Israel Promotes First Female Christian Arab to Combat Commander
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Arab and Jewish Caracal women Christian Arab IDF uniform Israel Defense Forces Jewish Soldiers Mona Abdo
Mona Abdo. Photo: IDF.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) promoted a female Christian Arab to become a combat commander for the first time ever on Oct. 17.
Mona Abdo, 20, grew up in a Christian home in Haifa. She voluntarily enlisted in the IDF when she turned 18 with the encouragement of her family. Upon enlistment Mona was assigned to the Ordnance Corps. However, she quickly realized that she wanted more of an active role and was transferred to the combat unit Caracal—which has both male and female, and Arab and Jewish soldiers fighting alongside each other.
However, despite her family’s support, Mona has faced mixed reactions within her community. “There were people who were very proud of me, but there were those [Arabs] on the street who saw me with the IDF uniform and the fighter pin and told me I was a traitor,” Mona told Israel’s Channel 2 News.
With the IDF commanders training course behind her, Mona is looking forward to becoming a pioneering leader within the IDF.
“I’m very excited and I’m thinking about the fact that soon I’m going to get new troops who will be under my command. I hope to lead by personal example,” she said.
7:28 am
It might make a lot of divide and conquer sense for Israel to favour Christians in a lot of other matters too eg return and citizennship for Jeriusalem and other territories “Arabs”.
There is a small group of Arab Christians trying to revive Aramaic and this would do well for both Jews and Christians in Israel and push Arabs and Arabic off the assumption tha the Levant is Arab/Arabic when it is only so by imperialist conquest.
May I table as interesting policy discuussion whether we should not all – in all circumstances and contexts – refer to Arabs as imperialists – and violent, blinkered, cultural imperialists with it.
12:27 pm
Another example of Democracy, the rarest component of the Middle East and found only in Israel.. In real combat, I would hesitate to put her in harm’s way. If captured, just try to imagine what the Muslims would do with her before cutting her up in pieces. ML
10:19 pm
Congratulations Mona; a Christian and an Arab recognized in the IDF. I don’t suppose we will see this phenomena in the conventional press.
6:00 pm
Cool! Congratulations to this young woman. She is an inspiration! She has a lot to be proud about! Best wishes to her!
7:44 pm
This is Great news! Let this valiant and proud Arab Israeli Christian woman lead the nation into battle against the Muslim Arab infidels! Maybe with her good looks she can even convert a few. The world would be a much better place if more Arabs like Wahlid Shoebat coverted to Christianity.
5:43 pm
Is Mona Abdo the first Arab woman in history to become a combat commander? I assume she is. Israel, of course, elected Golda Meir to be the first woman in history to become head of government who was neither the wife (like Sirimavo Bandaranaike) nor the daughter (like Indira Gandhi,daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru) of a previous head of government.