Thursday, March 6, 2008

A Dead Arab Soldier

...who was killed while serving in the IDF. Yes. He was one of the Tracker's unit - soldiers who have the ability to read the terrain in a way no urban-raised person can do anymore, in the 21st century (or 20th, for that matter). The trackers are always non-Jews - either Druze or Beduins - since only they are raised from earliest childhood to observe the natural environment they live in.

So he was Beduin, but also an Israeli patriot. And also had two wives (this is illegal in Israel). Perhaps most poignant of all, his family has requested that his name not be made public, since as Arabs they fear reprisals against them. Not only have they lost a son, they also fear that other Arabs will now attack them for being so committed to their country. Lest you think this is an unusual case, it's not: a very similar event happened last year, and then also the family kept their identity secret out of fear.

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