Arabs Visit Jewish Mayor’s Sukkah in Defiance of PA

October 13, 2017

2 min read

Approximately 30 Palestinians and hundreds of Israelis attended a holiday event at the sukkah of Efrat Mayor Oded Revivi to celebrate coexistence. The identities of the Palestinians, many leaders in their communities, was not revealed because last year four Palestinians who attended a similar event were arrested by the Palestinian Authority (PA) and detained for four days for meeting with “murders of babies”.

Efrat Mayor Oded Revivi hosting an Arab-Israeli event in his sukka (Photo Yesha Council)

Oded Revivi welcomed his guests explaining that the holiday of Sukkot was the ideal time for this event: “Sukkot is out of the ordinary, we are commanded to go outside of our homes, just as the weather is beginning to change for the worst and celebrate, exposed to the elements. Making peace, like Sukkot, will only be achieved by taking extraordinary measures and utilizing out-of-the-box methods. First, we must have peace locally between neighbors and only then will we be able to foster national reconciliation”.

He went on to praise his Palestinian visitors.
“You are heroes and I salute your bravery for coming here today. It should not be taken for granted that this event is happening for the second year in a row, after the outrageous Palestinian Authority arrests last year. We cannot allow those who prefer separation over coexistence to prevail, we must continue to break down the imaginary walls that separate us and continue to build bridges between our two communities.”
The event was also attended by Efrat Chief Rabbi and founder Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, IDF head of the Judea and Samaria Division Brigadier General Nir Aran, and Commander Morris Chen, head of the local police district. A musical group composed Jewish and Muslim musicians performed.

The PA frequently arrests Palestinians who promote coexistence. In September, the PA arrested Muhammed Jabir, a resident of Hebron, for hosting Likud MK Rabbi Yehudah Glick for the Muslim holiday of  Eid al-Adha. Last year, a group of Palestinians who attended a multi-faith prayer called the Jerusalem Hug, organized by Abrahamic Reunion leader Eliyahu Mclean, were assaulted by a group of fellow Arabs belonging to the anti-normalization movement.

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