After more than 20 years in the role, Col. Avichay Adraee is leaving his position as the IDF spokesperson in Arabic, a job he filled, in my view, with great success. In many ways, Adraee became, over time and whether he wanted it or not, the most recognizable face of the IDF in the Arab world.
In general, the role of the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson is different from the work done in any other language. The spokesperson is forced, on a constant basis, to confront a wave of threats and lies, and to spar with actual enemies across Arab media outlets, which often, and strangely, employ Palestinians or journalists identified with the Muslim Brotherhood. As is well known, the Arab world operates in a clearly hostile way toward anything connected to Israel, certainly anything connected to the IDF. It is an Arab media sphere that is not objective.
In other words, this is a difficult and demanding job, full of challenges. Over time, the Arab world managed to “digest” Adraee after hundreds, even thousands, of appearances and on-air confrontations. What helped him do the job was his background, including his Iraqi Jewish origins, and his command of Arabic.
'Captain Ella'
Who is expected to replace Adraee soon? His deputy, Maj. Ella Wawiya, known in the Arab world as “Captain Ella.” Wawiya is expected to face many challenges in the role. Unlike Adraee, her background and the fact that she is a woman are likely to make it harder for her to do the job. That difficulty stems from more than her gender. It also stems from her identity as a Muslim Palestinian from “inside,” or an Arab citizen of Israel from within the 1948 borders (as Arab Israelis are often described in parts of the Arab world).
On the issue of gender more broadly, Islam does not recognize equality between the sexes. Male superiority is central. The Quran even permits, in certain cases, striking a woman. In much of the Arab world, the Arab Muslim woman lives in a chauvinistic, male-dominated society. At the same time, she plays an important role within her community, and society places heavy responsibility on her at home, raising children and managing household life, including its economics.
Even though the Quran and Islamic law grant women equal rights in financial matters (the right to sell, purchase, and own property), and also grant rights in marriage, divorce, and inheritance, Arab society has often erased those rights, while trampling the dignity of Muslim women.
The fact that, to this day, a man can marry four women without the consent of his wives testifies to the grim status of women in Arab society and in Muslim countries in general. On divorce as well, it is enough for a husband to say three times, “You are divorced,” for Islamic law to render the woman forbidden to him.
Full equality in Israel
In any case, the women in Arab society, as noted, live under male oppression and, in many instances, depend on their husbands for their livelihood. The only place where a Muslim woman has full equality is Israel. In Israel, minorities are protected, and they are encouraged to take senior positions in the state, unlike many Arab countries, where minorities are repressed. In light of all this, it is an honor for me, and for the people of Israel, that a woman like Captain Ella will serve as the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson.
In practice, Captain Ella’s appearances in Arab media as the representative of the IDF undermine, for Israel’s enemies, the theories of an “apartheid state” or a “racist state.” In Egypt, for example, more than 25% of the population is Christian, and Christians serve compulsory military service. Yet there is not even one Christian in the senior general staff of the Egyptian army, which includes dozens of Muslim officers. Appointing a Christian spokesperson for the Egyptian army is almost impossible. Israel is completely different when it comes to minority rights.
As for Captain Ella’s background, this is where she is likely to face many challenges, and she will need time to adapt to the Arab media sphere. This is a subjective world, marked by prejudice, sexism, and stereotypes. It is a space dominated by men, and one that holds strong anti-Israel views. An Israeli Muslim female officer is simply too much for this conservative world, which is saturated with hatred toward Israel.
It is entirely possible that many will choose to smear her, avoiding a substantive confrontation, and instead accuse her of betrayal, claiming she has “betrayed the Palestinian cause,” and the like. I know Captain Ella well. She is an excellent and highly talented officer, and I have no doubt she will succeed in her role despite the difficulties. From her perspective, as she is accustomed to saying, “The State of Israel is above all.”