Israeli-Druze social activist: Israeli society will recover

Lorena Khateeb at the Women Leaders Summit

Several years ago, Israeli-Druze social activist Lorena Khateeb visited the Nazi concentration camps in Germany, the only Druze as part of a multicultural delegation of Palestinian Muslims Jewish Americans and Israelis.  This was the first time Khateeb realized the lack of knowledge surrounding Israel throughout the world, and the impetus of her mission to work towards normalizing ties between Israel and the Arab world.

Speaking at the Jerusalem Post Women Leaders Summit on March 27th, Khateeb served as a symbol of hope for all Israeli minorities that work towards building a more prosperous and peaceful future in Israel and throughout the Middle East.

“I realized that as a minority Druze woman living in Israel, a complex reality, I was in a position of influence,” Khateeb said. “I decided there and then that I had to play my part.”

Khateeb said that she understood that by creating digital content in Arabic, she had found a voice to create real change.  Challenging Israel’s preconceived notions on college campuses about Israel, Khateeb began advocating for Israel and organizing awareness campaigns for students in the United States, Europe and even the Gulf countries. She eventually began leading her own multicultural delegations to Poland and the countries under the Abraham Accords, bringing these two societies together.

Khateeb quickly learned that many liberties that she had taken for granted growing up in the only democratic country in the Middle Eastern were unheard of concepts for her Arabic contemporaries, who found themselves wanting to learn more about Israeli society.

Lorena Khateeb at the Women Leaders Summit (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)

Lorena Khateeb at the Women Leaders Summit (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)

Bridging Divides, Inspiring Unity

Since then, Khateeb has taken her mission to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Public Diplomacy Division, spreading awareness of Israel’s rich multiculturalism, of which minority groups make up 25% of Israel’s population.

Today, Khateeb serves as the project coordinator of Together Vouch for Each Other, which aims to bring both the Arab and Jewish sectors of Israel closer together.  She also is the co-founder of the Druze Youth Congress and External Content Manager of the Police Spokesperson Division.

Speaking somberly about her experiences in the aftermath of October 7, Khateeb shared how she has been working around the clock to meet with IDF soldiers on base, share videos for the Arabic world from the Western Negev Kibbutzim that were brutally attacked on October 7th, and even initiating the “Arabic in the Living Room” project, teaching displaced Israeli to speak Arabic.

Khateeb imparted a sense of compassion and empathy that gives hope for the future.

“I know that healing is something that takes place naturally,” Khateeb said. “I am sure that the Israeli society will recover, and we will come out of this stronger than ever, united and with even greater mutual respect.  In the meantime, we will continue to cry out for the hostages until they are released home.”

She continued to affirm that she will use her platform to share the stories of the families that were murdered in the terrorist attacks.  She added the importance of sharing the bravery of Israeli women from all ethnic backgrounds, who are often the victims of terrorism and war as mothers send their husbands and sons to fight on the front lines, not knowing if they will return.  Khateeb asserted that the resilience of women is the bedrock of Israeli society.

Concluding her speech to thunderous applause, Khaleeb affirmed that, “Together in full partnership with the entirety of Israel society, in all its shades, Jewish, Arab, religious, secular, Muslims and Druze, we will restore Israeli society and build a better future for all of us.”

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