Arab Zionist Declares Judea and Samaria Must Be Part of Jewish Future

In an extraordinary speech that electrified attendees at “The Future of Judea and Samaria” conference in Jerusalem this week, Rawan Osman an Arab Zionist born in Damascus declared that Israel’s biblical heartland must be part of the Jewish future. Speaking with the clarity of someone who once stood on the other side of history, Osman offered a powerful personal testimony of transformation, redemption, and unwavering support for Israel.

“I sat near a water spring and a pomegranate tree in Judea and Samaria, overlooking the Jordan Valley,” Osman said. “And I thought: if Jews have the right to live in Tel Aviv, they definitely have the right to live in Judea and Samaria. It is part of their story, of their past, and it must be part of their future.”

Osman’s words cut through decades of propaganda and revealed a deeper truth rarely acknowledged by critics of Israel. Raised in Lebanon, she described being immersed in antisemitic indoctrination and admiring Hezbollah. “We believed everything we were told about the Jews especially because there were no Jews around to challenge the lies.”

Her worldview changed after moving to France in her 20s, where she met Jews for the first time and began to question everything she had been taught. Her journey led her to Zionism and today, she is in the process of converting to Judaism, a path she described as “coming home.”

Asked whether Israel should have handled the Gaza war differently, Osman said she would have exchanged all jailed terrorists for the hostages immediately and then unleashed full military force against Hamas. “They broke the ceasefire the moment they made it. Hamas isn’t interested in peace.”

Osman also warned that the Palestinian street views October 7 not as a tragedy but as a victory. “They believe they won. That momentum is fueling their movement worldwide. They won’t stop until they see tens of thousands of Israelis packing and leaving. They want this country gone.”

She noted that even so-called moderate Palestinian leaders are encouraging mass Western protests, exploiting the current surge of antisemitism cloaked in “Free Palestine” rhetoric. “These activists are professional antisemites. This isn’t a civil rights movement it’s a campaign to end Israel.”

But Osman doesn’t believe this battle is hopeless. She pointed to the example of post-Nazi Germany and called for a regional effort to enforce mandatory deradicalization programs for Palestinians. “Humanitarian aid should be tied to engagement in programs that promote a new vision one that accepts that a Palestinian state will never exist.”

According to Osman, the entire narrative surrounding the Palestinian cause is artificial. “It was a project invented with the help of the KGB. Even the word ‘Palestine’ isn’t Arabic. It’s time to stop infantilizing the Palestinian people and start telling them the truth. The Palestinian cause was liquidated on October 7.”

Her words are a bracing call to moral clarity and a reminder of Israel’s enduring legitimacy not just in Tel Aviv, but in Hebron, Beit El, and the hills of Judea and Samaria.

At a time when truth is too often blurred by slogans and global pressure, Osman’s voice is a rare and courageous testimony an Arab Zionist unapologetically affirming Israel’s right to its ancestral homeland.

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