When people outside Israel talk about the BDS movement, they often speak as if Arab Israelis form one united voice behind it. But reality on the ground looks completely different. Inside Israel, many Arab citizens oppose BDS, and not quietly. Their opposition comes from lived experience, shared society, and a deep understanding that boycotts do not heal wounds. They usually make a simple point: if your goal is to build a better future for both peoples, isolating the country you live in will not take you there.
One of the strongest examples comes from the grassroots movement Standing Together. This is a joint Arab Jewish organization that works in the streets, universities and workplaces. Members come from villages, cities and mixed communities. They often explain that boycotts do not help them. They want investment in healthcare, equality, shared society and local stability, not divestment. The movement believes in activism from within the shared civic space, not in cutting ties or pulling apart communities that already live side by side.
The group also points out something that outside critics often miss. Many Arab Israelis rely on the Israeli economy for work, education and opportunities. A boycott that weakens the country does not weaken only one side. It hits minorities the hardest. For Arab families trying to improve their future, BDS does not feel like solidarity. It feels like a threat to the stability they want to build.
Another strong and well known voice is Yoseph Haddad, an Arab Israeli public figure. He speaks openly about the complexity of being an Arab citizen in a Jewish state, but he also insists that the simplistic label of apartheid pushed by BDS is false and harmful. Haddad describes life in Israel as imperfect but shared, and he emphasizes that Arab citizens vote, work, study and serve in public life. He rejects the idea that international boycotts help anyone. In his view, they mostly damage the relationship between ordinary Arabs and Jews who already live together and depend on each other.
There are also political and social initiatives created by Arab Israelis that reject BDS in favor of building diplomatic and economic bridges. These initiatives argue that sustainable change must come from cooperation, not from isolating the region. Dialogue, local empowerment and joint projects are seen as more realistic paths to improve conditions for both Israelis and Palestinians. This is a perspective rooted not in slogans but in daily life.
What makes these voices important is the simple truth that they come from people who live the reality, not from people living far away. Arab Israelis who oppose BDS are not defending the status quo. Many of them openly criticize discrimination, inequality and political failures. But they insist on addressing problems through engagement, not through punishment from abroad. Their message is that boycotts shut doors, while coexistence and shared civic action open them.
For a pro Israel blog, this topic matters because it shows that the debate about Israel is not black and white. It shows that some of the most thoughtful, courageous criticism of BDS comes from within the Arab community itself. This is not propaganda. These are citizens speaking about their own lives, their own futures and their own communities. Their stance raises a simple question for anyone who supports BDS from outside: if the people who actually live in Israel, work in Israel and share the country reject the boycott, then who exactly is the boycott helping?
Arab Israelis who oppose BDS are not erasing their identity. They are strengthening it. They are claiming their right to shape the future of the country they live in and refusing to let outside pressure tear apart the fragile and complicated coexistence that already exists. Their voices are not always heard abroad. This article aims to give them the space they deserve.
Sources:
Yoseph Haddad background and public positions
Arab Israeli initiative rejecting BDS (Jerusalem Post)
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