The Night the Arabs Chose Israel - Even at the Risk of Death
Months of discreet meetings between Israeli delegates and key Arab clans culminate in a historic appeal to normalize relations with Israel - exactly as envisioned in a quiet tent near Hebron. I was there.
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For a long time, this was a well-guarded secret. Today, it's finally safe to speak about it.
Not long ago, revealing this story could have been a death sentence. In fact, some of the Palestinians who dared to meet with usת Israeli Jews, were later tortured, disappeared, or even killed.
We’re talking about the initial meetings that began several months ago in villages near Hebron, between a group of Israelis and several prominent Arab tribal leaders from Judea and Samaria, led by Sheikh Jabari - a key figure among the region’s most influential clans. Today, the Wall Street Journal reports that these very leaders have formally requested to join the Abraham Accords - exactly as we envisioned that chilly evening in the sheikh’s tent, where we sat together and spoke of a shared future, a different vision for a region long soaked in blood.
I remember receiving a chilling phone call from one of the key initiators of the Hebron initiative only a month after the meeting. He warned me to stay silent, told me our photos had been leaked, and that one of the participants had undergone brutal interrogation and then vanished by the PLO.
Still, a month before that call, I remember the car ride to Hebron vividly. We traveled with a senior figure to the village of Yatta for an unforgettable feast, then sat in the tent of Sheikh Jabari. We took a photo together and ended the night with a stop at the Cave of the Patriarchs. That evening, he told me, “This is a historic night. One day, we’ll tell our grandchildren about it.”
I also recall the call from another organizer to a senior Israeli cabinet minister. The minister expressed cautious interest - acknowledging the potential, but advising careful handling as we drove through Kiryat-Arba.
The question now is whether that night will become history.
Israel has nothing to lose here. An Emirati-style vision beginning in Hebron is far superior in every measurable way to the current Palestinian Authority, which continues to educate children in hatred and violence, and is structurally incapable of delivering peace.
Is true coexistence with tribal leaders possible? Can these sheikhs deliver?
No one knows for certain. But one thing is clear: any initiative that helps remove the Palestinian Authority from the equation is a welcome one.