliamentary election.” It happens in “free” countries every few years. In this case, from “the river to the sea” EVERYONE voted… even the Muslim Arab Israelis. And yeah, there are a lot.

Arabs comprise about 22% of the population of Israel. By comparison, African Americans in the United States comprise about 12% of the population. Still, Israel managed to get each and every minority voter a picture identification card to allow them to vote. America is still working on that. Damn, those Jews are smart!

In fact, the Jews were so smart that they also found a way to count their 4.8 million parliamentary votes for 120 legislative seats quicker than Los Angeles counted its 900,000 votes for mayor. Maybe this ethnic stereotype of high intelligence is the reason why even antisemites want their doctors to be Jewish. But I digress.

There are 120 seats in the Knesset, the Israeli legislative body. 53 of those seats went to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s group of parties. Therefore, he lacks the 61 seats necessary to become the nation’s leader again. Meanwhile, 48 seats went to the main opposition headed by a “‘wannabe’” Prime Minister Gadi Eisenkot. Additionally, 19 seats went to the Arab block of legislators called “The Joint List.”

Yeah, these are “Arab members of the Israeli Parliament,” members with the same rights as the Jewish legislators with whom they share the same democratic chamber. Israel is a true democracy for all ethnicities.

Now, there are several possible outcomes. Eisenkot and Netanyahu could join forces to create what is called a “government of national unity.” But oh, yeah…Eisenkot and Netanyahu hate each other. It would be more likely that Donald Trump and Abdul El-Sayed would join forces to prevent an Iranian attack. It could happen. But the Poly market betting would be pessimistic.

The other possibility is that Eisenkot will join forces with the Arab Parties, making the Israeli government part—a very small part—Arab. In fact, Eisenkot suggested that he might do just that. There were even Israeli demonstrations at Eisenkot’s home demanding he “do just that.” It is why Israel “is ‘just’ what democracies look like.”

How many Jews are allowed to play a significant role in Lebanon? In Syria? In Saudi Arabia or anywhere where Islam is the predominant religion? Even Christians are pushed out everywhere in the Middle East…except for possibly Lebanon…but, that exception is quickly fading.

If the American and European left have their way, Israel will fall into the authoritarianism that pervades much of the world. That authoritarianism is all about what a “Free Palestine” looks like.

The radicals in the United States and in Europe would have Westerners believe that Israel is a nation dedicated to the genocide of Arab and what it calls “Palestinian” civilization. But this accused “Israeli genocidal population” comprises the same people who, in spite of experiencing murder and rape at the hands of their enemy, feed their enemy with tons of food, vaccinate their enemy’s children against polio and allow the Islamic Arabs of Israel to participate in elections with a vote equal to that of any member in the Jewish majority. It is the same right that the Christians of Israel enjoy, too.

Now, there is always a possibility that the Arab parties will remain out of the Israeli government. Part of the Netanyahu block could be “peeled off” from the Eisenkot block or vice versa. In fact, that is the likely way a majority will be formed. Still, that will not lessen the very real role that all ethnicities and religions play in this Jewish nation.

Contrast the above vision of Israel with the vision of the radical leftists now prominent in the United States and Europe. They envision an Islamic nation in Israel similar to all other Islamic nations throughout the Middle East. They call it a “Free Palestine. But, for Jews and Christians living in the area, such a nation will never be “free.” In our hearts, we all know it, too.

Yeah, Israel can be properly criticized. Like the United States, it is not a perfect democracy. People get killed who should not be killed and the rights of minorities are not always as respected as they should be.

There are rogue police officers in every democracy. There are rogue soldiers in every army.But that is no reason to hold Israel to a standard of democracy to which no democracy is ever held.

There is discrimination in Israel with respect to some Arabs. It is similar to the discrimination that exists among the races in the United States. But in Israel, just like the United States, women have rights equal to men. Gay people can exercise their personal right to privacy without fear of imprisonment or execution. And an independent judiciary does function as a check on majority overreach. Like the United States, Israel strives to become a “more perfect union.” It has not yet reached that goal; but, it is far ahead of its local area competition.

Israel is a prosperous place where many Arabs would prefer to live. As is the case with United States, illegal immigrants flock across its border. They come not just to infiltrate as enemies of the state, but mostly to seek a better economic life. Prosperity is a life that only a democracy like Israel or the U.S. can create. It is a life which the enemies of Western Civilization are trying to destroy. That destruction is the real goal of the so-called “Free Palestine” (“Enslave Palestine?”) movement.

Nov. 1, 2026

Robert M. Levy

RobertReports.substack.com

Robert M. Levy grew up in Moore County and graduated from Pinecrest High School. He earned a BA in history and sociology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where his honors thesis on the Wilmington Rebellion of 1898 became part of the university’s library collection.

Admitted to the California State Bar in 1978, Levy practiced law for 40 years in California and Maryland, focusing on family and criminal law, including work with juvenile offenders and abused children. His writing on affirmative action appeared in the San Fernando Valley Law Review, and he authored Divorce: A Cynical Experience. He later earned a North Carolina teaching certificate from UNC Charlotte and taught high school social studies across Moore County.

Levy has served as chairman of the Moore County School Board, president of the North Carolina Electoral College, chairman of the Moore County Republican Party, and a columnist for The Pilot in Southern Pines. He lives in Pinehurst with his wife, Linda, and they have three children and four grandchildren.

Want to submit an editorial for consideration? If you level up with Robert Levy’s quality, send your bio and proposal to editor@sandhills.news.

Subscribe to Sandhills News and support this conservative journalism with advertising.

Submit news tips, events and interview requests to editor@sandhills.news.

Sandhills News is plain-English local government reporting that explains how decisions impact you.