A prominent Arab politician in Israel has framed photos of himself with Yasser Arafat, Bill Clinton, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan in his office.
The Arabic phrase, "The more beautiful days are those we did not yet live," is displayed in front of Ahmad Tibi's desk. The legislator claims this serves as an important message for his people as they come under increasing scrutiny in the wake of Hamas's October 7 attack.
1,195 persons died in Israel as a result of the strike, the majority of them were civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Data from the health ministry of the Hamas-run territory in Gaza show that at least 37,765 individuals have died as a result of Israel's retaliatory military action, the majority of them civilians.
The Arab minority in Israel, who make up around 20% of the population, has been under pressure because of this. They claim they are the victims of unfair police treatment and an increase in hate crimes.
Tibi, the 65-year-old chairman of a party with an Arab majority, told AFP that "after October 7, hundreds of Arab citizens were hunted down, chased by the Israeli police for writing a post or a story empathising with the children of Gaza or saying no to the war."
"It was, and still is, tough days for Palestinian citizens of Israel."
Adalah, a group that promotes the rights of Arab minorities in Israel, claimed that those in the community who showed compassion for Gazan citizens were being unjustly penalized.
According to official numbers, Israeli police detained 401 individuals between October 7 and March 27, the bulk of them were Arabs, for speech-related offences that they deemed to be equivalent to "incitement to terrorism".
There were 667 suspects for speech-related offences during that period; of them, 590 were Arabs and only 13 were Jewish Israeli citizens.
"The crackdown on freedom of speech has created a situation in which Palestinian citizens... can neither protest nor freely voice their opinions," according to a report released after October 7.
ANTI-ARAB RHETORIC
Tibi, however, asserts that he and other Arab Israeli citizens opposed the October 7 civilian killings.
"We said here and everywhere that we are against targeting civilians... in the south of Israel -- any child, any woman," he stated.
"Meanwhile, we are talking about more than 15,000 Palestinian children killed in Gaza."
Even though some of their Arab colleagues who faced disciplinary actions were found not guilty, Jewish students in certain schools have demanded that their classmates be removed.
Following October 7, students chanted "Death to Arabs!" and attempted to smash through doors at a protest at a dorm in central Israel.
Right-wing Israelis protested against a Jerusalem store that hired Arab employees in November.
However, the legislator feels that anti-Arab language is not receiving the same response, claiming he has lost 13 relatives in Gaza to Israeli bombs.
"All those on the Jewish side who called to deport Arab citizens, to kill all Arabs, to destroy all of Gaza... no one was arrested," Tibi stated.
The government of Israel highlights Arabs' positions in the parliament, judiciary, and medical facilities as evidence of their social acceptance.
However, Israel's 2018 adoption of a law designating the nation as the "nation-state of the Jewish people" infuriated Arabs, and Tibi sees inequity only growing worse.
"After October 7, it was ethnocracy, only for Jews," he stated.
'WE WILL REMAIN'
After October 7, Tibi himself became the target of Jewish Israelis' anger.
"I received not tens, but hundreds of threats by ordinary Israelis. When there is a war... everyone is considered to be a legitimate target."
Asked if he fears being attacked, he replied: "No, but I am cautious."
The longtime advisor to former Palestinian leader Arafat berated far-right ally National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for their worsening treatment of Arabs.
"Based on Israeli law, he is a terrorist," he declared of Ben Gvir, a settler found guilty of inciting racism and providing assistance to a terrorist organization due to his affiliation with a Jewish extremist group that is outlawed.
But Tibi says he still believes that Jews and Arabs may develop bridges between dramatic hand gestures.
"I am realistic, but I am optimistic always because I am on the right side of history," he stated.
He claims that "democracy is the only way" to stop the Gaza War and establish a Palestinian state with full rights.
"It is a natural right for Palestinians," he stated.
Tibi, now speaking in Arabic, had a scathing message for both his people and their enemies.
"Attempts to intimidate us are made. We will resist this wave of racism and fascism, as we have in the past," he declared.
"We were here, and we will remain here."
