"My
father kicked me out when he discovered I enlisted," said Ibrahim. But
this Bedouin soldier’s dedication to the IDF eventually changed his
father’s mind.
When
Ibrahim graduated high school with honors, his father thought it would
be a waste of time to send the boy to the IDF, convincing him to give up
on the army draft and direct his potential towards academic studies.
When he enlisted regardless, his father banished him from the house.
Now, upon completion of his officer’s course, Ibrahim describes the
pride he holds for his country, the obligation he felt to enlist in the
IDF, and the friends he met on his way to completing his dream of
serving in the IDF.
In
Ibrahim's home village of Bu'eine Nujeidat in northern Israel, military
enlistment is routine.
Most of the youth are recruited for full army
service at age 18, with IDF officers often coming to speak with high
school students in the village about contributing to the army in a
significant way. Military uniforms hanging to dry on clothes lines
outside apartment patios is not an unusual sight for the village’s
residents. Israeli law, however, does not require them to enlist.
Ibrahim
was impacted by the presence of IDF soldiers coming to his school every
year, and their discussions about the purpose of the army and the
importance of enlisting.
So,
he decided to join. “When I graduated from high school in 2006, I was
all set to join the army,” Ibrahim said, indicating that his recruitment
date was set for the summer of 2006 - the same summer during which
northern Israel was under heavy rocket attack. Those attacks eventually
lead to the Second Lebanon War.
His
father, however, constantly delayed his enlistment. "My father did not
want me to join the army," Ibrahim said. "I had excellent grades. He
wanted me to go learn and find a profession. He said having an education
was preferable to being in the military. He had no idea what people do
in the army, thinking the army is only about war and that’s all.”
Ibrahim,
who grew up in an environment where respect for your father is a
supreme value, gave up on his impending draft into an IDF combat unit
and instead joined his father, working with him for two years as an
usher in his family’s business. "My father is a bit of a hardhead,”
Ibrahim explained. "No one could convince him. I talked with my uncle to
convince him. He also didn’t succeed. I was only 18 at the time and, as
my father said, I had to do what he says.”
“Don’t return home”
Although
Ibrahim had no choice but to continue living a life without a military
uniform, he never let go of the idea of recruitment. "I began to study
civil engineering at the Technion university in Haifa. After two years,
some of my friends who enlisted in the army were released, and that is
when it hit me,” he recalled. "I started to think again about enlisting.
I decided that I’m not waiting anymore and I immediately went to the
recruiting office. I completed the necessary tests and medical exams,
and I enlisted without anyone knowing," he said.
Ibrahim
finally enlisted into the IDF on March 27th, 2011. He was drafted into
the Bedouin Desert Reconnaissance Battalion. While he enlisted secretly,
Israel is too small a country, and secrets are easily revealed. Shortly
after his draft, news of Ibrahim's enlistment reached his family.
Ibrahim
painfully recalls his father’s reaction: "My dad called me and said,
'Do not come home. I do not want you at home.’” The following weeks, he
divided his time between the base and in the field, with weekends spent
at his aunt’s house.
After
about six weeks, Ibrahim was surprised to receive a phone call from his
father. "I was on vacation for a few days, and I got a phone call from
my father saying, 'Come home and let’s talk.’ I could not believe it. I
called my mother and asked her what was the matter. She also told me,
‘come home, he wants to talk to you.’”
Following
weeks of no contact with his family, Ibrahim returned to the place
where he grew up and sat down with his father. Ibrahim discussed the
long and difficult conversation he had with his father: "He asked, 'Why
did you do that to me? What was missing in your life? Why did you leave
school six months before graduating?'" Ibrahim recalled. “I told him I
was an adult and that I stand by my decision. I am an independent person
and I want to determine my own future. Eventually, he accepted it."
After
talking with his father and reconciling with his family,
Ibrahim returned to base with renewed determination. "After three
months I joined the commander’s course. He [my father] was happy about
that,” Ibrahim said with pride. “He came to my ceremony.”
Eight
months later, Avraham successfully completed his officer’s course.
Ibrahim's family attended the graduation ceremony, which was held last
month.
An integral part of the country
As
for his future plans, Ibrahim insists that, for now, his life is in the
army. "I’d like to stay until I become company commander. I want to
contribute to this country. I am a part of this country. Everyone serves
in the IDF, and there is no reason that I would not do the same.”
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