On Monday February 24, 2025, the Israeli-American Council (IAC) hosted an event at the Temple Sinai of Bergen County at which Sandra Fathi, IAC council member, interviewed three Arab activists who have contributed to the spread of support towards Israel. At the event, the speakers, Jonathan Elkhoury, Fatema Al Harbi, and Dalia Ziada talked about their role in the activism community, but one of the main aspects that they spoke about was how they were treated when they spoke out against hatred against the Jewish people.
Elkhoury— a Lebanese-Israeli citizen, LGBTQIA+ member, Christian, and refugee— spoke about how he faces constant battering by the media for speaking for Israel, as he has a history of respect and love towards the country. Elkhoury, originally from Southern Lebanon, was forced to move to Israel after Hezbollah took over the country, threatening anyone who supported Israel (which was a vast majority of South Lebanon). This involved his family, as his father was a part of the Southern Lebanon Army (SLA) which collaborated with Israel to keep the peace between the two countries’ borders. He was nine years old when he moved, and since then he has lived in Israel. After October 7, 2023, he made sure to spread correct information of what was happening in Israel to the Arab community, leading him to be further berated by hateful comments every day.
Al Harbi— a Bahraini citizen, first Bahraini EU Peace Ambassador, and 2008 Olympian— was also one of the three activists who came to speak at the IAC event. She grew up in Bahrain, a small country in the Middle East bordering Qatar, and she always believed that the right thing to do was bring together the communities of the Arabs and the Israelis. At the event, it was mentioned that she is the first Bahraini citizen to visit Israel and she was able to bring the first Holocaust memorial to her country as well. She was treated kindly when she entered Israel, but with the kindness she received she also received backlash as she was called “a traitor, a traitor to Islam, a traitor to Arabs, a traitor to the whole Middle East,” Al Harbi said. Further on in the event, she told a personal story about how her best friend went from being a complete antisemite to being a true supporter of Israel. She continued to advocate for Israel even after October 7, helping the people of Bahrain to further their thinking on Israel.
Ziada—an award winning Egyptian writer, Middle East peace activist, Senior Fellow for Research and Diplomacy at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, and former think tank member—was the last speaker at the event. She told her story of how she once loved being in Egypt, as it was where she grew up and lived for many years, and after October 7 she could longer be there. She was one of the first Egyptians to speak out against the actions of Hamas on live television and for that she was barraged with a series of death threats and hatred. Even though she made an attempt to speak to the police, she was denied help and realized that if she was to stay there any longer, there was a large chance of her being attacked. Though facing backlash for her original statement, she continues to advocate for Israel by posting on social media reminders of the everyday lives the hostages in Gaza are experiencing as well as condemning Hamas.
All three activists work on a daily basis to share their wisdom of the Middle East from all perspectives and make sure that they are viewed. The event concluded with a series of questions answered by the guest speakers and a round of thank yous to all involved with creating the program.
