Not Scared
"In recent years, some have been trying to scare us and warn us not to visit Jerusalem or stay there. But we have no fear. This event has been held for the past 54 years and the Arabs have learned to accept and live with it. It is only now that they and various foreign governments are making a fuss."
Weak Government
"Such a party as Raam is illegal in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states but it is a political player in Israel," says Sharabany. "And because they influence decision makers, Arabs are getting bolder. We see it when students are waving Palestinian flags on campuses across Israel. When Arab lawmakers are calling to attack Israeli police and when ordinary Israelis are scared to enter such Arab cities as Umm Al Fahm for fear of being attacked."
Only Way Forward
"We shouldn't be scared of Hamas. If we do so, it will explode in our faces, and the next confrontation will be multi-faceted," says the activist. "The only way for Israel to avoid this scenario is by establishing a national government that would not sit down with terrorists. Secondly, we need to use force to curb those, who threaten the state and, lastly, we need to integrate those Arabs, who want to live along us."